Family and members of his former unit gathered next to
“Imagine the unforgiving crucible of ground combat. The explosions, the hail of bullets, machine gun fire, artillery rounds, the smoke, the blood, the sweat. And then you hear that familiar cry: “Medic! Medic!'” said retired Lt.
Woodson was a 21-year-old Army medic assigned to the only
Woodson, who was born in
“The tide brought us in, and that’s when the 88s hit us,” he said of the German 88mm guns. “They were murder. Of our 26
He survived and was awarded the Bronze Star, but by the time the award was finalized he was in
His widow,
At a time when the
The ceremony Wednesday also focused on a situation Woodson's supporters consider an injustice they have been seeking to correct. For years they have been pushing to see him awarded the Medal of Honor.
Retired Lt. Gen.
“Yet he still raised his hand to serve," said Twitty. He noted how once in the military Woodson still faced discrimination. He was denied an officer position due to his race before he eventually became a combat medic: "The Medal of Honor that he truly deserves, he does not have."
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's case was part of the study and the authors interviewed him. But, they wrote, his decoration case file couldn't be found and his personnel records destroyed in a 1973 fire at a military records facility. Capt.
One of the pieces of information pointing to that conclusion is a memo talking about how Woodson had been recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross but a top general decided the recommendation should be for the Medal of Honor instead.
Braafladt first heard about Woodson's case around 2020 and has been obsessively searching for documents that will help make Woodson's case. He has not yet found the Medal of Honor recommendation letter, but along the way he has found documents he thinks buttress the case. Just last week he received the text describing Woodson's Bronze Star citation.
“I’m one document away from getting an answer here and righting a wrong.” he said.
Sen.
“It is clear from looking at our history that Corporal Woodson has not yet been presented with the Medal of Honor because of historic discrimination,"
Woodson's son said in a telephone interview ahead of the ceremony that his father rarely talked about World War II until late in his life and then only in bits and pieces. The family would like to see him honored with the Medal of Honor not only to shine a spotlight on his heroism but to highlight the efforts of Woodson's unit and all Black troops.
“One thing about my dad that I will always remember is his care for other people and fellow man. It did not matter the race of the person,"
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Santana reported from
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