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Flamethrower: Medal of Honor Recipient Woody Williams, Iwo Jima, and World War II in the Pacific
Late in the Pacific War, as Americans were fighting their way to the home islands of the Japanese
Empire, one of the fiercest battles of World War II was raging. The Japanese had created perhaps the best defended area anywhere on an island called Iwo Jima. Days into the bloody battle, casualties were high on both sides. United States Marines were taking an awful pounding out in the open from enemy fortified positions.
Imperial Japanese soldiers in pillboxes and bunkers knew that the greatest danger they faced was from a flamethrower if it could get near enough to hit them. Imagine a little guy strapping on a highly flammable 70-pound weapon, instantly drawing heavy enemy fire as he maneuvered close enough with a small team of Leathernecks to destroy a pillbox. Woody Williams did just that on the hellishly hot and sulfurous, volcanic island of Iwo Jima, destroying Japanese emplacements against dire odds. He, along with numerous comrades, did it again and again, taking out hundreds of fortifications which had stalled their regiment’s advance to secure the islands airfields.
The capture of Iwo Jima helped the powerful new B-29s have P-51 fighter-plane escorts to help the bombers pound Japan into submission. Iwo actually was a backup landing zone for the Enola Gay if she had difficulties delivering her atomic bomb on 6 August 1945 at Hiroshima, a bomb American leaders hoped would bring Hirohito to his knees begging for surrender terms so World War II would stop. Accomplished military historian, Bryan Mark Rigg, reconstructs Woody Williams’s remarkable story, from his youth on a dairy farm in West Virginia to his experiences as a Marine on Guadalcanal, on Guam and on Iwo Jima.
Rigg tells Williams’ story vividly, and objectively, and places it in the context of the broader Pacific theater of World War II. Using never-before-seen documents and interviews, Rigg brings out new information about the Pacific War unknown until now. As he explores Woody’s life, Rigg enables the reader to better appreciate the brave Marines and their heroics. Moreover, Rigg explores the numerous problems with Woody and his narrative. As a result, this book also documents Woody’s controversial Medal of Honor process, one of the most controversial Medal of Honor stories to come out of World War II.
Empire, one of the fiercest battles of World War II was raging. The Japanese had created perhaps the best defended area anywhere on an island called Iwo Jima. Days into the bloody battle, casualties were high on both sides. United States Marines were taking an awful pounding out in the open from enemy fortified positions.
Imperial Japanese soldiers in pillboxes and bunkers knew that the greatest danger they faced was from a flamethrower if it could get near enough to hit them. Imagine a little guy strapping on a highly flammable 70-pound weapon, instantly drawing heavy enemy fire as he maneuvered close enough with a small team of Leathernecks to destroy a pillbox. Woody Williams did just that on the hellishly hot and sulfurous, volcanic island of Iwo Jima, destroying Japanese emplacements against dire odds. He, along with numerous comrades, did it again and again, taking out hundreds of fortifications which had stalled their regiment’s advance to secure the islands airfields.
The capture of Iwo Jima helped the powerful new B-29s have P-51 fighter-plane escorts to help the bombers pound Japan into submission. Iwo actually was a backup landing zone for the Enola Gay if she had difficulties delivering her atomic bomb on 6 August 1945 at Hiroshima, a bomb American leaders hoped would bring Hirohito to his knees begging for surrender terms so World War II would stop. Accomplished military historian, Bryan Mark Rigg, reconstructs Woody Williams’s remarkable story, from his youth on a dairy farm in West Virginia to his experiences as a Marine on Guadalcanal, on Guam and on Iwo Jima.
Rigg tells Williams’ story vividly, and objectively, and places it in the context of the broader Pacific theater of World War II. Using never-before-seen documents and interviews, Rigg brings out new information about the Pacific War unknown until now. As he explores Woody’s life, Rigg enables the reader to better appreciate the brave Marines and their heroics. Moreover, Rigg explores the numerous problems with Woody and his narrative. As a result, this book also documents Woody’s controversial Medal of Honor process, one of the most controversial Medal of Honor stories to come out of World War II.
