Last remaining WWII Medal of Honor recipient dies at 98
Medal of Honor Recipient Hershal "Woody" Williams, who achieved his recognition for his actions in the battle for Iwo Jima, saluts during the playing of the National Anthem prior to the Military Bowl on December 27, 2012 in Washington, DC (Photo by Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Herschel W. “Woody” Williams, the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, has died at age 98.
Williams’ foundation announced he died Wednesday at the Veterans Affairs medical center bearing his name in Huntington, West Virginia.
As a young Marine corporal, Williams went ahead of his unit during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean in February 1945 and eliminated a series of Japanese machine-gun positions.
Later that year, the 22-year-old Williams received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman.
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest award for military valor.
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