{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/west-virginia-delegation-urges-president-trump-to-designate-state-funeral-for-last-surviving-wwii-medal-of-honor-recipient", "West Virginia Delegation Urges President Trump To Designate State Funeral For Last Surviving WWII Medal of Honor Recipient", "2020-10-28", "2020", "2020-10", "Democrat", "House", "WV", "Joe Manchin", "M001183", "www.manchin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "October 28, 2020\n\t\t\t West Virginia Delegation Urges President Trump To Designate State Funeral For Last Surviving WWII Medal of Honor Recipient \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tCharleston, WV  U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) andShelley Moore Capito (R-WV), along with Representatives David McKinley (R-WV),\r\nAlex Mooney (R-WV), and Carol Miller (R-WV) today sent a letter to\r\nPresident Donald J. Trump urging him to designate a state funeral for the last\r\nsurviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient. Last year, the delegation\r\nwrote a similar letter to the president. We are writing you again to\r\nencourage you to designate a single state funeral for the last surviving World\r\nWar II Medal of Honor recipient, which would not only recognize that one\r\nveteran, but all 16 million men and women who put their lives on the line\r\nduring the war to defend the freedoms that we hold dear, the delegation\r\nwrote. Read the full letter below\r\nor click here.  Dear Mr. President: We\r\nare writing you again to encourage you to designate a single state funeral for\r\nthe last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient, which would not only\r\nrecognize that one veteran, but all 16 million men and women who put their\r\nlives on the line during the war to defend the freedoms that we hold dear. As\r\nWest Virginia's congressional delegation, it is an incredible honor to call one\r\nof the two remaining recipients, U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Hershel Woody\r\nWilliams, our own. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Woody Williams valiantly\r\nstormed pillboxes with his flamethrower, as the last American demolition\r\nsergeant on the beach, clearing the way for his fellow soldiers. Of\r\nthe 472 Medal of Honor recipients from WWII, Woody Williams is joined by U.S.\r\nArmy Technical Sergeant Charles Coolidge of Tennessee as the two still living.\r\nWoody Williams has said, This medal doesn't belong to me. It belongs to them,\r\nbecause they gave their lives for me, I was just doing a job that I was trained\r\nto do. We\r\nurge you to designate a state funeral for the last surviving Medal of Honor\r\nrecipient because it would not only recognize these two men, but all who were\r\ndoing the jobs that they were trained to do. The sacrifices of all who served\r\nduring World War II have not gone unrecognized, but it is crucial that we as a\r\nnation continue to show our immense gratitude for the greatest generation.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/west-virginia-delegation-urges-president-trump-to-designate-state-funeral-for-last-surviving-wwii-medal-of-honor-recipient"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6489621009677649, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}