1362 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2020
About the author
Bryan Mark Rigg
7 books13 followersBryan Mark Rigg teaches history at American Military University and Southern Methodist University. Dr. Rigg's work has been featured in the New York Times and on programs including NBC Dateline and Fox News. Dr. Rigg has served as a volunteer in the Israeli Army and as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He currently lives in Dallas, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 17, 2021
You cannot get to the truth with lies
This is a book I had anxiously awaited for several years. Then I read it. One does not need to go further than the cover to realize the author is promoting a very clear agenda in hopes of creating controversy to sell more books. I read the book hoping to find more information. The idea that Hershel " Woody" Williams' Medal of Honor was surrounded by politics and controversy was something I had never heard. The claim he did not "rate" (author's term) the Medal was even more disturbing.
After reading the book I found the author's dual claims that the award was "politicized" and that Woody did not rate the MOH to be complete fabrications. And the proof of these false claims can be found in the book. First, instead of finding some West Virginia Senator putting pressure on the Naval Department of Awards or others in the process of reviewing the package as the author claims, the book documents is a Medal of Honor recommendation going through each level (there were 8 in all) of the process with no political influence documented or found.
Winston Churchill's famous quote came to mind,
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth can get its pants on in the morning".
Now let's examine the author's 2nd claim: The idea that Woody Williams does not rate the Medal of Honor. Here is the standard criterion for the Medal of Honor:
"The requirement of the MOH is that a recipient had 'distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.' "- Public Law 88–77,
In the book, the author claims he interviewed multiple MOH recipients and they agreed with his conclusions. Here are the comments he attributes to Lt Commander Michael Thornton.
As Medal of Honor recipient, Navy Seal and Navy Lieutenant, Commander Michael E. Thornton, said, “What Woody has done is disturbing and the facts surrounding his medal is very troubling. But facts are facts and they need to be known.” Kindle P. 12805 citation #2800
This is an example of a very disturbing pattern used throughout the book, interviews where the author attributes comments which were not made or conclusions not drawn. It does make the use of the term "facts" seem a tad ironic. After seeing the above statement, here is Lt Commander Thornton's response, you be the judge of who to believe:
"I want this put out immediately! Brian Rigg asked to meet with me & I agreed. I listened to his information in the company of Connie Boucher ( who will verify this). I told him that I consider Woody a brother & tragar if he wanted to pursue this, he would have to take the information to other sources. I listened to him as a courtesy but in no way endorsed his position. If he is using my name to promote book sales, he is lying & has opened himself to a lawsuit. I have a witness & he is a liar. Please get this information to everyone who had been misinformed thru this email conversation. I will not have my name associated with this sort of misinformation!"
BTW, I do have a copy of this email and permission to share it.
Author also claims that General Tony Zinni supports his claims about Woody in the book's forward. The problem is, Gen Zinni says nothing about Woody or the MOH in the forward.
So far I have found over 20 outright lies, distortions, misrepresentations and highly questionable conclusions requiring absurd leaps of logic to believe. Each of which directly relate to the slanderous claims being made about Woody Williams. If you cannot trust the cover of the book, how can you trust anything else? There are too many examples to share in this review. What is clear, not only did the author fail to prove his claims, his false accusations are disproved by his own writing.
The author may also want to brush up on his civics. The 1st Amendment only protects a person from censorship by the government, not private citizens. Oops.
In conclusion, there is no question that Woody Williams' MOH followed the same process as every other award nominee in World War II. At every level of Woody's MOH recommendation process, his recommendation was reviewed and endorsed based on the facts as presented. There is also no question that Woody acted heroically (the author even admits this) and within the standards of the Medal of Honor requirements. Further there is zero evidence presented that those who were there and those charged with reviewing the process saw any irregularities.
Along the way, the author impunes the reputation of every Marine directly involved in the process as well as the integrity of American heroes like Admiral Nimitz and Gen/Commandant Vandergrift.
