World War II Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Woody Williams U.S. Capitol Statue Will Happen, Grandson Says

Curtis Tate spoke with Chad Graham, Williams’ grandson, about what happens next.

The state Senate unanimously approved a resolution in February to place a statue of Hershel “Woody” Williams in the U.S. Capitol. Williams, who died in 2022 at age 98, was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.

The measure, though, did not get a vote in the House of Delegates before the regular session ended. Curtis Tate spoke with Chad Graham, Williams’ grandson, about what happens next.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Tate: How come the legislature didn’t complete its work on the resolution to place the statue?

Graham: My understanding is, and of course, I’m a resident, as my granddad used to call it ‘that foreign state over there,’ Kentucky. So I’m about two hours and 40 minutes from where I grew up there, and the Huntington-Barboursville area, but my understanding is, it was just timing. It seems like there’s widespread support of this. And I think it was just how things fell in terms of what they were trying to get through within that session. And everybody feels confident that in this next round, or I guess, maybe in a special session, it’s something that will get pushed to the top of the stack, so to speak, but that’s my understanding.

Tate: What would your grandfather think about the effort to put his statue inside the Capitol?

Graham: I’ve never known anyone that was more proud and loved more being a West Virginian. My grandmother was the same way. She used to joke, ‘I’ve got five grandsons.’ My mother, Tracy, still lives in Barboursville. But the other daughter lives in Ohio. Her sons live in Ohio, and then three of us grandsons live in Kentucky. And one day my grandmother’s over visiting the family in Ohio, and she was still living and she said, “Do you think it’s time for us to get back home? The air is just better over there.” And it was I mean, they were you know, they were in like Marietta so that was right across the river. But point being, he loved being a West Virginia and he loved West Virginia so much. Even where he chose to be laid to rest there with my grandmother at Donnel C. Kinnard State Veterans Cemetery, so many people said Woody, you know, as a Medal of Honor recipient, Arlington does welcome those recipients to be buried there and their spouses. He said, “That’s not where I’m from.” He said, “I want to be with my people. I want to be in West Virginia.” So I know this for him would be so, so meaningful.

Tate: Once the legislature is fully on board, how long might this take?

Graham: My understanding is that it is a multi-year process, as many things in the District are, especially when it involves the Capitol, the way that the Capitol is governed and the design components of this and how that design would be developed. Even down to the medium used for the statute itself, there are fairly clear-cut regulations and guidelines for that. I can send you some quick reads in terms of how the statuary works. But it would be a multi-year process. And if that all went smooth – I know just enough to be dangerous in terms of how the different committees work when it comes to design and things like that at the district or within the district, especially within the Capitol. It could be as quick as two to three years. There are components of it that would be out of the hands of our state of West Virginia, essentially.

Tate: The rotunda was full of dignitaries the day his casket was brought in. Do you see that happening when the statue is unveiled?

Graham: Of course, we miss him every day. Still, every single day. But it warmed our hearts, made us feel very thankful for everybody that supported him. And I feel like this would be much the same. He was so generous with his time and who he was that he gave a little piece of himself to everyone that he met and interacted with, and even some folks that he never met. I think what he meant to people is part of why this is important. And I am certain that on that wonderful day when this is unveiled that there’ll be a lot of people squeezing in to be a part of that, to see it and and support it and support what he’s about.

Tate: The last survivor of the USS Arizona attack at Pearl Harbor just died. Your grandfather was part of a generation we’re losing fast.

Graham: On the (USS) Missouri, it’s probably been 2016-17, somewhere in that space. With then five of the living Arizona survivors of course as you mentioned, we just lost the last one but sitting with those five gentlemen and then going into the captain’s quarters on the Missouri, decorated as it was in World War II with pictures of the commander in chief (Harry) Truman in the cabin. And these old guys, it was like dialing back the clock, they might as well been 21 years old again. You know, giving each other a hard time of course, Papaw being a Marine like your granddad and these guys being Navy and giving each other just all kind of grief, and then when they christened my granddad’s ship in San Diego. Those guys came to support him, those Arizona survivors, and to lose them I think that to me, it breaks your heart a little bit to see – not a little bit – it breaks your heart, period, to see that generation dwindling away because they’re from a different fabric.

