Oct 02 2023
Alexandra Weaver | WBOY
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — On what would have been his 100th birthday, Woody Williams was honored as the newest Gold Star Families Monument was dedicated in Huntington.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) Office shared photos of the ceremony, showing a photo of Williams propped up on a board during the dedication ceremony.
Williams became the last remaining WWII Medal of Honor recipient in 2021. The Quiet Dell, Marion County native joined the United States Marine Corps and earned his Medal of Honor during the Battle of Iwo Jima; he served with the 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division.
Later in life, Williams served as a Veterans Service Representative for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 33 years, the Commandant for the Veterans Nursing Home in Barboursville, West Virginia for almost 10 years, and on the Governor’s Military Advisory Board for West Virginia.
He also founded the Woody Williams Foundation, a non-profit organization that establishes Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments and conducts outreach programs for Gold Star Families.
Williams died on June 29, 2022, at the age of 98; he lay in honor in the Capitol Rotunda the following month.
The Woody Williams Foundation’s website shows that four other Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments are currently in progress in West Virginia in Williamson, Wyoming County, Elkins and Martinsburg. Click here for more information about the foundation.
