Veterans Spotlight - Rick Williams

My guest this week is definitely an American treasure. At 93 years of age, Mr. Rick Williams still has a crushing handshake and holds the distinction of serving his country in two wars, WWII and Korea as a Corpsman for the United States Marines. Growing up in Providence, RI the young Mr. Williams shared a story that would serve as a prelude to his service as a Combat Medic. “I had my tonsils taken out as an 8-year old, right on my couch. I had a reaction to the ether and punched the doctor” he recalled. I don’t think he was too happy” he said with a laugh.

He remembered his day of enlistment and rattled it off perfectly; “November 5, 1943. The 17-year old Williams was sent to basic training at Fort Sampson in New York. He was then sent to Hospital Corps. School in Portsmouth, VA, then to Bethesda, MD. After advance amphibious training in Long Island, NY Corpsman Williams was sent via convoy to Okinawa for the Invasion on April 1, 1945. “All the ships zig zagged so they wouldn’t get hit” he said. He remembered that “all hell broke loose when we hit the beach…..I was going over the ropes on the side of the ship when Kamikaze’s swooped down and started shooting at us…..I fell back and got caught by some marines on an LST…..Guys were getting picked off all around me, it was chaos….told myself that I was never going to make any friends because everyone around me was getting killed…..I prayed and prayed.”

Corpsman Williams also recalled the daily carnage and death. “I used a great deal of sulfur on open wounds….a lot of battle dressings…..used morphine like crazy…..lots of plasma too. I was a pretty damn good corpsman…..God helped me through it…..did the job from what I learned.” Another major factor (besides enemy fire) that Corpsman Williams had to deal with was something that you wouldn’t ever imagine. “Poisonous snakes were everywhere on that island” he recalled. “Our guys were getting bit on the face, the neck and dying……we actually brought in 10,000 Mongoose’ to eliminate the snakes…..lost a lot of guys to snake bites.” Even after the island was secured, the carnage didn’t stop. “We had a ship that blew up, I don’t know how…..had to go onboard, with the ship still on fire and get the wounded…..the boon fell right on a soldier’s leg and he had not only a severe laceration, but was going to lose his leg…..had to cut it off right there while someone held him.”

When asked what it was like being away from home during the holidays, corpsman Williams reflected emotionally. “You cry…..I certainly did…..you miss your family, the home, all the good things you have.” When asked if he was ever afraid, corpsman Williams looked me directly in the eye and said, “There isn’t anyone that’s been in combat that is NEVER afraid…..if they tell you that they’re full of baloney!”

After his discharge, corpsman Williams signed on for the reserves and several months later, was called to Korea. He recalled, “The conditions were absolutely terrible, we didn’t have the best equipment and it was freezing.”

In a moment of reflection he said, “I’d like to go back to Okinawa…..so many memories…..never talked about my military service…..it was and still is painful…..had horrific nightmares for years……I talk about it some now.”

When asked about his service, corpsman Williams said with typical, old-school humility; “I’m very proud of what I did…..I truly don’t know why I survived…..God must have had a reason.” He now is a self- described health nut and is in outstanding shape. He enjoys his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Corpsman Richard Williams, thank you for your service to our great country.