That was indeed a very special 5-8 years of remarkable stories / events / cities / people / and very real warm friendships. Every month there was something stunning occurring.

I felt so [don’t know the right word] when Woody said “I can carry my own water” to me! Of course it was funny, and also I was for .05 seconds unsure if I had insulted him! – and he laughed later in the day about the multiple ladders, and many things. So.Much.Fun.

So many life-giving stories that unexpectedly added to my life, and continue to improve me as a person every day to this day, and will forever fuel my support for anything we need.

The rewarding part is that we knew it at the time. We knew at every one of those moments for 5-8 years that we were experiencing and part of something special. It is not something that just became more recognized with the passage time. As such, it was a remarkable time period with a remarkable man.

Woody came to Mansfield, Ohio, on July 6th 2019 for the dedication of our Gold Star Families Memorial. It's located in front of the Richland County Court House. It was a pleasure to hear him speak. He did so much for our Gold Star Families!

I had on my Vietnam Veteran's hat as did several of us. Woody came up and hugged me. It was an honor to be recognized by a true American hero! I will never forget it. I served in Vietnam in 1966 & 1967.

We knew Woody for many years as my dad worked with him. We took our grandsons to a monument fund raising dinner in Cleveland.   They loved it.  A few years later we visited the MAPS Air Museum in North Canton, Ohio.  While viewing the displays, I hear excited voices from around the corner.  “It’s Woody”!  “Look, it’s Woody”!   My grandsons had found a display about our friend.  He will always hold a soecial place in our hearts.

My husband boarded horses at Woody’s ROYAL WINDS HORSE FARM. He had a wealth of knowledge and experience with horses. He never mentioned anything about his military history. We became aware of it through Todd, his grandson. Todd worked alongside of Woody and is a knowledgeable horse trainer. Woody was a humble, kind and God loving man.

I have run across at least 4 of the monuments around the country. The best was being driven to the one at Barboursville Park in WV by Woody Williams himself in April 2021! My mom is a Gold Star family member, the last living sibling of her brother who was killed in the north Atlantic when his ship was sunk by a German U-boat.

Was honored to meet Woody Williams at the dedication of the Gold Star Family Memorial in Indianapolis, and attended the dedication of the Gold Star Family Memorial in Dyer, IN.

As a Gold Star Family, it's very humbling to meet so many dedicated to honoring our fallen heroes and show love and compassion for Gold Star Families.

I helped Myers Jackson and other amazing auctioneers Heather Schoenst Kaspar and Bryce Elemond do the gold star monument auction and fund raiser in Farmington, NM some years ago. It was a two 2 event. I got to meet code talker Thomas Begay and speak with him and he shared how much he loved the Corps.

On the second night, I unexpectedly got to speak with Woody. We got to share with each other about our individual experiences about the military as we both served. Woody then shared his testimony with me and his salvation story. As a new Christian at the time, it meant more to me than anything.

It was one of my highest honors to be among such heroes and to assist in such a noble cause. I'll hold those memories in my heart forever and I consider San Juan county a special place. I got to meet amazing residents along the way.

Cousin Stephen Groark perished in last built F-111F over the North Sea...Woody is holding photos of him with his brothers and sisters, along with letters from his mother and grandma...great moment with my mom.

This is the last interview with Woody Williams for the Window World Military Initiative. The story of his life and inspiring messages for future generations. Brent Casey was there for this video at our Window World event honoring Woody.

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