During the memorial services for Hershel “Woody” Williams, Sen. Joe Manchin announced that he received a call at 11 a.m. Sunday confirming that Williams will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. This honor is typically reserved for presidents and dignitaries.
According to Manchin, Williams himself had suggested that when the last Medal Of Honor recipient from World War Two died, that veteran should receive the honor to represent the other 470 medal recipients from the war. Williams suggested the honor without realizing he would be that veteran.
Williams received the Medal Of Honor for his actions during the battle of Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945. With the support of four riflemen, Williams destroyed seven enemy pillboxes using a flamethrower.
Manchin said the final details of when Williams will lie in state at the capitol are still being worked out with the family but would be determined in the coming days. He did suggest it will likely be in the second week of July.
According to the archives of the U.S. House of Representatives, “Since Henry Clay in 1852, the U.S. Capitol has been used as a place to pay tribute to the nation’s most distinguished citizens. Made available for public viewing in the Capitol, persons who have “lain in state” traditionally have been American officials, judges, and military leaders, including 12 U.S. Presidents. In 1998, to recognize two Capitol Police officers who died in the line of duty, Congress granted use of the rotunda for their caskets to “lie in honor.” In 2020, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lay in state in the National Statuary Hall.”