[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 13, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H5980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF HERSHEL ``WOODY'' WILLIAMS

  (Mr. McCARTHY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American 
hero.
  Ronald Reagan once said: ``Some people wonder all their lives if they 
made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem.''
  This is especially true of Hershel ``Woody'' Williams, who will be 
lying in honor in the Capitol tomorrow. Until his death on June 29, 
Williams was the sole surviving marine from World War II to wear the 
Medal of Honor.
  Then-Corporal Williams was a 21-year-old marine when his unit landed 
on Iwo Jima in February 1945. He was thrown into bloody combat almost 
immediately. Japanese forces were dug into a network of reinforced 
pillboxes, and American forces were pinned down by heavy machine gun 
fire.
  Williams could see his fellow marines needed help, so he grabbed a 
flamethrower and charged towards the enemy stronghold alone.
  Can you believe he was just 21 years old when he did that? As his 
Medal of Honor citation says: ``Covered only by four riflemen, he 
fought desperately for 4 hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and 
repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and 
obtain serviced flamethrowers, struggling back, frequently to the rear 
of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another.''

  Williams' actions, his citation concludes, displayed ``valiant 
devotion to duty'' and enabled ``his company to reach its objective.''
  Williams saw the American flag raised on Mount Suribachi that same 
day.
  Williams was honorably discharged 9 months later, but he reenlisted 
in the Reserves twice. By the time he retired from the Corps in 1969, 
he had served 20 years and risen to the rank of chief warrant officer 
4.
  Yet, Williams still felt the call to service after he retired. So, 
among other things, he started the Woody Williams Foundation. Williams 
and his foundation helped establish 104 Gold Star Families Memorial 
Monuments across America to date, and right now more than 69 more 
monuments are underway in 50 States.
  Woody Williams went above and beyond the call of duty on the 
battlefield and back home, and by lying in honor in the rotunda 
tomorrow, Williams continues to serve our veterans.
  Some people don't know this, but Williams said one of his last wishes 
was to lie in honor in the Capitol, but it wasn't for himself. No, it 
was for every Medal of Honor recipient who served in World War II. What 
a hero.
  Our veterans fought together as a team. They sacrificed as a team. 
And now, thanks in part to Woody Williams, we will honor them as a 
team.
  One last wish, one final act of service. That was Woody Williams. 
Selfless to the end.
  As long as there are Americans like Williams and all the Medal of 
Honor recipients we honor this week, this will always be the land of 
the free and the home of the brave.

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