This week, too often, people with mental health challenges or substance use disorder wind up in jail. But crisis response teams offer another way. Also, changes to the Endangered Species Act could benefit big business. They could also kill animals like the eastern hellbender. And, in troubled times, a West Virginia writer says to find peace in nature.
Us & Them Talks With Medal Of Honor Recipient Woody Williams
Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, the last surviving World War ll U.S. Marine recipient of the Medal of Honor.Cameron Donohue/TEDxMarshallU
Listen
Share this Article
Us & Them host Trey Kay honors Veterans Day with a remarkable conversation with the last surviving World War ll U.S. Marine recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams grew up as a farm kid in the Mountain State and enlisted in the Marine Corps just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He served in the Pacific campaign and fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Williams received the Medal of Honor for fighting against enemy positions to open a lane for infantry soldiers. For four hours under heavy fire, he used a flamethrower against reinforced concrete pillbox defenses.
After leaving active service, Williams created a foundation to honor the families of service people lost in battle and offer scholarships to the children of fallen soldiers.
Williams, who is 98, says his goal is to ride a horse on his 100th birthday.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the CRC Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Cameron Donohue/TEDxMarshallU
/
Trey Kay, host of Us & Them with Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, the last surviving World War ll U.S. Marine recipient of the Medal of Honor. Kay and Williams spoke at TEDx event at Marshall University in March 2020.
Letter from Woody Williams
Add WVPB as a preferred source on Google to see more from our team
As the U.S. approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Americans are debating not just politics but the nation’s past. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay brings together student and academic scholars and community members at Marshall University in West Virginia to examine what the revolution means to us today.
An Us & Them episode honored by the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters for Best Podcast examines the hidden side of homeownership in Appalachia. While West Virginia has the nation’s highest homeownership rate, aging housing stock and low incomes leave many residents living in deteriorating conditions. Reporting from western Virginia, this episode explores what happens when owning a home doesn’t mean building wealth.
Tough-on-crime laws are changing the landscape for people experiencing homelessness and addiction. In this encore episode of Us & Them, Trey Kay returns to Kentucky to track the fallout from the state’s 2024 Safer Kentucky Act. The pressures are rising — in city housing systems and across rural Appalachia’s thin safety nets.
For many rural families, the nearest delivery room is getting farther away. Since 2020, 124 rural hospitals have stopped delivering babies or announced plans to close their obstetric and delivery units. In this encore Us & Them, Trey Kay hears from families navigating the risks — and asks what it means for the future of their communities.