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***image1***A reverent silence blanketed the First Term Airmen Center, broken only by the still, soothing voice of an 85-year-old World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient.
Hershel Woodrow Williams, a former corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, visited Airmen at FTAC as well as several other locations on Ramstein and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Oct. 21 and 22 as part of a two-day morale tour sponsored by the United Service Organizations. Mr. Williams was one of five Medal of Honor recipients on the tour.
“We were so honored to hear that Mr. Williams had agreed to visit with us,” said Staff Sgt. Anya Lamplough, FTAC flight leader. “He portrays the proud heritage and valor that I strive for every day.”
The class snapped to attention when he entered the room. Confidently, he walked to the front of the room to address the class, then put them at ease with an energy that seemed to take everyone by surprise. He nestled himself into a chair and began to unravel a heroic tale of a small town country boy who received one of the nation’s most prestigious honors by placing others and country before himself.
“It began with a dream to get off the farm,” Mr. Williams said. “I had no distinct motive to be in the military or to be a Marine in the beginning.”
He spoke humbly of the courageous actions that earned him the Medal of Honor, occasionally choking back tears as he recalled the volcanic island of Iwo Jima, Mount Suribachi and the historic planting of Old Glory by five Marines and one Navy Corpsman.
The 25 first term Airmen sitting in the room seemed spellbound as Mr. Wiliams vividly recalled his actions. He was a flame-thrower operator on Iwo Jima during the 35-day battle. His primary responsibility was to reduce the enemy fire by burning out the enemy operators inside the underground pillbox fortifications where they were fighting from.
“I was a 5-foot-6-inch tall, 155-pound man carrying and operating a 70-pound piece of equipment,” he said. “You only had 72 seconds of continuous flame before you had to drop and reload, so I had to be a sure shooter.”
He relayed the accounts of Feb. 23, 1945, when he, being the only flamethrower left capable of fighting, volunteered to go into the treacherous, unpredictable island mainland with only four riflemen as his cover.
“He fought desperately for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flame throwers, struggling back, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another,” said Cpl. Williams’ official Medal of Honor citation.
“Two of the four Marines that were covering me that day were killed by enemy fire while protecting my life,” Mr. Williams said. “I feel that this medal around my neck is just as much theirs as it is mine because they made it possible for me to do what I did.”
And while many Airmen may feel driven to mimic the heroic tales like that of Mr. Williams and other visiting Medal of Honor recipients, he offered a different vision for them.
“It’s my prayer that one day you all will live in a world where Medals of Honor like this one are no longer awarded, a world where they’re no longer merited, because everyone is at peace,” he said.
Though he exited as swiftly as he had entered, the impact he made within the room of Airmen would not so swiftly escape them.
“It made me realize how lucky I was to have the freedoms I have and why I am proud to defend them,” said Airman 1st Class Andrew Johnson, FTAC student from the 603rd Air Communications Squadron.
“It made me thankful for those that went before us so that we may have a better life,” said Airman 1st Class Crystal Castera, FTAC student from the 721st Aerial Port Squadron. “I am grateful for all of those military members who fought for our freedoms.”
