June 4th 2024.
It is with great excitement that I share the news that the Pentagon is finally recognizing a forgotten hero of D-Day, Waverly B. Woodson Jr. This brave Black combat medic is being posthumously honored with the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest valor award, for his exceptional dedication and bravery in treating troops during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II. It's been 80 years since that historic day, and it is an honor to see Woodson's contributions being recognized.
During World War II, over 10 million people of color fought for the Allies, yet their achievements have been largely erased from traditional narratives. This Veterans and Military Families Month, we pay tribute to SSgt. Waverly Woodson Jr. and other unsung heroes who have served. Woodson's recognition comes just ahead of the 80th anniversary of the invasion, which took place on June 6, 1944. Senator Chris Van Hollen has been working closely with Woodson's family for years to ensure that this veteran receives the recognition he deserves.
"This has been a long time coming," said Senator Van Hollen in an interview with the Associated Press. "Woodson's bravery on D-Day was nothing short of heroic. We have numerous accounts of his selfless actions in saving his fellow soldiers, even while he himself was wounded. It has been an honor to work with his family to pursue this recognition for so long."
In 1944, the armed forces were still segregated, and approximately 2,000 Black troops are believed to have participated in the invasion of Normandy. Woodson's unit, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, was the only Black combat unit in action that day. They played a crucial role in setting up balloons to prevent enemy planes from attacking their location. Woodson, who passed away in 2005, spoke about the attack in a 1994 interview with the AP.
"The tide brought us in, and that's when the 88s hit us," Woodson recalled. "It was a massacre. Out of our 26 Navy personnel, only one survived. They raked the whole top of the ship and killed everyone on board. Then they started attacking with mortar shells."
In 1997, Woodson was nearly awarded the Medal of Honor after the Army conducted a study to determine if Black troops had been overlooked for their bravery due to widespread racism and prejudice in the military and the country as a whole. However, the study revealed that Woodson's personnel records had been destroyed in a fire at a facility in 1973. This study eventually led to seven Black US Army troops being awarded the Medal of Honor.
Woodson's story will also be featured in a National Geographic docu-series, Erased: WW2's Heroes of Color, which will highlight the accounts of heroism and bravery that were overlooked during a time of institutional racism in the armed forces. Woodson's 95-year-old widow, Joann Woodson, expressed her belief that her late husband deserves the Medal of Honor in a statement released by Senator Van Hollen's office.
"Waverly would have been honored to receive recognition for what he saw as his duty. But we all know it was much more than that; it was his desire to always help those in need," she said.
If Woodson is eventually awarded the Medal of Honor, his widow plans to donate it to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. "I am grateful that he is being recognized with the Distinguished Service Cross by his peers in the US Army," said Woodson's son, Steve. "I hope this will pave the way for further recognition of his heroism on D-Day, as he risked his life to save others in the pursuit of freedom for the oppressed. That recognition being the Medal of Honor."
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