HERSHEL WILLIAMS - WWII MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT

Description: WWII Medal of Honor RecipientHERSHEL WILLIAMSSigned 4x6 Photo with Medal of Honor Inscription! Beautiful signed photo, perfect for framing. Comes in a rigid 4x6 top loader for extra protection. Standing 5-foot-6, when Williams tried to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1942, he was told he was too short for service. After the height regulations were changed in early 1943, he successfully enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. After completing training, he was sent to the Camp Elliott training center in San Diego, where he joined the tank training battalion on August 21, 1943. The following month he was transferred to the training center's infantry battalion for instruction as a demolition man and in the use of flamethrowers.The training, Williams said, was technical and focused on the flamethrower's design: three tanks, two of which held a mix of diesel fuel and aviation gas and a third tank that held compressed air. There was little training on the operational use of the weapon. "We had to learn that ourselves", he said. It was at the Battle of Iwo Jima, where he distinguished himself with actions "above and beyond the call of duty", for which he would be awarded the Medal of Honor. On February 21, 1945, he landed on the beach with the 1st Battalion, 21st Marines. Williams, by then a corporal, distinguished himself two days later when American tanks, trying to open a lane for infantry, encountered a network of reinforced concrete pillboxes. Pinned down by machine gun fire, his company commander asked one of his men to attach a high explosive charge to a pole and with the support of Williams and his flamethrower and several Marine riflemen, shove the improvised weapon into an opening in the enemy's pillbox. As they fought their way to the pillbox, all of the men, except Williams, became casualties. Undeterred, Williams arrived at the first pillbox, shoved the flamethrower nozzle into the pillbox opening and fired the weapon, killing all of the soldiers inside. He then returned five times to his company area, refueled his weapon, and moved forward to destroy the remaining pillboxes. Covered by only four riflemen, he fought for 4 hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flame throwers. He returned to the front, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another. At one point, a wisp of smoke alerted him to the air vent of a Japanese bunker, and he approached close enough to put the nozzle of his flamethrower through the hole, killing the occupants. On another occasion, he was charged by enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets and he killed them with a burst of flame from his weapon. These actions occurred on the same day that two flags were raised on Mount Suribachi, and Williams, about one thousand yards away from the volcano, was able to witness the event. He fought through the remainder of the five-week-long battle even though he was wounded on March 6 in the leg by shrapnel, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. In September 1945, he returned to the United States, and on October 1 he joined Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He and thirteen other servicemen were presented the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman on October 5, 1945, at the White House. I will include information on how I obtained this autograph. I am selling other autographs from my 30-year collection, including other Medal of Honor recipients, and will combine shipping if you purchase them together using the Cart. If you are charged separately for shipping, don't worry, once I have the total, I will refund you the difference, guaranteed. Shipping: $3.75 first-class with tracking. Will be sent as a package, not an envelope, to reduce the chance of loss. I pack securely and ship fast, either same day or following morning. BID WITH CONFIDENCE - 23-YEAR EBAY MEMBER WITH 100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK

Price: 24.99 USD

Location: Wheaton, Illinois

End Time: 2025-01-23T04:39:10.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.75 USD