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Boy Scouts honor local WWII veteran

Times West Virginian - 8/12/2018

Aug. 12--FAIRMONT -- Hershel "Woody" Williams is a witness of history.

The 94-year-old World War II veteran was a part of two crucial battles in the war, and was honored at the White House by the president.

On Friday, it was his turn to be recognized in his beloved "hometown" of Fairmont.

He was recognized as the 2018 Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the Mountaineer Area Council of the Boys Scouts of America at the Fairmont Elks Lodge.

According to a biography of Williams provided by the Boy Scouts, Williams was born on a diary farm in 1923 in Quiet Dell, West Virginia, and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Battle of Iwo Jima with the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division.

The description states, "During the battle, Mr. Williams displayed 'valiant devotion to duty' and service above self as he 'enabled his company to reach its objective.' Mr. Williams' actions, commitment to his fellow service members and heroism were recognized on Oct. 5, 1945, when he received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Truman at the White House. Mr. Williams is the sole surviving Marine from World War II to wear the Medal of Honor."

Dan McNeil, the council president for the Boy Scouts, was pleased to honor Williams, who received a Mountaineer statue made of coal.

"Woody embodies two important points of the Scout law: a Scout is loyal and a Scout is brave," he said. "And he has lived his life even after receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor in such a way to help others. And he was in the Marines and the Marine Corps Reserves for 20 years, and so he's lived his life in a way to serve others, and that's an important part of Scouting."

When asked for comment, Williams, who now lives in Ona, was happy about being named Distinguished Citizen of the Year.

"My hometown of Fairmont has been exceedingly good to me over my life, and I always say that I am from Fairmont and I'm very proud to be from Fairmont, although I was raised out in Quiet Dell, West Virginia, but we would come to Fairmont on a Saturday, so Fairmont's always been home. And for this group to recognize and to award me the award that they're going to give me tonight...it's just another one of those things that my community is doing that just increases my pride of saying, 'I'm from Fairmont.'"

He recalled how he came to serve his country during that time of great conflict.

"I didn't get the actual draft notice, but I got a notice that I would be drafted, so I went and enlisted in the Marine Corps," he said.

"I was very proud to be able to serve my country. I didn't have a full understanding of what I was doing. I thought, when I enlisted, I would stay right here in the United States, along with all the others, to protect our country. I didn't know that I would be going to some foreign land to fight with a group of people that I had never heard tell of (the Japanese)."

He had tried to go into the service in 1942, but said he was turned down because he was too short.

"So in '43, after they said they would take people shorter, I was able to go in," he said. He was 19 years old.

He served in two battles: the re-taking of Guam and the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Williams shared his thoughts on Iwo Jima.

"Every combat situation is pretty well the same, the thing that made Iwo Jima so different and made it the icon of the Pacific, was that it was the first Japanese territory that we were actually going to capture," he said.

He said he was in battle 34 of the 36 days that the battle lasted.

"It is horrific because you're having people killed around you, you're losing some of the best friends you've ever had in the world, fellow Marines," he said.

"It left a lasting impact on my life, and like most people who have been in combat, it takes a while after you come home to readjust," he said.

"For me, receiving the Medal of Honor was actually the lifesaver because it forced me to talk about the experiences that I had, which was a therapy that I didn't even know I was doing," he said.

He was wounded on Iwo Jima.

As for the famous Iwo Jima photo of the flag being raised, Williams said he didn't see the flag go up, but saw the flag after it immediately went up.

"They had just raised it and everybody was yelling and celebrating. People went crazy. Our Marines were firing their weapons in the air, celebrating the fact that Old Glory was now flying on enemy territory. That was so very, very impactful. We've never had that before.

He was 22 years old when he received the Medal of Honor from the president.

He described President Truman as a very humble individual and a down-to-earth person who was very easy to talk to.

Williams recalled how he felt at the time, saying he was scared to death.

"Standing before the president of this United States, for a country boy 22 years old, I was absolutely shaking in my shoes," he said.

After the war, he spent 33 years working as a veterans counselor.

Williams will be 95 years old in October.

"My life has been blessed with so many miracles, I'm not sure I can count them all."

Eric Hrin can be reached at 304-367-2549.

Eric Hrin can be reached at 304-367-2549, or ehrin@timeswv.com.

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