Marine with flame thrower awarded Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima

Washington Post:
Hershel Williams wears a duplicate copy of the Medal of Honor he was awarded for his service at the Battle of Iwo Jima. (Rich-Joseph Facun for The Post)
Hershel Williams wears a duplicate copy of the Medal of Honor he was awarded for his service at the Battle of Iwo Jima. (Rich-Joseph Facun for The Post)
A West Virginia farm boy became a fearsome warrior at Iwo Jima. And he did it with a flamethrower.

On that day 75 years ago this month, Hershel Williams destroyed seven Japanese pill boxes.


Iwo Jima was a brutal battle that is mostly remembered for the iconic picture of Marines raising a flag on a mountain as they cleared the island of Japanese control. Iwo Jima was part of an island-hopping campaign to set up airbases for attacking Japan and ultimately for an invasion if necessary.  A huge statue of the flag raising can be seen in Northern Virginia near Washington.

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