A Black World War II veteran is lastly being honored a long time after he saved 200 lives, because of his household.
Throughout a ceremony on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Sept. 24, Military Cpl. Waverly Woodson Jr. was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross — the second-highest army ornament for troopers who show extraordinary heroism in fight with an armed enemy drive.
It was June 6, 1944, when U.S. troopers stormed the seashores of Normandy throughout WWII for what turned referred to as D-Day.
“With a hailstorm of bullets and bombs raking the surf throughout him, Sgt. Waverly Woodson, Jr., leaped out of a touchdown craft onto Normandy Seashore on June 6, 1944, and did what he needed to do,” Joint Base Andrews mentioned of the then-21-year-old medic’s acts of heroism in a March 2015 publish.
Woodson had been injured by shrapnel as he continued to look after others. But, in these days, Black troopers didn’t obtain credit score for his or her contributions.
In keeping with The Frederick News-Post, Woodson’s household “fought tirelessly for over 20 years” for him to obtain the correct recognition. He died in August 2005, and is survived by his spouse, Joann Katharyne Snowden, 95, whom he married in 1952.
The couple had three kids collectively, per NPS.gov.
“It has been a protracted, lengthy street … to get to this present day,” his son, Steve, instructed the group on Tuesday, CBS News reported. “My father, if he might have been right here at present, would have been humbled.”
By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to remain up-to-date on the most effective of what PEOPLE has to supply, from superstar information to forcing human curiosity tales.
“All all through the years, my dad by no means actually complained about by no means being honored for what he had achieved. He thought of that to be his responsibility,” he continued, per the Information-Put up. “To have him obtain an honor of this stature is simply completely unimaginable.”
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen additionally spoke at Tuesday’s ceremony after first getting concerned with the marketing campaign for Woodson’s posthumous recognition in 2015.
“We’ve been working to proper this unsuitable,” Van Hollen mentioned. “That is an instance of individuals coming collectively to assist make our nation robust.”
The outlet added that no Black troopers who served in World Battle II have been awarded the Medal of Honor till 1997. Woodson was missed for the accolade after his Military recordsdata have been destroyed in a 1973 fireplace on the Nationwide Personnel Information Middle in Missouri.
“Many people thought this present day would by no means come,” Capt. Kevin Braafladt, First Military Help Command historian, mentioned on Tuesday. “It’s very arduous to write down historical past. It’s very arduous to present the Military the proof that it desires. It’s good to know as a reporter, typically you are able to do one thing that makes a distinction.”