Illinois Valley Times

Representative Dan Swanson honored the life of WWII veteran Hershel “Woody” Williams, the last-living WWII Medal of Honor recipient.

“I have flown my flag at half-staff to mourn the death and honor the life of the last surviving WWII Medal of Honor Recipient Williams,” Swanson wrote on Facebook. “I had the distinct honor and privilege to meet Williams at the 2019 Rock Island Arsenal Army Birthday Ball.” 

His service is also honored through the Woody Williams Foundation, a nonprofit that works to have Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments.

Representative Dan Swanson talking to WWII veteran Hershel “Woody” Williams. | https://www.facebook.com/SwansonStrongIL/posts/pfbid022Sr9QR9npx8Jtwzz3XYkSwt3AQFqMMiEdRk3f278nc4oKMKVtyTSMKVFEk5TJPuJl

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on Iwo Jima. United States President Harry Truman presented Williams with the Medal of Honor on October 5, 1945. The White House, presented by President Truman.

The Woody Williams Foundation wrote Williams’s work to support veterans started before he joined the Corp. Once WWII started, he delivered Western Union telegrams to Gold Star Families to inform them of the death of their loved ones.

“A lot of people are going to mourn his passing,” General David Berger said in the Anchorage Press. “And we know his legacy, as a Marine, as Woody, that’s going to continue. His bravery, his selflessness, and his humility, all of that exemplified the best virtues of this nation. His enduring contributions, enduring to our heritage, I think they have left an indelible mark on the legacy of our Marine Corps.”

His body will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol, according to an announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

A date and other details will be announced later, Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement. “Williams embodied the best of America: living a life of duty, honor and courage,” Pelosi said. Schumer said: “Williams was an American hero who embodied the best of our country and the greatest generation.”

The Marine Corps University wrote William earned his purple heart after getting hurt in action.

The Washington Post reported he received the Medal of Honor for the following: “Williams was remembered for another act of heroism that day, one for which he received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor. Armed with a flamethrower, he braved hours of unremitting enemy fire to take out seven pillboxes where the Japanese had hunkered down to repel the U.S. invasion of the island.”