Hershel W. Williams

U. S. Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient (1923–2022)

Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams (October 2, 1923 – June 29, 2022) was a United States Marine Corps Reserve warrant officer and United States Department of Veterans Affairs veterans service representative who received the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest decoration for valor, for heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Williams was the last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.

Williams, the youngest of eleven children, was born in Quiet Dell in Marion County, West Virginia, At birth, Williams weighed 3 1/2 pounds and was not expected to live. His mother, Lurenna, decided to name him after the doctor who arrived at their farm several days after his birth. By the time he was 11, his father, Lloyd, had died of a heart attack and several of his siblings had died due to the flu.

Williams was drawn to the Marines by their dress blue uniforms he had seen several men in his community wear. He disliked the Army's brown wool uniform he considered " the ugliest thing in town I decided I did not want to be in that thing. I want to be in those dress blues." Aside from the appearance of the uniform, Williams knew nothing of the Marines. In January 1944, he joined Company C, 1st Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division at Guadalcanal. These actions occurred on the same day that two flags were raised on Mount Suribachi, and Williams, about one thousand yards away from the volcano, was able to witness the event. He fought through the remainder of the five week long battle, even though he was wounded in the leg on March 6 by fragmentation, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart.

In March 1948, he reenlisted in the inactive Marine Corps Reserve, but was again discharged on August 4, 1949. He was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. On July 14, 2022, Williams' remains lay in honor at the U. S. Capitol Rotunda.

Williams was a member of The American Legion, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Marine Corps League, and Sons of the American Revolution. His medal of honor is on display at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago. For years, Williams struggled with post traumatic stress until 1962, when he experienced a religious renewal.