WASHINGTON — An African American fight medic who was wounded whereas touchdown on Omaha Seaside through the D-Day invasion however went on to are inclined to dozens of troops will probably be posthumously honored Wednesday in a ceremony at Arlington Nationwide Cemetery. His household and supporters proceed to push for an excellent larger recognition they imagine his heroism is owed.
Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr. was a 21-year-old Army medic assigned to the one African American fight unit to land in Normandy on June 6, 1944. His touchdown craft took heavy fireplace and he was wounded earlier than even attending to the seaside, however for the subsequent 30 hours he handled 200 wounded males whereas beneath intense small arms and artillery fireplace earlier than collapsing from his accidents and blood loss, in line with accounts of his service.
Woodson, who was born in Philadelphia and lived in Maryland together with his spouse, died in 2005. He spoke to The Related Press in 1994 about his harrowing journey.
“The tide introduced us in, and that’s when the 88s hit us,” he mentioned of the German 88mm weapons. “They have been homicide. Of our 26 Navy personnel there was just one left. They raked the entire prime of the ship and killed all of the crew. Then they began with the mortar shells.”
He survived and was awarded the Bronze Star, however by the point the award was finalized he was in Hawaii making ready for the invasion of Japan so there was little in the best way of ceremony. And he was by no means awarded a Fight Medic Badge, which denotes {that a} medic has been in fight. To rectify that mistaken, his former unit utilized for Woodson to obtain the badge and it was permitted in August.
His widow, Joann, and his son, Steve, will probably be offered with each honors through the ceremony at Arlington, the place Woodson is buried.
“He actually was a hero on Omaha Seaside,” mentioned Capt. Kevin Braafladt, the historian for First Army. Woodson’s unit, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, was a part of First Army through the invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The battalion was chargeable for establishing explosive-rigged balloons to discourage enemy planes.
At a time when the U.S. army was nonetheless segregated by race, about 2,000 African American troops are believed to have taken half within the invasion. The balloon battalion was the one African American fight unit.
Woodson’s supporters have been pushing for years to see him awarded the Medal of Honor for his exploits through the invasion that was key to turning the tide within the warfare.
Though 1.2 million Black People served within the army throughout World Warfare II, none was among the many authentic recipients of the Medal of Honor awarded within the battle. The Army commissioned a research within the early Nineteen Nineties to investigate whether or not Black troops had been unjustly ignored throughout an period of widespread racism and segregation within the army. In the end, seven Black World Warfare II troops have been awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997.
On the time, Woodson’s case was a part of the research and the authors interviewed him. However, they wrote, his ornament case file could not be discovered and his personnel information destroyed in a 1973 fireplace at a army information facility. Braafladt mentioned the U.S. army made a aware effort to scale back paperwork after the warfare, and that the fireplace at a army information facility in Missouri additionally destroyed numerous paperwork.
His supporters aren’t giving up. First Army and Braafladt have been on a mission to doc Woodson’s actions on D-Day in hopes of getting the Medal of Honor for him. Braafladt is satisfied — “100%” — that Woodson was beneficial on the time of the warfare for the Medal of Honor.
One of many items of data pointing to that conclusion is a memo speaking about how Woodson had been beneficial for the Distinguished Service Cross however a prime common determined the advice must be for the Medal of Honor as an alternative.
Braafladt first heard about Woodson’s case round 2020 and has been obsessively looking for paperwork that can assist make Woodson’s case. He has not but discovered the Medal of Honor advice letter, however alongside the best way he has discovered paperwork he thinks buttress the case. Simply final week he acquired the textual content describing Woodson’s Bronze Star quotation.
“I’m one doc away from getting a solution right here and righting a mistaken.” he mentioned.
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, the place Woodson’s widow now lives, has additionally been pushing since 2015 to have Woodson honored with the Medal of Honor, and has launched laws to that impact in Congress.
Woodson’s son mentioned in a phone interview that his father hardly ever talked about World Warfare II till late in his life after which solely in bits and items. The household want to see him honored with the Medal of Honor not solely to shine a highlight on his heroism however to spotlight the efforts of Woodson’s unit and all Black troops.
Steve Woodson mentioned he’d be upset if his father doesn’t get the Medal of Honor, however he is additionally grateful for all the popularity and honors which have come to date.
“If he will get it, that’s fabulous. If he doesn’t, we are going to simply proceed to place his legacy ahead,” he mentioned.
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