More than a medal: Woody Williams statue commission holds first meeting
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CHARLESTON - Two years after being called for by the West Virginia Legislature, the group that will decide on a statue of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Hershel "Woody" Williams to send to the U.S. Capitol Building met for the first time.
Members of the Hershel "Woody" Williams Statue Commission met Tuesday afternoon in the Governor's Cabinet and Conference Room at the State Capitol Building, with members of Huntington Detachment 340 Marine Corps League, since renamed the Hershel "Woody" Williams Detachment, in attendance.
The West Virginia Legislature adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 202 during an October 2024 special session, calling for the honoring of Williams with a statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol Building.
The resolution, introduced by state Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood, empowers the governor to create an oversight committee to oversee selection of an artist and secure financing from the Governor's Civil Contingency Fund. Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a proclamation nearly one year ago last Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2025, establishing the commission.
"When you think about Woody Williams, you think about one of the last great American heroes," Morrisey said Tuesday during opening remarks. "Today’s a great day because we get to honor his legacy. ... He stands as just the most amazing example of the very best of us. He would always say the cause is greater than I. So, it’s truly phenomenal."
The commission includes 10 citizen members appointed by Morrisey on March 18. The commission is chaired by Department of Tourism Secretary Kayla Kessinger, who was appointed to the role in August, succeeding retiring former Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby.
"This is a really special day for us as a commission and for us as West Virginia, as we start to work toward honoring the life and legacy of Woody Williams and everything that he’s meant to us as West Virginians and to our country," said Kessinger, who participated in the meeting virtually from Fayette County. "This is a really great opportunity that we all have to come together and really do something that I think is very unifying in a lot of ways."
Other commission members (or their designees) include Daniel Linville, director of special projects for the Governor's Office; Department of Veterans Assistance Secretary Ryan Kennedy; state Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam; House Clerk Jeffrey Pack; Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell; House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell; Deputy Tourism Secretary Ennis Smith; and Director of Purchasing Samantha Willis.
Citizen members include West Virginia Republican Party Co-Chairman Tony Hodge; Woody Williams Foundation members Brent Casey, Tracie Williams Ross and Chad Graham; Putnam County Sheriff Bobby Eggleton; Nicholas County Commissioner Gary Roberts; West Virginia National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Siobhan Cleek; Deputy Veterans Assistance Secretary Randy Coleman; Azimuth President and CEO Craig Hartzell; and retired U.S. Army Maj. George Davis.
According to the Architect of the Capitol's office, a federal law passed by Congress in 1864 established the National Statuary Hall Collection in the former U.S. House of Representatives chamber and authorized the president to invite each state to contribute two marble or bronze statues of deceased individuals with historic, civic or military achievements.
An update to that law in 2000 gave states the opportunity to replace one of their donated statues. West Virginia's statues include Francis H. Pierpont, the former governor of the restored government of Virginia from 1861 to 1863, the predecessor of West Virginia's first government; and John E. Kenna, a member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in the late 1800s who died in office at age 45 in 1893. Kenna's statue was donated in 1901.
The state will replace the Kenna statue with one of Williams, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on Oct. 5, 1945, by President Harry S. Truman for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" during the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
The commission voted to take initial steps, including allowing staff from the State Arts Office, the State Historic Preservation Office, the State Museum and the State Archives to meet with the Architect of the Capitol to go over the requirements for statues and report back to the commission.
Step two will involve meeting with the chief financial officer for the Governor's Office to go over a proposed budget for the statue and meet with the Division of Purchasing for guidance on putting out a request for proposals for artists to submit renderings to the commission for what a statue might look like.
Chad Graham, a commission member and board member for the Woody Williams Foundation, said Williams' family members had done some research previously on statues.
"The family’s done some background research, it’s more situational awareness if it’s helpful, gathering some names of other works around the country and in the statuary that might be useful," he said. "We’re happy to pass that along as supporting materials."
During his post-military life, Williams founded the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument program, a nationwide initiative honoring families of fallen service members. Williams is also the namesake of the Woody Williams Foundation, which provides scholarships to Gold Star children and conducts educational outreach regarding the sacrifices of Gold Star families.
Williams died in June 2022 at the VA Medical Center in Huntington, a facility that bears his name. He was 98.
Last month, President Donald Trump signed S. 858, the Hershel "Woody" Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act, which authorizes the creation of a new monument in Washington, D.C., honoring recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. The law's lead sponsor was U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va.
Kenna's statue will be transferred to the West Virginia Culture Center for permanent display.