Congressional lawmakers gathered on Thursday for a tribute ceremony as Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient, lay in honor at the Capitol.
Williams — who died on June 29 at the age of 98 — was presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Truman in October 1945. He served in the Battle of Iwo Jima as a member of the United States Marine Corps with the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division.
The accolade is the highest award in the U.S. for “military valor in action,” according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
After World War II, Williams worked as a veterans service representative at the Department of Veterans Affairs for more than 30 years.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle attended the tribute ceremony, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin (D) and Shelley Moore Capito (R), who represent Williams’s birth state, also attended.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley also paid their respects.
In remarks at the ceremony, Pelosi called Williams a “heroic American” and a “courageous defender of liberty.”
“With Woody’s passing we have lost a deeply selfless American and a vital link to our nation’s greatest generation. History echoes the service of so many Americans who faced the horrors of war, that liberty might triumph over fascism,” she said.
“Let us honor Woody and his compatriots by carrying on their legacy of leadership and service by preserving the just peace for which they fought so freely,” she added.
McConnell said Williams’s service “leaves us a rich legacy.”
“His valor in combat is enshrined aboard the U.S.S. Hershel Williams and at the Hershel Williams Armed Forces Reserve Center. His commitment to his fellow veterans inspires caregivers at the Woody Williams VA Medical Center. And his namesake foundation continues its work to honor the sacrifices of families left behind,” McConnell said.