Last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from second world war to lie in state at US Capitol

The final remaining Medal of Honor recipient from the second world warfare will lie in state on the US Capitol, West Virginia senator Joe Manchin introduced at a memorial on Sunday the place the late marine was remembered for his braveness, humility and selflessness.

“He by no means give up giving again,” Manchin mentioned of Hershel W “Woody” Williams. That included elevating cash for gold star households – fast relations of fallen service members – with an annual bike journey.

“It’s raised a whole lot of 1000's of dollars,” Manchin mentioned. He joked that the annual journey wouldn't “be stopping, as a result of Woody would come after me in a heartbeat”.

Manchin, a Democrat, mentioned he would miss Williams’ cellphone calls, noting how the army veteran would at all times give him instructions and to-do lists. “I’ll miss him telling me how I’m purported to vote,” Manchin mentioned. “And after I didn’t, how I made a mistake.”

Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams pictured in 2012.

Williams, who died on Wednesday aged 98, was a legend in his native West Virginia for his heroics beneath fireplace over a number of essential hours on the Battle of Iwo Jima.

As a younger US marine corporal, Williams went forward of his unit in February 1945 and eradicated a sequence of Japanese machine-gun positions. Dealing with small-arms fireplace, Williams fought for 4 hours, repeatedly returning to arrange demolition fees and procure flamethrowers.

Later that yr, Williams – then 22 – acquired the Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman. The Medal of Honor is America’s highest award for army valour.

The commandant of the US Marine Corps, Normal David Berger, mentioned on the memorial that Williams at all times took exception to the notion that he completed that feat alone. He at all times acknowledged the opposite males on his workforce, a few of whom by no means returned dwelling.

“Woody would be the most real individual I ever met,” Berger mentioned, noting his distinctive mixture of humility and humour. “He might make you chortle. He might make you care. That was his present.”

Williams remained within the marines after the warfare, serving a complete of 20 years. He later labored for the Veterans Administration for 33 years as a veterans service consultant.

In 2018, a medical centre in Huntington, Virginia, was renamed in his honour, and the navy commissioned a cell base sea vessel in his title in 2020.

“He left an indelible mark on our Marine Corps,” Berger mentioned. “So long as there are marines, his legacy will reside on.”