Session Ends With Woody Williams Statue Resolution Stuck In House

The Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 30 unanimously in February. It would have placed a statue of Hershel “Woody” Williams in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

A resolution to honor Woody Williams with a statue in the U.S. Capitol never got a vote in the House of Delegates.

The Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 30 unanimously in February. It would have placed a statue of Hershel “Woody” Williams in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

But like hundreds of other bills during the 60-day session, it never moved in the other chamber.

Williams, who died in 2022 at age 98, was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Williams was awarded the medal for his actions in combat in the Marine Corps at the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.

Congressional leaders paid tribute to Williams in the U.S. Capitol rotunda following his death.

His statue would have replaced that of John Kenna, a 19th century legislator. Kenna’s statue would have been relocated to the Culture Center in Charleston.

Watch West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s tribute to Williams here.

Resolution Would Place Statue Of Woody Williams In U.S. Capitol

The Senate Finance Committee approved a resolution Wednesday that will place a statue of Woody Williams in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

War hero Hershel “Woody” Williams was honored at the U.S. Capitol following his death. Now, a statue of him could be on permanent display there.

The Senate Finance Committee approved a resolution Wednesday that will place a statue of Woody Williams in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

His youngest grandson, Chad Graham, thanked the committee.

“We feel as a family this is such a tremendous honor and is something we were so humbled and excited to hear about,” Graham said.

Williams, the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, died in 2022 at age 98.

Lawmakers from both parties and both chambers paid tribute to Williams in the Capitol rotunda.

If the legislature approves the resolution, a statue of Williams will replace that of John K enna, a Confederate veteran who was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

Kenna’s statue would then be moved to the Culture Center in Charleston.

Each state has two statues in Statuary Hall. West Virginia’s other notable figure is Francis Harrison Pierpont, a lawyer who became Virginia’s governor at the end of the Civil War.

The Woody Williams Foundation honors Gold Star families, those who have sacrificed loved ones in service to the country.

Watch West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s tribute to Williams here.

Remembering Woody Williams And Volunteers Save Segregated Cemetery, Inside Appalachia

This week, we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia and learn how racial segregation followed some people to the grave. We also hear from Neema Avashia, author of the celebrated memoir, “Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer And Indian In A Mountain Place.” And we remember Hershel “Woody” Williams. The West Virginia native was America’s last living World War II Medal of Honor winner. He died last summer at the age of 98.

This week, we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia and learn how racial segregation followed some people to the grave.

We also hear from Neema Avashia, author of the celebrated memoir, “Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer And Indian In A Mountain Place.”

And we remember Hershel “Woody” Williams. The West Virginia native was America’s last living World War II Medal of Honor winner. He died last summer at the age of 98.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Repairing A Segregated Cemetery

For decades, the graves of Black residents in a Virginia community were neglected in the town’s old, segregated cemetery.

It might have stayed that way if not for the efforts of one woman who had family buried there.

Folkways Reporter Connie Bailey Kitts brought us this story.

World War I veteran Robert L. Dalton was a corporal in the 803rd Pioneer Infantry which included the band of African Americans who played for French and American troops. His grave is now decorated on Memorial Day.

*Credit: Connie Bailey Kitts/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Coming Up Queer And Indian In Appalachia

Recently, Inside Appalachia put together a list of summer reading suggestions. We interviewed several prominent Appalachian authors, but we couldn’t fit them all into one show – including Neema Avashia.

Her collection of personal essays, “Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place,” about growing up in West Virginia, was a well-received memoir.

Mason Adams spoke with Avashia.

Remembering Woody Williams

Hershel “Woody” Williams was the nation’s last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient.

He was a West Virginia native and died June 29, 2022 at the age of 98.

Before he passed, though, he did an interview with WVPB’s Trey Kay for the podcast Us & Them.

