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Major Lloyd W. Williams

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Name
  
Lloyd Williams

Rank
  
Major

Unit
  
2nd Battalion 5th Marines

Education
  
Virginia Tech

Allegiance
  
United States of America


Born
  
January 5, 1887 Berryville, Virginia (
1887-01-05
)

Battles/wars
  
Banana Wars Occupation of Nicaragua World War I Battle of Chateau-Thierry (1918)

Awards
  
3 Silver Stars Purple Heart

Died
  
June 12, 1918, Chateau-Thierry, France

Service/branch
  
United States Marine Corps

Lloyd W. Williams (June 5, 1887 – June 12, 1918) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps who served and died in World War I.

Contents

Early life and education

Major Lloyd W. Williams httpss3uswest2amazonawscomfindagravepr

Lloyd W. Williams was born on June 5, 1887 in Berryville, Virginia. While very young, his family moved to Washington, DC. Williams attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) and graduated in 1907, as the captain of Alpha Company in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. After graduating, he became a second lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps on December 11, 1909.

World War One

During World War One, Captain Williams was assigned to command the division’s 51st Company in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines Regiment.

On June 2, 1918, a division of Marines was sent to support the French army at the Battle of Belleau Wood. As the Marines arrived, they found French troops retreating. When advised to withdraw by a French colonel just north of the village of Lucy-le-Bocage, Williams bluntly replied: "Retreat Hell! we just got here!"

On June 11, 1918, Williams led an assault that routed the German defenders at Belleau Wood near Chateau-Thierry, France. Only 1 of the 10 officers and 16 of the 250 enlisted men survived or escaped injury. A French major ordered Williams to withdraw and according to his report, Williams "told him to 'go to hell.". Later, as he lay wounded on the battlefield, Williams told the approaching medics, “Don’t bother with me. Take care of my good men." Williams had been gassed and injured by shrapnel . He later died when a shell exploded nearby as he was being evacuated.

Awards

  • Captain Williams was posthumously promoted to major.
  • Williams received three Silver Star citations and a Purple Heart.
  • He was recommended for two other awards: (the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross) by his commanding officer, Colonel Wise, but neither were granted.

    • Legacy

  • Major Williams is considered to be the first known Virginian to die in the World War One.
  • The U. S. Marine Corps' 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment adopted the motto: “Retreat, hell!”, in honor of Major Williams. Fighting since 1914, the 2/5 marines is the most highly decorated battalion in marine history.
  • On September 12, 1919, a new American Legion post in Berryville, Virginia was named in Williams' honor.
  • In 1957, a new campus building was named in Lloyd's honor at Virginia Tech, his Alma Mater. The building, which combined 2 older barracks was named Major Williams Hall (a.k.a. "Major Bill") and functioned as both a corps and civilian student dormitory until it was renovated and converted to academic offices in 1995. It currently serves the history department in the College of Arts and Sciences.

    • References

    Major Lloyd W. Williams Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA