Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams was the last living World War II Medal of Honor recipient when he died in 2022. Two years later, a virtual version of the U.S. marine sits tall in a chair at the National World War II Museum, his medal hanging from his neck and military decorations bedecking his hat and blazer. Museum visitors have questions about his experiences during the war, and he answers them in his own words and voice.
Among those telling their stories at the Louisiana museum are Grace Brown, a Consolidated Aircraft factory worker who made parts for Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers. Tolley W. Fletcher served in the U.S. Navy during the D-Day landings in Normandy and later hunted German U-boats in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Ben Lesser, born in Poland, survived four Nazi concentration camps before being liberated from Dachau. Margaret Kerry entertained U.S.