Let us leave this review with a quote from a Marine General officer and recipient of the MOH who was asked to endorse the book:
"this book is a disgrace to the Marine Corps and I told Rigg not to publish it"
Now that I have bought the book and read it, I wonder if I can get my money back.
This is a book I had anxiously awaited for several years. Then I read it. One does not need to go further than the cover to realize the author is promoting a very clear agenda in hopes of creating controversy to sell more books. I read the book hoping to find more information. The idea that Hershel " Woody" Williams' Medal of Honor was surrounded by politics and controversy was something I had never heard. The claim he did not "rate" (author's term) the Medal was even more disturbing.
After reading the book I found the author's dual claims that the award was "politicized" and that Woody did not rate the MOH to be complete fabrications. And the proof of these false claims can be found in the book. First, instead of finding some West Virginia Senator putting pressure on the Naval Department of Awards or others in the process of reviewing the package as the author claims, the book documents is a Medal of Honor recommendation going through each level (there were 8 in all) of the process with no political influence documented or found.
Winston Churchill's famous quote came to mind,
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth can get its pants on in the morning".
Now let's examine the author's 2nd claim: The idea that Woody Williams does not rate the Medal of Honor. Here is the standard criterion for the Medal of Honor:
"The requirement of the MOH is that a recipient had 'distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.' "- Public Law 88–77,
In the book, the author claims he interviewed multiple MOH recipients and they agreed with his conclusions. Here are the comments he attributes to Lt Commander Michael Thornton.
As Medal of Honor recipient, Navy Seal and Navy Lieutenant, Commander Michael E. Thornton, said, “What Woody has done is disturbing and the facts surrounding his medal is very troubling. But facts are facts and they need to be known.” Kindle P. 12805 citation #2800
This is an example of a very disturbing pattern used throughout the book, interviews where the author attributes comments which were not made or conclusions not drawn. It does make the use of the term "facts" seem a tad ironic. After seeing the above statement, here is Lt Commander Thornton's response, you be the judge of who to believe:
"I want this put out immediately! Brian Rigg asked to meet with me & I agreed. I listened to his information in the company of Connie Boucher ( who will verify this). I told him that I consider Woody a brother & tragar if he wanted to pursue this, he would have to take the information to other sources. I listened to him as a courtesy but in no way endorsed his position. If he is using my name to promote book sales, he is lying & has opened himself to a lawsuit. I have a witness & he is a liar. Please get this information to everyone who had been misinformed thru this email conversation. I will not have my name associated with this sort of misinformation!"
BTW, I do have a copy of this email and permission to share it.
Author also claims that General Tony Zinni supports his claims about Woody in the book's forward. The problem is, Gen Zinni says nothing about Woody or the MOH in the forward.
So far I have found over 20 outright lies, distortions, misrepresentations and highly questionable conclusions requiring absurd leaps of logic to believe. Each of which directly relate to the slanderous claims being made about Woody Williams. If you cannot trust the cover of the book, how can you trust anything else? There are too many examples to share in this review. What is clear, not only did the author fail to prove his claims, his false accusations are disproved by his own writing.
The author may also want to brush up on his civics. The 1st Amendment only protects a person from censorship by the government, not private citizens. Oops.
In conclusion, there is no question that Woody Williams' MOH followed the same process as every other award nominee in World War II. At every level of Woody's MOH recommendation process, his recommendation was reviewed and endorsed based on the facts as presented. There is also no question that Woody acted heroically (the author even admits this) and within the standards of the Medal of Honor requirements. Further there is zero evidence presented that those who were there and those charged with reviewing the process saw any irregularities.
Along the way, the author impunes the reputation of every Marine directly involved in the process as well as the integrity of American heroes like Admiral Nimitz and Gen/Commandant Vandergrift.
Let us leave this review with a quote from a Marine General officer and recipient of the MOH who was asked to endorse the book:
"this book is a disgrace to the Marine Corps and I told Rigg not to publish it"
Now that I have bought the book and read it, I wonder if I can get my money back.
