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Hershel Williams

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He had been designated to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions on Iwo Jima, but Hershel Williams had never read the reports or seen the citation. Since he had no memory of that fateful day, when he stood before the president, he was still unsure why he was there. (8:51)

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When Hershel Williams returned to Iwo Jima decades after the fierce battle, he carried a special flag taken as a souvenir. There was one Japanese visitor on the trip, a wheelchair bound veteran who had been captured there, disgracing himself by surviving. Could he help return the flag to a suitable place? (11:20)

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There are plenty of memorials to the brave service members who sacrificed their lives to win the war. But Hershel Williams was always bothered that there was little recognition of the families who sacrificed their loved ones. So he began to correct the situation. (4:13)

Heyward Cox

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Heyward Cox recalls being put in a dangerous situation by his own landing craft captain while landing at Omaha Beach. (6:45)

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Heyward Cox describes the vital role his railway battalion played in delivering supplies to troops on the frontlines in Europe during World War II. (5:07)

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Heyward Cox compares the destruction he witnessed in St. Lo in 1944 and the state of the city 56 years later. (1:50)

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Heyward Cox remembers the only casualty from his battalion during World War II. (1:30)

Hilbert Margol

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Hilbert Margol and his twin brother Howard were both in ROTC and training on the 105mm howitzer. They were called up and both declined an invitation to Officer Candidate School because it would have split them up. They were on a track to become engineers but the European Theater needed men and they were sent to different units. At that point, Mom appealed to a higher authority to keep them together. (5:32)

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Hilbert Margol's twin brother Howard was finally transferred back into his brother's artillery unit. In fact, when he reported, they thought he was Hilbert. They shipped out for France, and like most on the ship, had a bout with seasickness. At Marseille, when they encountered hardened veterans, they found out that their flouting of regulations on what to bring just might might have saved their lives. (5:55)

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Their companion infantry unit had been in Southern France for two months when the 392nd Field Artillery arrived in Marseille. Gunner Hilbert Margol describes the unit makeup and how he mistook his first combat for maneuvers. Behind him were more artillery units with weapons increasing in size with distance from the front. (5:16)