Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr. was an Army medic in the only all African American combat unit in the Normandy invasion on D-Day.
He got seriously wounded that June 6, 1944, but went on to help save scores of his fellow soldiers’ lives…
On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to posthumously award Cpl. Woodson a Medal of Honor for his heroism.
“His valor was never fully recognized due to the color of his skin. That’s unacceptable,” said Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
Even though his own injuries caused his own eventual collapse on the battlefield, he treated over 200 injured military personnel of all colors, that day. Keeping his comrades-in-arms alive was the only imperative.
“The Black Female Battalion That Stood Up to a White Male Army” (New York Times) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/magazine/6888th-battalion-charity-adams.html
“The unit was set up to determine the value Black women brought to the military. They ultimately ran the fastest mail service in the European Theater during World War II. More than 6,500 Black women ultimately served in the auxiliary corps during the war, as both officers and enlisted women. They came from all over the country, many in search of opportunities unavailable to them in the civilian sector.”
Major Charity Adams addresses members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in February 1945
[video src="https://vp.nyt.com/video/2020/06/09/86963_1_24ww2-6888Battalion-06_wg_1080p.mp4" /]
8AM MDT, tomorrow morning, 20th