Japanese Were Shocked When 1 Marine With Flamethrower Destroyed 7 Bunkers On Iwo Jima In 4 Hours Discover the extraordinary true story of Corporal Hershel "Woody" Williams, the 5'6" Marine from Quiet Dell, West Virginia, who single-handedly changed the Battle of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. Armed with a 68-pound M2-2 flamethrower and protected by only four riflemen, Williams fought desperately for four hours against heavily fortified Japanese pillboxes that had stalled the American advance for