thedrifter
06-25-07, 07:59 AM
The Lore of the Corps
Medal of Honor recipient cut swath across Iwo Jima
By Keith A. Milks - Special to the Times
Posted : July 02, 2007
Under the shadow of Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi, as five Marines and a sailor raised the flag, a young corporal continued the fight against fanatical Japanese resistance, saving countless lives and earning the Medal of Honor.
While the flag-raising and Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph captured the attention of history, the men of the 21st Marines will never forget how one of their own, Hershel “Woody” Williams, sprinted alone into fields of Japanese fire to save his fellow devil dogs.
The 19-year-old West Virginia native enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and underwent recruit training in San Diego, where he was designated a demolition man. He left for the Pacific in December 1943 and joined the 3rd Marine Division.
Landing on Iwo’s volcanic ash beaches Feb. 21, 1945, after a stop on Guam, Williams and his fellow grunts with 1st Battalion, 21st Marines, slugged inland against the Japanese defenders.
Two days later, American tanks were bogged down and it fell to infantrymen such as Williams to clear the way.
With four riflemen providing covering fire, Williams threw himself at the Japanese defenses with near-suicidal abandon.
Each time he destroyed a position, Williams braved enemy fire to return to the Marine lines to retrieve more demolition charges and flamethrowers.
Once re-equipped, he would sprint forward alone and again assault the Japanese trenches and pillboxes.
Those observing Williams lost track of the number of enemy positions he reduced, but two incidents stood out and were included in Williams’ Medal of Honor citation.
Unmindful of heavy enemy fire and dangerously exposed, Williams stood atop a Japanese pillbox and thrust the nozzle of his flamethrower into an air vent.
A quick burst of flame silenced the gun and its Japanese operators.
At another point, four Japanese soldiers rose to stop Williams from assaulting a different enemy position.
With bayonets flashing, the soldiers charged Williams, who calmly and efficiently blasted them with his flamethrower.
The enemy erupted in flames, and Williams proceeded to destroy the pillbox.
For more than four hours, Williams continued his assault and cut a swath through the Japanese defenses that allowed his regiment’s assault to continue.
Williams was wounded later in the Iwo campaign and returned to the U.S. in September 1945. He was assigned to Marine Corps headquarters.
A month later, he was summoned to the White House, where President Truman presented the 22-year-old with the Medal of Honor.
Discharged from the Corps in November 1945, Williams returned home to West Virginia, where he rejoined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1954. He honorarily retired as a chief warrant officer 4 in 1969.
A West Virginia National Guard Armory, a bridge and athletic field have been named after Williams.
A campaign is underway to have a Navy ship bear his name.
Ellie
Medal of Honor recipient cut swath across Iwo Jima
By Keith A. Milks - Special to the Times
Posted : July 02, 2007
Under the shadow of Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi, as five Marines and a sailor raised the flag, a young corporal continued the fight against fanatical Japanese resistance, saving countless lives and earning the Medal of Honor.
While the flag-raising and Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph captured the attention of history, the men of the 21st Marines will never forget how one of their own, Hershel “Woody” Williams, sprinted alone into fields of Japanese fire to save his fellow devil dogs.
The 19-year-old West Virginia native enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and underwent recruit training in San Diego, where he was designated a demolition man. He left for the Pacific in December 1943 and joined the 3rd Marine Division.
Landing on Iwo’s volcanic ash beaches Feb. 21, 1945, after a stop on Guam, Williams and his fellow grunts with 1st Battalion, 21st Marines, slugged inland against the Japanese defenders.
Two days later, American tanks were bogged down and it fell to infantrymen such as Williams to clear the way.
With four riflemen providing covering fire, Williams threw himself at the Japanese defenses with near-suicidal abandon.
Each time he destroyed a position, Williams braved enemy fire to return to the Marine lines to retrieve more demolition charges and flamethrowers.
Once re-equipped, he would sprint forward alone and again assault the Japanese trenches and pillboxes.
Those observing Williams lost track of the number of enemy positions he reduced, but two incidents stood out and were included in Williams’ Medal of Honor citation.
Unmindful of heavy enemy fire and dangerously exposed, Williams stood atop a Japanese pillbox and thrust the nozzle of his flamethrower into an air vent.
A quick burst of flame silenced the gun and its Japanese operators.
At another point, four Japanese soldiers rose to stop Williams from assaulting a different enemy position.
With bayonets flashing, the soldiers charged Williams, who calmly and efficiently blasted them with his flamethrower.
The enemy erupted in flames, and Williams proceeded to destroy the pillbox.
For more than four hours, Williams continued his assault and cut a swath through the Japanese defenses that allowed his regiment’s assault to continue.
Williams was wounded later in the Iwo campaign and returned to the U.S. in September 1945. He was assigned to Marine Corps headquarters.
A month later, he was summoned to the White House, where President Truman presented the 22-year-old with the Medal of Honor.
Discharged from the Corps in November 1945, Williams returned home to West Virginia, where he rejoined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1954. He honorarily retired as a chief warrant officer 4 in 1969.
A West Virginia National Guard Armory, a bridge and athletic field have been named after Williams.
A campaign is underway to have a Navy ship bear his name.
Ellie