The late Hershel “Woody” Williams to get a statue at U.S. Capitol

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The late United States Military World War II Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams will be the next West Virginia native to have a statue placed in the U.S. Capitol.

A resolution was passed during the special State Legislative session Tuesday to allow for the replacement of one of the two current West Virginia statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington D.C. with a statue of Williams.

State Senate Finance Committee Chair Eric Tarr said Williams is a notable name nationwide for the heroic impact he made.

“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 Tarr.

Born in Quiet Dell in Marion County, Williams was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from WWII before his death on June 29, 2022 at the age of 98.

He was awarded the highest military decoration of valor on October 5, 1945 for his heroic actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima in WWII.

Each state is allowed to place two statues of honorary constituents from their state within the statuary collection. In 2000, Congress allowed states the option to replace a statue from time to time.

Currently, West Virginia’s statues are of Francis Pierpont, who was a key figure in the creation of the state, and a former U.S. Senator from West Virginia John Kenna. The resolution passed Tuesday calls for Williams to replace Kenna.

Tarr said the resolution was first proposed to him by a Putnam County resident who had told him that he and his family recently visited the collection, and Kenna seemed to be the least known statue in the series.

“When it got to that point, the guide could go through, and without reading anything, could go through and tell the history of just about everybody in there, and people would recognize them before they got into it, until it got to the statue of Kenna and then it went to read remarks, because they really didn’t know much about Kenna,” he said.

Senator Mike Woelfel said there’s 57 Medal of Honor recipients in the state’s history, but he said what really makes Williams stand out, besides his exceptional service during WWII, are all of the things he had accomplished after WWII.

“His foundation and his work throughout the nation do qualify him as a recipient of this honor,” said Woelfel.

Williams established the Woody Williams Foundation, which builds Gold Star family memorials, offers scholarships to Gold Star children and sponsors outreach programs. Williams also established the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument program, which is a nationwide initiative that honors the families of fallen service members and preserves their legacies.

Tarr agreed, Woody’s service went beyond the Medal of Honor.

“Woody never ever lost his service mindset until the day he passed, nearly 100 years old the day he passed and was still talking about what needed to happen in those last days in order to serve the country,” Tarr said.

Williams was a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve warrant officer and a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs veterans service representative.

The resolution passed the state Senate in the regular session but ran out of time in the House. Both bodies approved the resolution during floor sessions Tuesday.