During last week’s special session of the West Virginia Legislature, lawmakers carved out time to honor someone important not only to the state, but to the country.
They passed a resolution to place a statue of the late Hershel “Woody” Williams inside the U.S. Capitol.
Williams, who died in 2022, was the last surviving Congressional Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.
Born in Quiet Dell, W.Va., Williams was a Marine Corps veteran who was in combat in the Pacific.
He received the Medal of Honor in 1945, after serving in the Battle of Iwo Jima with the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division.
His Woody Williams Foundation is responsible for establishing 140 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments across the country, with another 47 under way.
His motto, in fulfilling his foundation’s mission, had always been “The cause is greater than I.”
The Legislature made the right move in honoring Williams in this manner. “Everybody in this body, if you didn’t be-friend Woody and know him for many years, you certainly know his story, and beyond the boarders of West Virginia, he’s known nationwide,” said state Sen. Finance Chairman Eric Tarr, R-Putnam.
Since 1901, the statue of a man who stood for a very different cause had represented West Virginia in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. The statue of Confederate veteran John Kenna, who later represented West Virginia in both the U.S. House and Senate, will be removed and taken to the Culture Center in Charleston.
Its replacement will stand as a reminder of so much of what the Mountain State holds dear.
Williams valued service to his country, but also service to families and community.
As his Medal of Honor citation notes, he had an “aggressive fighting spirit,” yes, but also a “valiant devotion to duty.” That’s something to remember.
Lawmakers are to be commended for ensuring his statue will stand in the U.S. Capitol as a reminder of how proud we are that Williams was not just a hero, he was a West Virginian.
Morgantown Area News
'Tuesday, November 12, 2024'
