From Quiet Dell to the bloody sands of Iwo Jima: Last surviving World War II Medal of Honor winner dies at 98

Hershel "Woody" Williams

The last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II died Wednesday, June 29. Former Marine Warrant Officer Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams, who won the medal for heroism on Iwo Jima, was 98. He died at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center bearing his name in Huntington, West Virginia.

"Williams went ahead of his unit . . . and eliminated a series of Japanese machine-gun positions," The Associated Press reports. Earning the nation's highest military honor made him a prominent advocate for veterans, and may have also kept him from suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.

"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," Williams said during a 2018 Boy Scouts recognition ceremony in Fairmont.

The Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation works to establish Gold Star Family memorials in every state, honoring those who have lost a loved one in service. He was also involved in the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, that is expected to open in 2024.

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Williams stayed in the military following the war, serving for 20 years in the Marine Corps and Marine Corps reserve. For 33 years, he was a VA service representative.

Williams was born the youngest of 11 children on a dairy farm on Oct. 2, 1923. He grew up in Quiet Dell in Harrison County and was engaged during the war. Ruby Williams died in 2007 at 83; they had two daughters and five grandsons.