I was incredibly honoured to receive this picture yesterday and a piece of short correspondence from Mr. Hershel Williams. Mr. Williams is a US Marine and last surviving Medal of Honor winner from the Battle of Iwo Jima. Williams, 19 years old while serving in the Pacific, was in a flamethrower unit that landed on black volcanic ash of Iwo Jima. The Marines were backed up unable to advance under brutal Japanese resistance. Williams’ unit had landed with six flamethrower men and had lost them all in two days without advancing more than fifty yards. Following his heroic actions that saw him receive the Medal of Honor, Williams’ company was taken off the line a week and a half later. Only seventeen of the 279 men who had hit the beach with the company had not been killed or wounded. Williams company would be reorganized and he would go on to be wounded and receive the Purple Heart before leaving Iwo Jima.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:18:56 +0000
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