Hershel “Woody” Williams

*Credit: e-wv, The West Virginia Encyclopedia*

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Holocaust Remembrance Day And Shepherd University Encourages Campus Carry Dialogue, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, it is Holocaust Remembrance Day by the Jewish calendar in recognition of the 80th anniversary of the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. The day honors six million Jews murdered during the war.

On this West Virginia Morning, it is Holocaust Remembrance Day by the Jewish calendar in recognition of the 80^th anniversary of the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. The day honors six million Jews murdered during the war.

News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Laura Millstein the regional development director for the American Jewish Committee from her home in Greenbrier County to better understand the day and the rise of antisemitism today.

Also, in this show, Shepherd University is encouraging conversations with its students and faculty on how to deal with a new state law allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campus. Eastern Panhandle Reporter Shepherd Snyder has more.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Remembering Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams, The Last WWII Medal Of Honor Recipient

West Virginia native, U.S. and state hero Hershel “Woody” Williams passed away June 29 at 98.

West Virginia native, U.S. and state hero Hershel “Woody” Williams died on June 29. He was 98 and the last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War II.

Williams was born in the northern West Virginia community of Quiet Dell in Marion County on Oct. 2, 1923. He was 18 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and was serving with the Civilian Conservation Corps at the time. He attempted to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, but was rejected because of his height.

Williams stood at 5 feet 6 inches.

“I handed him my paper. He was sitting behind the desk. He didn’t look at my paper, he just looked at me and shook his head and said, ‘Sorry, I can’t take you.’” Williams said in a 2013 interview with Eric Douglas, who at that time was working on an oral history project.

“I said ‘why?’ I was a pretty good specimen of an individual at that time,” Williams said. “I’d worked on a farm all my life, I had some muscles and you know, pretty well built at that point, 30 inch waist and 5 foot, 6 inches tall. And that’s what he told me. He said, ‘You’re too short.’”

In 1943, the Marines changed their requirements and he got in.

“They took the height requirement off in the Marine Corps, they needed bodies. So then they began taking anybody 5 foot or better,” Williams said. “So then I went back and went into the Marine Corps in May of 1943.”

Service Above And Beyond

Williams served in the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division on Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945. It was the same day that the iconic image of the rising flag on Mt. Suribachi was captured. He remembered seeing the flag go up, but was too busy to recall much else.

The fighting was brutal. Williams was a demolitions expert and was trained to use the recently developed flamethrower. An officer asked him if he could use the device to take out the enemy pillboxes — machine gun stations protected by concrete bunkers.

“The word is that he asked me if I thought I could do something with the flamethrower on those pillboxes,” Williams said. “I’ve said this all my life, I have no idea what my response was. Some of the fellows who survived and were in the hole that day, reported that I said, ‘I’ll try.’”

The officer assigned four riflemen to protect Williams as he did his job. His actions that day earned him a Medal of Honor which he received from President Harry Truman on Oct. 5, 1945.

The Medal of Honor commendation notes: “Cpl. Williams daringly went forward alone to attempt the reduction of devastating machine gun fire from the unyielding positions.”

For Williams, memories of the day remained a blur.

“I have so little memory of the four hours that I spent knocking out, and burning out, seven pillboxes,” Williams said. “There’s two or three things that are just so vivid you can almost reach out and touch them. And there are others, like how did I get my flamethrowers? Nobody brought them to me, I know that, but there are times that I can’t remember how I went back and got a flamethrower.”

When he told the story of that day, Williams always spoke of the four men who were assigned to protect him that day. Two of them didn’t make it home.

“The Medal of Honor, to me, is a very precious thing. It is like a gem, a valuable gem,” Williams said. “Because you can’t buy it. And you really can’t earn it. Somebody must recommend you for it, based on something that you accomplished.”

Williams explained that more than 40 million men and women have served the United States in uniform. But only 3,530 of those soldiers, sailors and Marines have received Medals of Honor.

“When I wear the medal, it has an effect on me as it does my fellow recipients that you don’t wear it just to show it off,” he said. “You wear it for a cause and a purpose. And when you do, those who recognize it, recognize it for what it is. As I’ve said many times, I do not wear it for what I did, I wear it in honor of those Marines who never got to come home. And especially the two of them who gave their lives protecting me.”

