HUNTINGTON - The Huntington VA Medical Center could soon sport the name of one of West Virginia's finest - Hershel "Woody" Williams.
U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced Thursday they have petitioned Congress to rename the VA after the state's only living Medal of Honor recipient.
"Woody has dedicated his life to public service, and he has represented the state of West Virginia with the utmost honor and distinction," Manchin said in a statement. "After retiring from the Marine Corps, Woody continued in public service at the Veterans Affairs Administration for 35 years. Even today, at the age of 93, Woody travels around the country to advocate for veterans and their families, to include those who have given the most, Gold Star families. It is only fitting that a West Virginia VA Medical Center be named to honor the service and sacrifice of Medal of Honor recipient and West Virginia icon Woody Williams."
Capito called Williams a national treasure.
"From his heroic service in World War II, for which he received the Medal of Honor, to his continued service to other veterans and their families, Woody embodies West Virginia's patriotic spirit," she said in a statement. "The renaming of Huntington VA Hospital is just one way we can honor and thank Woody for his dedication and selfless service."
Williams is a Fairmont, West Virginia, native, and has resided in Ona for nearly 50 years. He is the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II's Pacific Theater.
Other than serving in the military and for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Williams served as commandant of the Veterans Nursing Home in Barboursville for nearly 10 years and still serves on the Governor's Military Advisory Board for West Virginia.
He also is the founder of the Hershel "Woody" Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, which erects memorials for Gold Star families across the country.
Most recently, he was honored by the secretary of the Navy, who named a new sea-based ship the USNS Hershel "Woody" Williams mobile base sea vessel, which is expected to enter Navy service in early 2018.
"Woody Williams is a true American hero and a strong advocate for the veterans served at the Huntington VA Medical Center," said Debbie Brammer, spokeswoman for the Huntington VA.
The renaming must be approved by Congress and signed by the president.
The Huntington VA serves veterans in southwestern West Virginia, southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky.