By Rebecca Santana
Associated Press
WASHINGTON 鈥� Waverly Woodson Jr., a medic who was part of the only Black combat unit to take part in the D-Day invasion of France during World War II, is being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in recognition of the heroism and determination he showed treating troops under heavy enemy fire.
The is the second-highest honor that can be bestowed on a member of the Army and is awarded for extraordinary heroism.
Monday by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who has been working for years with Woodson鈥檚 family for on that fateful day.
鈥淭his has been a long time coming,鈥� Van Hollen said during an interview with The Associated Press. 鈥淲oodson鈥檚 bravery on D-Day was heroic. We have numerous accounts of what he did to save his fellow soldiers even as he was wounded. And so we鈥檝e been pursuing this recognition for a long time along with the family.鈥�
The announcement comes just days before the 80th anniversary of the June 6 anniversary of the assault that led to the liberation of France and the rest of Western Europe from Nazi Germany.
Members of the First Army, which included Woodson鈥檚 unit during World War II, is taking a World War II-era Distinguished Service Cross with them to France. They will hold a ceremony on the Colleville-sur-Mer section of the beach, under what was a German fighting position known as WN61 where Woodson cared for troops, and place the medal in the sands there. Later this summer it will be given to his family in a ceremony.
FILE - Steve Woodson speaks during a medal ceremony for his father, Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr., to be posthumously honored with the Bronze Star and Combat Medic Badge, Oct. 11, 2023 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Woodson Jr., a medic who was part of the only Black combat unit to take part in the D-Day invasion of France, is being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. It鈥檚 the military鈥檚 second highest honor. The announcement was made Monday, June 3, 2024, by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
Kevin Wolf/AP
FILE - Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., speaks during a medal ceremony for Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr., to be posthumously honored with the Bronze Star and Combat Medic Badge at Arlington National Cemetery on Oct. 11, 2023 in Arlington, Va. Woodson Jr., a medic who was part of the only Black combat unit to take part in the D-Day invasion of France, is being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. It鈥檚 the military鈥檚 second highest honor. The announcement was made Monday, June 3, 2024, by Van Hollen. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
Kevin Wolf/AP
FILE - Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., left, shakes hands with Joann Woodson, the widow of Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr., during a medal ceremony posthumously honoring Cpl. Woodson with the Bronze Star and Combat Medic Badge at Arlington National Cemetery, Oct. 11, 2023 in Arlington, Va. Woodson Jr., a medic who was part of the only Black combat unit to take part in the D-Day invasion of France, is being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. It鈥檚 the military鈥檚 second highest honor. The announcement was made Monday, June 3, 2024, by Van Hollen. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
Kevin Wolf/AP
FILE - The headstone of Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr. is seen during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Oct. 11, 2023, in Arlington, Va. Woodson Jr., a medic who was part of the only Black combat unit to take part in the D-Day invasion of France, is being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. It鈥檚 the military鈥檚 second highest honor. The announcement was made Monday, June 3, 2024, by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
Kevin Wolf/AP
Woodson was just 21 years old when his unit, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, took part in the Allied operation. His battalion, the only African American combat unit there that day, was responsible for setting up balloons to deter enemy planes.
At a time when the U.S. military was still segregated by race, about are believed to have taken part in the D-Day invasion.
Woodson died in 2005. He spoke to the AP in 1994 about how his landing craft came under intense fire from the Germans as it approached the beach.
鈥淭he tide brought us in, and that鈥檚 when the 88s hit us,鈥� he said of the German 88mm guns. 鈥淭hey were murder. Of our 26 Navy personnel there was only one left. They raked the whole top of the ship and killed all the crew. Then they started with the mortar shells,鈥� Woodson said.
Capt. Kevin Braafladt, the First Army historian, said Woodson鈥檚 landing craft 鈥� LCT 856 鈥� was hit by two shells, wounding Woodson. The vessel lost power and was pushed toward the shore by the tide. Woodson likely had to jump in the water to wade ashore.
For the next 30 hours he treated 200 wounded men all while under intense small arms and artillery fire before collapsing from his injuries and blood loss, according to accounts of his service. At the time he was awarded the Bronze Star.
Although 1.2 million Black Americans served in the military during World War II, none was among the original recipients of the Medal of Honor awarded in the conflict. The Army commissioned a study in the early 1990s to analyze whether Black troops had been unjustly overlooked during an era of widespread racism and segregation in the military. Ultimately, seven Black World War II troops were awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997.
At the time, Woodson was considered for the award and the authors interviewed him. But, they wrote, his decoration case file couldn鈥檛 be found and his personnel records were destroyed in a 1973 fire at a military records facility. Woodson鈥檚 supporters believe not just that he is worthy of the Medal of Honor but that there was a recommendation at the time to award it to him that has been lost.
Braafladt said after the war the U.S. military made a deliberate effort to reduce its massive amounts of paperwork. The facility in Missouri also destroyed countless documents. But Braafladt, who鈥檚 been working on the Woodson case for roughly four years, said there鈥檚 no doubt in his mind that Woodson was absolutely deserving of the Medal of Honor and that he was recommended for it at the time. It鈥檚 a matter of finding the documentation, he said.
鈥淔or me and for the First Army, the hunt continues,鈥� he said.
Van Hollen鈥檚 office became involved in Woodson鈥檚 case years ago when Woodson鈥檚 wife reached out to seek Van Hollen鈥檚 assistance in helping get Woodson鈥檚 the recognition she felt he deserved.
鈥淲averly would have felt honored to be recognized for what he knew was his duty. But we all know it was far more than duty; it was his desire to always help people in need,鈥� said Joann Woodson in the announcement from the senator鈥檚 office.
as part of a four-part .鈥� The docuseries highlights the stories of people whose contributions were deliberately overlooked at a time of entrenched racism.
Van Hollen said he and Woodson鈥檚 family were still working to have Woodson awarded the Medal of Honor but called the awarding of the Distinguished Service Cross an 鈥渆xtremely significant鈥� moment.
鈥淭his moment is extremely significant at overcoming what has been an historic injustice and righting this wrong,鈥� said Van Hollen.
