The Navy will name a ship after Fairmont native Herschel “Woody” Williams, Medal of Honor winner for his heroics in the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima.

Landing on the Japanese-held Pacific Island on Feb. 21, 1945, Williams, a Marine corporal, distinguished himself two days later when American tanks, trying to open a lane for infantry, encountered a network of reinforced concrete pillboxes, buried mines and black volcanic sands.

For four hours, Williams went out there alone with his 70-pound flamethrower to subdue the enemy, return to his troops again and again for refreshed flamethrowers to use against the machinegun emplacements.

Harry Truman awarded Williams the Medal of Honor later that year.

There’s also has an athletic field in Huntington, a bridge in Barboursville and a National Guard Armory in Fairmont named after Williams.

He fought at Guadalcanal and Guam before Iwo Jima.

Williams struggled with the after-effects of combat stress until 1962, when he experienced a religious renewal. He later served as chaplain of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society for 35 years.

On February 2, 2011, Williams appeared on an TV episode of “Sons of Guns”  where his unservicable flamethrower was refurbished back to working condition. The episode ended with Williams successfully firing the weapon at the age of 87.

Born in Fairmont in 1923, Williams grew up on a dairy farm in nearby Quiet Dell. He was a truck driver for W.S. Harr Construction Company of Fairmont and a taxi driver.

Sen. Joe Manchin, Democrat from West Virginia, lobbied for the ship-naming.