March 14, 2023
Review for Flamethrower by Bryan Rigg
This book tries to be two things. A historical book about the Pacific war during world war two, while also trying to be an autobiography of Woody and an investigation into how he got his medal of honor. It succeeds admirably in the first but falters in the second.
I was excited to receive an advanced reader's copy of the book, which was relatively heavy and difficult to read without my elbow support. But I did slough through the entirety of the book, eventually.
The story of the war in the Pacific has always fascinated me, not the least because my country, Malaysia, was invaded and occupied by Imperial Japan and was part of the Japanese campaign of the Greater East Asia Co-Properity concept.
It begins with the autobiography of Woody. The book's main character who will serve as the eyes and ears of the experience in the Pacific war.
Woody only joined the war quite late and only saw combat in 1944, so if you're looking for a chronological narrative, you won't find it here in its entirety.
However, Bryan still retells the beginning of the war with the attack on Pearl Harbor; the book is accompanied by many photos from military archives and the author's photographs from when he participated in various war anniversaries.
The book is interspersed with multiple accounts from other soldiers and generals; these are often gruesome scenes of gore and dismemberment witnessed by soldiers and are recounted in vivid detail.
The second character is general Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the commander of Iwo Jima and responsible for the Nanjing massacre and other atrocities committed in China. The author certainly did not spare any detail in retelling the exploits and heinous crimes of the general.
However, he was also fair in pointing out his pragmatism and thoroughness in preparing Iwo Jima for the inevitable American onslaught, not wasting precious lives on meaningless suicide charges but instead relying on excellent fortifications and unwavering patience.
The book could have used decent editing regarding the investigative parts on Woody's medal of honor. All too often, redundant and repetitive questions appear in various parts of the book culminating in a whole chapter dedicated to that.
In short, Woody was initially awarded the medal of honor for taking out 21 Japanese and seven bill boxes, one of which was taken out by woody sticking the nozzle of his flamethrower into the air vent of one of the pillboxes while standing and exposing himself to fire, and eliminating everyone the pillboxes.
The problem was there was enough eyewitness for these actions, and those who had witnessed were found to be unreliable at best or outright lying. The book explains it better, but the gist was that Woody's action could not be fully backed by others conclusively; therefore, his medal of honor came into question.
Eventually, due to the lack of evidence, his medal of honor report was revised to state that he was awarded due to his extraordinary heroism in the face of the enemy, which was more suitable given the lack of evidence, according to the author's research.
I felt that regardless of what happened that day, Woody deserved the Medal of Honour, and even though his accounts and interviews throughout his life were not aligned, one has to give him some leeway considering he was in the middle of life and death combat and our human memories are fallible. His heroism alone should have been enough to win him the medal.
In conclusion, I wished the author had spent more time on the war of the Pacific instead of questioning the legitimacy of Woody's medal of honor and unnecessary hardship.
Sadly, Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams passed away on June 29th, 2022, and was the last living recipient of the medal of honor for world war two.
This book tries to be two things. A historical book about the Pacific war during world war two, while also trying to be an autobiography of Woody and an investigation into how he got his medal of honor. It succeeds admirably in the first but falters in the second.
I was excited to receive an advanced reader's copy of the book, which was relatively heavy and difficult to read without my elbow support. But I did slough through the entirety of the book, eventually.
The story of the war in the Pacific has always fascinated me, not the least because my country, Malaysia, was invaded and occupied by Imperial Japan and was part of the Japanese campaign of the Greater East Asia Co-Properity concept.
It begins with the autobiography of Woody. The book's main character who will serve as the eyes and ears of the experience in the Pacific war.
Woody only joined the war quite late and only saw combat in 1944, so if you're looking for a chronological narrative, you won't find it here in its entirety.
However, Bryan still retells the beginning of the war with the attack on Pearl Harbor; the book is accompanied by many photos from military archives and the author's photographs from when he participated in various war anniversaries.
The book is interspersed with multiple accounts from other soldiers and generals; these are often gruesome scenes of gore and dismemberment witnessed by soldiers and are recounted in vivid detail.
