In memory of WWII veteran Bill Hudson

Among the earliest contributors to the Museum & Library's Oral History Program and a decorated veteran of the iconic Battle of Iwo Jima, William 'Bill' Hudson has passed away at the age of 90.

Hudson, who lived most of his life in Los Alamos, New Mexico, earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his actions as a U.S. Marine during the Battle of Iwo Jima—a bloody conflict where 6,841 Marines lost their lives and 20,000 were wounded. In this 2006 video clip from Front & Center with John Callaway: 36 Days on Iwo Jima, Hudson talks about his experiences as a 19-year old private first class.

A friend to the PMML who donated a collection of photographs, newspaper clippings, and artifacts along with his oral history, Hudson's life and service is the subject of Karen Jo Tallentire's Fighting the Unbeatable Foe: Iwo Jima and Los Alamos—a biography compiled using Museum & Library resources. After meeting Bill and learning of his service, PMML Founder & Chair Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Ret.), established a scholarship in his name through the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

WILLIAM 'BILL' HUDSON was born in 1925 and raised in New York City. In 1943, not long after his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After boot camp, Hudson joined the 4th Marine Division as a Private First Class. In early 1945, Hudson joined the Pacific Theater of the Second World War, most notably participating in the invasion of Iwo Jima in February. After the War, Hudson attended Cornell and New York University before beginning a long career as an educator in New Mexico. Learn more about Bill.