Medal of Honor Recognition

​​Hershel "Woody" Williams, Chief Warrant Officer 4, Marine Corps​

​Williams, a native of Marrion County, was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman on October 5, 1945, for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. ​​Williams arrived on the beach of Iwo Jima with 1st Battalion, 21st Marines on February 21, 1945. Two days later, tanks that were opening up a lane for the infantry encountered several concrete pillboxes that stalled their progress. U. S. forces were pinned down by machine gun fire and unable to advance. Williams, armed with a flamethrower and demolition charges and accompanied by four other Marines, spent four hours neutralizing the enemy pillboxes so that U.S. forces could advance. See his complete biography here​.​


Charles Calvin Rogers, Major General, U.S. Army

Rogers, a native of Fayette County, was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Nixon on May 14, 1970, for actions that took place near the Cambodian border on November 1, 1968. While manning a fire support base, members of the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery, commanded by then Lieutenant Colonel Rogers, found themselves in a desperate struggle. Enemy forces launched an attack that penetrated the base perimeter. Wounded three times over the next two days, Rogers directed artillery fire and led counterattacks until the enemy force was repelled. See his full biography here​. ​​