Hershel “Woody” Williams joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1943, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945 for his “aggressive fighting spirit and valiant devotion” on Iwo Jima island during WWII and went on to serve in the Marine Corps proudly for 17 more years. Yet, at 95 years of age, Williams still continues to serve.
Founded in 1928, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., is a nonprofit organization of mothers who have lost their sons or daughters in service to the United States Armed Forces. Cathy Mullins and her husband Tommy became Gold Star parents when their son Brandon was killed in Afghanistan on August 25, 2011.
Cathy, the president of the Kentucky chapter of Gold Star Mothers, invited Williams to be the guest speaker at this year’s luncheon at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum on Saturday.
“Woody is one of those that his bio speaks for him,” Cathy said. “He’s a Medal of Honor recipient. Wow — this man has done all this and he’s still serving.”
Cathy said the event quickly sold out once word traveled that Williams would be the guest speaker, with 150 seats originally available and 30 high-tops and standing room only tickets offered after multiple inquiries.
“He actually serves Gold Star families in such a special way,” Mullins said. “He’s building monuments all over the United States for Gold Star families.”
It is Cathy and Tommy’s hope that one of those monuments can be built near the current Charles E. Shelton Memorial downtown on the riverfront.
“Our vision is to have that memorial here in Owensboro,” Tommy said, adding that the two, along with the organizations they serve, are currently talking with the mayor and city council to discuss what steps would need to be taken to move forward.
While the luncheon held on Saturday was coordinated by the Kentucky chapter of Gold Star Mothers, the fathers that have lost their children through military service grieve as well.
“No one will ever understand the love that a mother has for a child and that’s the way God intended it,” Tommy said. “But we are the providers — we’re here to provide support. We provide a roof, a house. People don’t really look at it that way.”
Gold Star fathers like Tommy, are one of the reasons Williams has pursued his mission of supporting the Gold Star family as a whole.
In addition to Cathy, former U.S. Marine Patrick O’Leary is also a member of the board for the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation. O’Leary often travels with Williams and shared several stories revealing his heart for Gold Star families. One in particular concerned Williams driving a taxi in his younger years and having to hand-deliver telegrams to families informing them that their son or daughter had been killed in action.
“He would drive out to farmhouses and tell the mom,” O’Leary said. “He was standing there on the front porch with her on the worst day of her life and it had a huge impact on him — he didn’t know what to do or say.”
Williams went on to serve his country proudly in the Marine Corps, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer 4. He then worked for the Veteran’s Administration before moving back home to West Virginia. O’Leary said, even then, Williams was “always involved on the periphery with Gold Star Mothers.” But it was while he was attending a Gold Star Mother event in West Virginia that Williams realized the toll the loss of a service member had on the whole family.
“He noticed a man in the crowd,” O’Leary said, “The man said, ‘Dad’s cry too.’ That had an impact on Woody. He realized that the whole family is impacted — when they lose a son or daughter, a niece or nephew, a brother or sister. He believes the whole family is impacted — so we should honor the whole family. And that is what the monument is all about.”
The first Gold Star Families Memorial Monument was erected in West Virginia with Williams designing it himself. Each monument weighs approximately 14,000 pounds and is made up of five large pieces of black granite, including the base. UPS ships the pieces at no charge to the foundation, but rather as an in-kind donation.
“Woody’s mission and his foundation is not about putting up granite monuments it’s about making sure no one forgets that measure of sacrifice,” O’Leary said. “He served in one of the bloodiest wars in our history — and he still hasn’t dropped his pack. He’s still out there making sure we honor these Gold Star families.”
To learn more, visit the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation.