Williams did eventually learn the names of the two men who died protecting him at Iwo Jima.

He was the last of nearly 500 World War II veterans to wear the medal.

Woody Williams standing beside the first Gold Star Families memorial in the country, at the Donel C. Kinard cemetery in Dunbar, West Virginia. There are more than 100 memorials around the country now.

After The War

While many would say Williams earned a quiet life back home after the war, he didn’t see it that way. In the years following, Williams worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 33 years as a Veterans Service Representative, allowing him to continue serving veterans and their families.

He said having the Medal of Honor changed his life.

“It gave me an appreciation of life that I didn’t have before,” Williams said. “How very valuable it is and how very quickly you can lose it. I was a farm boy, very shy and bashful. I always wanted to be in the background, not in the forefront. And all of a sudden, I am a public figure.”

Williams had his own personal struggles with the things he saw and did during the war, but the Medal of Honor helped him cope, because it forced him to talk about his experiences.

“So it was a therapy to me,” he said. “I had all kinds of nightmares and those things that go with that. But since I was forced to talk about it, I didn’t hold it in. I let it out. That it really helped me adjust back to where I was before.”

That experience and realization drove him to work with other veterans to convince them to open up.

“I talk to veterans and speak to veterans conventions and that sort of thing. I tell them, ‘Don’t hold it in. Talk to somebody about it,’” Williams said. “Somebody that you can have confidence in [and] get it out of your system.”

Williams retired from the military after serving 20 years in the Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Reserves. He served as the Commandant of the Veterans Nursing Home in Barboursville, West Virginia for nearly 10 years, helping veterans who were, often in their last years of life.

Woody Williams receiving a distinguished West Virginian award from Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in 2013.

The West Virginia Legislature included Williams in the West Virginia Hall of Fame and named him a Distinguished West Virginian in 1980 and in 2013.

Recently, the Secretary of the Navy named Expeditionary Sea Base Ship 4, the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams mobile base sea vessel. It entered Navy service in early 2018.

That year, the Huntington VA Medical Center, near Williams’ home in West Virginia, was renamed in his honor. In his hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia, the Hershel “Woody” Williams Armed Forces Reserve Center is the only National Guard facility in the country named after a Marine.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Hershel “Woody” Williams Post 7048 in Fairmont, and the main bridge in Barboursville, are named for him as well.

Williams’ work will continue through his foundation. To date, the Woody Williams Foundation is responsible for establishing 103 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments across the United States with more than 72 additional monuments underway in 50 states and one U.S. territory.

His Medal of Honor Citation reads:

During the Battle of Iwo Jima, 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 October 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 WWII to wear the Medal of Honor.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as demolition sergeant serving with the 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 23 February 1945. Quick to volunteer his services when our tanks were maneuvering vainly to open a lane for the infantry through the network of reinforced concrete pillboxes, buried mines, and black volcanic sands, Cpl. Williams daringly went forward alone to attempt the reduction of devastating machinegun fire from the unyielding positions. Covered only by 4 riflemen, he fought desperately for 4 hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flamethrowers, struggling back, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out 1 position after another. On 1 occasion, he daringly mounted a pillbox to insert the nozzle of his flamethrower through the air vent, killing the occupants and silencing the gun; on another he grimly charged enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets and destroyed them with a burst of flame from his weapon. His unyielding determination and extraordinary heroism in the face of ruthless enemy resistance were directly instrumental in neutralizing one of the most fanatically defended Japanese strong points encountered by his regiment and aided vitally in enabling his company to reach its objective.

Cpl. Williams’ aggressive fighting spirit and valiant devotion to duty throughout this fiercely contested action sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

Rank: Corporal

Organization: U.S. Marine Corps

Company:

Division: 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division

Born: 2 October 1923, Quiet Dell, W. Va.

Departed: No

Entered Service At: West Virginia

G.O. Number:

Date of Issue: 10/05/1945

Accredited To: West Virginia

Place / Date: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 23 February 1945