Harold Williams

Harold Williams is a United States Army World War II veteran.

Mr. Williams served seven of eight campaigns in the European Theatre of Operations. He valiantly served in three of the greatest tank battles of all time. He was also at Omaha Beach on D-Day.

During the Great Depression, Mr. Williams dropped out of eighth grade and went to work to help his family financially make ends meet. He worked in farm fields and in a mill, as well as at the Watervliet Arsenal. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1942.

Mr. Williams served as a Radio Operator and Forward Observer with the 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. He was among the 160,000 Allied troops who landed on the beaches of Normandy on that fateful day. He was among the first wave to land, under heavy enemy fire, on Omaha Beach.

Before Normandy, Mr. Williams actively fought in North Africa and Tunisia before invading Sicily.

After Normandy, Mr. Williams went to Ardennes for the Battle of the Bulge. He participated in the strategic important battles of the Hertgen Forest and Eisenhorn Ridge, where his unit bravely destroyed 40 German tanks. He later fought at Leipzig before deploying to Czechoslovakia.

Mr. Williams earned numerous medals and commendations, including the American Theatre Campaign, European-Africa-Middle Eastern, World War II Victory, Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of France Certificate and Army Occupation–Germany. A retired United States Postal Service worker, Mr. Williams was recognized in 2021 by local and State officials during an event held by the Rev. Francis Kelley Society, a military honor society.