80 years after D-Day the family of a Black World War II combat medic receives his medal for heroism
A Black combat medic who treated 200 troops during the harrowing invasion of Normandy during World War II is being honored with the Army's second highest award
WASHINGTON (AP) — Waverly B. Woodson Jr., who was part of the only African American combat unit involved in the D-Day invasion during World War II, spent more than a day treating wounded troops under heavy German fire — all while injured himself. Decades later, and nearly 20 years after his death, his family finally received the recognition that was denied many Black service members.
Woodson's 95-year-old widow, Joann, was presented Tuesday with the Distinguished Service Cross he was awarded posthumously for his extraordinary heroism. Generations of Woodson's family packed the audience, many of them wearing T-shirts with his photo and the words “1944 D-Day US Army Medic" on the front.
“It’s been a long, long road … to get to this day,” Woodson's son, Steve, told the crowd. “My father, if he could have been here today, would have been humbled.”
The award, the second-highest honor that can be bestowed on a member of the Army, marked an important milestone in a yearslong campaign by his widow, supporters in the military and Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen for greater recognition of Woodson's efforts that day.
