Medal of Honor recipient retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams visited APG to speak at a professional development session hosted by U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command at the post theater Jan. 29. Williams is one of 80 living Medal of Honor recipients.
Williams spoke of his experience under fire, exceptional Army training and having never heard of the Medal of Honor until it was presented to him by President Harry S. Truman on Oct. 5, 1945.
Coming from the small West Virginia community of Quiet Dell--population 200--just at the junction of Interstate 79 and WV Route 20, Williams knew nothing of the prestigious award that would one day be his. And he certainly knew nothing of war.
"In our community we didn't know where Pearl Harbor was. We didn't know anything about war." he said. "I had the same teacher from grade 1 to grade 8; she taught me how precious our freedom was. People were saying that the Japanese were going to take away our freedom. I didn't want to lose our freedom."
On Feb. 23, 1945, while stationed in Iwo Jima, Williams, then a 21-year-old corporal, encountered a network of concrete bunkers and buried mines. Covered only by four riflemen, he fought desperately for four hours under tremendous enemy small-arms fire, repeatedly returning to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flamethrowers.
"The four hours went by very fast, I have always wondered where the strength came from, that I did what I did without collapsing," said the 89-year old World War II veteran. "Someone greater than me was giving me the strength for what I had to do."
Williams said that he wears the nation's highest award for military valor not for himself, but for the two Marines wh died protecting him and the countless Soldiers who never returned home from war.
"This medal to me stands for sacrifice, he said. "All of us have an obligation to America because of what she has done for us. We owe a debt to all of those who have protected her and kept our freedom alive all of these many years."
"As far as I was concerned I was just doing the job for which I was trained," he said. "I am just an ordinary man, who did an extraordinary thing."
When asked what advice he would give Soldiers currently serving, Williams said he would tell them to be confident in their abilities, and take training seriously.
"I attribute my survival on Feb. 23 to my training," he said. "If I really stopped and thought about what was going on, I would not have been able to do it. My training took over. I had in my mind that I was going to accomplish this, not that I was going to die.
"Believe what you are doing, he said. "If fear takes over, you are done. Pay close attention to what you are taught, and remember all you can. Put into practice as much as you can in your life so you will be somewhat prepared to handle unusual circumstances."
Williams became a public figure after being awarded America's highest military honor, which led to an inadvertent healing.
"When I received the Medal of Honor, my life changed," he said. "I was forced to talk about my experience, and talking about it helped me psychologically; it was like therapy for me.
Williams encouraged all Soldiers returning from war to talk about their experiences and seek treatment, if needed.
"Don't keep it pinned up," he said. "These days Soldiers have the advantage of treatment facilities and rehab if they need help. We didn't have that in my day."
After retiring from the Marines, he worked for the Veteran's Affairs for 33 years, in benefits counseling. Williams has also devoted a major portion of his life to traveling and sharing his experience with others.
"I am one of the most fortunate people in the world," he remarked. "My life must have a purpose."
The Jan. 29 program also included the national anthem, sung by Courtney White and the invocation by Chaplain (Col.) David Hills, both of ATEC. The director of ATEC's U.S. Army Evaluation Center David Jimenez gave the welcome remarks, and APG Commander Maj. Gen. Robert S. Ferrell gave closing remarks. After the program, Williams met and took pictures with members of the audience.
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