The second character is general Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the commander of Iwo Jima and responsible for the Nanjing massacre and other atrocities committed in China. The author certainly did not spare any detail in retelling the exploits and heinous crimes of the general.
However, he was also fair in pointing out his pragmatism and thoroughness in preparing Iwo Jima for the inevitable American onslaught, not wasting precious lives on meaningless suicide charges but instead relying on excellent fortifications and unwavering patience.
The book could have used decent editing regarding the investigative parts on Woody's medal of honor. All too often, redundant and repetitive questions appear in various parts of the book culminating in a whole chapter dedicated to that.
In short, Woody was initially awarded the medal of honor for taking out 21 Japanese and seven bill boxes, one of which was taken out by woody sticking the nozzle of his flamethrower into the air vent of one of the pillboxes while standing and exposing himself to fire, and eliminating everyone the pillboxes.
The problem was there was enough eyewitness for these actions, and those who had witnessed were found to be unreliable at best or outright lying. The book explains it better, but the gist was that Woody's action could not be fully backed by others conclusively; therefore, his medal of honor came into question.
Eventually, due to the lack of evidence, his medal of honor report was revised to state that he was awarded due to his extraordinary heroism in the face of the enemy, which was more suitable given the lack of evidence, according to the author's research.
I felt that regardless of what happened that day, Woody deserved the Medal of Honour, and even though his accounts and interviews throughout his life were not aligned, one has to give him some leeway considering he was in the middle of life and death combat and our human memories are fallible. His heroism alone should have been enough to win him the medal.
In conclusion, I wished the author had spent more time on the war of the Pacific instead of questioning the legitimacy of Woody's medal of honor and unnecessary hardship.
Sadly, Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams passed away on June 29th, 2022, and was the last living recipient of the medal of honor for world war two.
Read
April 13, 2020A Marine Medal of Honor winner has been battling to block the distribution of Bryan Mark Rigg’s Flamethrower (Fidelis Press), the incredible, all-encompassing, controversial and meticulously researched account of the crucial battle of Iwo Jima during World War II and two of its intriguing soldiers, each from an opposite side of the fight.
One of those intriguing characters is Corporal Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, the Medal of Honor winner cited for having strapped on a highly flammable 70-pound pack and entered combat as a surefire walking target. That’s the job and the horror of a Marine Corps flamethrower man.
Rigg documents the battle itself in all its gore, and then the actions, events and controversy surrounding Williams receiving the Medal of Honor. Did Woody get the medal because the Marines felt he merited it? Was political pressure a factor? Rigg leaves no stone unturned.
In the course of examining details of his research regarding Williams, Rigg uncovered “troubling facts that made me struggle with a different sort of battle that many scholars encounter: the pursuit of evidence against interest.”
Not only did Rigg face objections from Williams himself, after Rigg started to see problems with the Marine’s self-reporting that called into doubt the extent of his heroics, but also the grandson of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who commanded Iwo Jima and was said to be one of Japan’s toughest leaders.
“This book has been written with much soul-searching, heartache and many a sleepless night,” says Rigg. “I hope you agree that it is far better to deal with uncomfortable truths rather than beautiful lies if we want to learn from history to build a better society.”
One of those intriguing characters is Corporal Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, the Medal of Honor winner cited for having strapped on a highly flammable 70-pound pack and entered combat as a surefire walking target. That’s the job and the horror of a Marine Corps flamethrower man.
Rigg documents the battle itself in all its gore, and then the actions, events and controversy surrounding Williams receiving the Medal of Honor. Did Woody get the medal because the Marines felt he merited it? Was political pressure a factor? Rigg leaves no stone unturned.
In the course of examining details of his research regarding Williams, Rigg uncovered “troubling facts that made me struggle with a different sort of battle that many scholars encounter: the pursuit of evidence against interest.”
Not only did Rigg face objections from Williams himself, after Rigg started to see problems with the Marine’s self-reporting that called into doubt the extent of his heroics, but also the grandson of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who commanded Iwo Jima and was said to be one of Japan’s toughest leaders.
