thedrifter
09-29-07, 09:21 AM
September 29, 2007
War hero has idea to thank mothers, parents
By Rusty Marks
Staff writer
Fairmont-born Medal of Honor winner Hershel “Woody” Williams will get a special birthday present next week, when plans are announced to pursue a national monument to mothers and families in the Mountain State.
Williams turns 84 and celebrates his 62nd wedding anniversary in October. Members of the nonprofit organization Thanks! Plain and Simple will host a special dinner to honor Williams and his wife, Ruby, on Oct. 5.
Thanks! Plain and Simple director Anne Montague also said a public ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 6 at the state Capitol in Charleston to announce plans for a national monument.
Montague said Williams himself suggested a monument recognizing the contributions of West Virginia’s mothers and parents. The state is already recognized as the birthplace of Mother’s Day, founded by Anna Jarvis of Grafton.
The Oct. 6 ceremony will mark the beginning of the process to get a national monument built, Montague said.
Thanks! Plain and Simple was founded to recognize the contributions of military men and women before, during and after their service. Williams is a member of the organization’s board of directors.
Williams was born in Fairmont in 1923. The former truck driver joined the Marines in 1943 and took part in the Pacific campaign of World War II.
On Feb. 23, 1945, Williams was on Iwo Jima when his unit’s advance was held up by a concentration of Japanese pillboxes. Armed with a flamethrower, Williams all but single-handedly attacked the pillboxes and machine gun nests, fighting for about four hours before the enemy concentration was eliminated. Wounded on March 6, Williams was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor.
He is the state’s only living Medal of Honor recipient.
Thanks! Plain and Simple also plans a Marbles for Remembering event on Oct. 6, inviting World War II veterans to play marbles with kids.
For more information, call Anne Montague at 776-4743.
To contact staff writer Rusty Marks, use e-mail or call 348-1215.
Ellie
War hero has idea to thank mothers, parents
By Rusty Marks
Staff writer
Fairmont-born Medal of Honor winner Hershel “Woody” Williams will get a special birthday present next week, when plans are announced to pursue a national monument to mothers and families in the Mountain State.
Williams turns 84 and celebrates his 62nd wedding anniversary in October. Members of the nonprofit organization Thanks! Plain and Simple will host a special dinner to honor Williams and his wife, Ruby, on Oct. 5.
Thanks! Plain and Simple director Anne Montague also said a public ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 6 at the state Capitol in Charleston to announce plans for a national monument.
Montague said Williams himself suggested a monument recognizing the contributions of West Virginia’s mothers and parents. The state is already recognized as the birthplace of Mother’s Day, founded by Anna Jarvis of Grafton.
The Oct. 6 ceremony will mark the beginning of the process to get a national monument built, Montague said.
Thanks! Plain and Simple was founded to recognize the contributions of military men and women before, during and after their service. Williams is a member of the organization’s board of directors.
Williams was born in Fairmont in 1923. The former truck driver joined the Marines in 1943 and took part in the Pacific campaign of World War II.
On Feb. 23, 1945, Williams was on Iwo Jima when his unit’s advance was held up by a concentration of Japanese pillboxes. Armed with a flamethrower, Williams all but single-handedly attacked the pillboxes and machine gun nests, fighting for about four hours before the enemy concentration was eliminated. Wounded on March 6, Williams was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor.
He is the state’s only living Medal of Honor recipient.
Thanks! Plain and Simple also plans a Marbles for Remembering event on Oct. 6, inviting World War II veterans to play marbles with kids.
For more information, call Anne Montague at 776-4743.
To contact staff writer Rusty Marks, use e-mail or call 348-1215.
Ellie