“This book has been written with much soul-searching, heartache and many a sleepless night,” says Rigg. “I hope you agree that it is far better to deal with uncomfortable truths rather than beautiful lies if we want to learn from history to build a better society.”
July 14, 2020
I received an advance reader's edition of this book in return for an honest review. I have interviewed the author and found his story fascinating, however I just could not make it through this book. If you are reading the print version, be prepared to have challenges just holding a book that weighs just over 3.5 pounds. There are a lot of pictures throughout the book and that tends to increase interest, but the details are just too detailed and it feels like it's never going to end. People who are very interested in WWII history will like the detail, but for those who are looking for the story (without each and every detail) will quickly be discouraged. This is not reading for entertainment, it's reading to learn an in-depth history of one man's journey. I did not finish this book.
February 4, 2023
The book provides fascinating insights surrounding the actions of this Marine, his unit, and elements of the battle for Iwo Jima. The author had thoroughly researched this book, including personal interviews. The story behind this Marine's medal is worth exploring - as the book uncovers so many elements leading to the award - including actions from the Office of then President Roosevelt.
There are some slow parts to the book that cover exploits having nothing to do with the central story of the book. If you can get through these pages, you'll discover the true story behind this one Marine's decoration.
There are some slow parts to the book that cover exploits having nothing to do with the central story of the book. If you can get through these pages, you'll discover the true story behind this one Marine's decoration.
May 2, 2023
It was quite a slog to get through this read. The author claims the book went through more than two dozen drafts. I imagine a good editor would have trimmed more than a few pages. Woody Wilson doesn’t board the landing craft that will take him to Iwo Jima until 383 pages into the book. The “Conclusion” chapter goes on and on and on. I became particularly irritated by the number of photos of Dr Rigg and his family members. Were 27 photos really necessary? In short, I would have given this book a higher rating if it had been a couple of hundred pages shorter.
February 22, 2021
Wonderful book! Very informative! My adult son gave me this book to read and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Seems like in school I was taught a lot about WWII in Europe, but not so much about the war in the Pacific (which is sad because I had three uncles who were in the US Navy in the Pacific).
After reading the book, I gained a lot of information on Iwo Jima. Always knew it was an important battle, but never realized what a sacrifice so many Marines made on the island. The 36-day campaign to take the island was horrific. The book states that one-fourth of Marines who died during WWII died on Iwo Jima. Had no idea about the caves, tunnels and pill boxes in which the Japanese soldiers were waiting for the Marines to come ashore!
Learned a lot about Japanese soldiers and the mindset of the Japanese people prior to WWII. I read the book "Rape of Nanking" years ago, but had no idea of what happened to the general public in Hong Kong, Guam, and Saipan by the Japanese soldiers!
Wish everyone who studies WWII could read this book!
As far as Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams, I found the information presented interesting. There is no doubt that there was some confusion regarding Mr. Williams' medal. I am sure there are many who deserved to be honored with the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima, but due to circumstances were never acknowledged.
Thank you Mr. Rigg for this extraordinary book! You made it easy for me to read and understand about Iwo Jima!
After reading the book, I gained a lot of information on Iwo Jima. Always knew it was an important battle, but never realized what a sacrifice so many Marines made on the island. The 36-day campaign to take the island was horrific. The book states that one-fourth of Marines who died during WWII died on Iwo Jima. Had no idea about the caves, tunnels and pill boxes in which the Japanese soldiers were waiting for the Marines to come ashore!
Learned a lot about Japanese soldiers and the mindset of the Japanese people prior to WWII. I read the book "Rape of Nanking" years ago, but had no idea of what happened to the general public in Hong Kong, Guam, and Saipan by the Japanese soldiers!
Wish everyone who studies WWII could read this book!
As far as Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams, I found the information presented interesting. There is no doubt that there was some confusion regarding Mr. Williams' medal. I am sure there are many who deserved to be honored with the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima, but due to circumstances were never acknowledged.
Thank you Mr. Rigg for this extraordinary book! You made it easy for me to read and understand about Iwo Jima!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews