A packed room inside the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill saw a lack of action turn into a long overdue right. Staff Sgt. Waverly B. Woodson Jr., who died in 2005, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for saving more than 200 casualties while suffering from his injuries during the Allied Invasion of Normandy during World War II.
Present for the ceremony were the sergeant’s widow, Joann Woodson, his son Stephen Woodson, and his granddaughter Michele Williams, whose mother, Waverly and Joann Woodson’s daughter Elaine Hood, was out of the country. Dozens of relatives of the late sergeant’s family were also at the event.
The honoree, Woodson, was a 20-year-old First Army medic during the WWII battles as a member of the all-African American 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion. This unit was responsible for hoisting balloons resembling giant blimps in Normandy above the invasion of Omaha and Utah Beaches. The term “First Army” refers to the oldest and longest-standing field army.
The Trek to Making Things Right
For nine years, a campaign has been underway advocating for Woodson to receive appropriate military recognition with the Distinguished Service Cross.
The research was done, and the paperwork was submitted. The proof came from senior First Army officers, author Linda Hervieux for her book about the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, “Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day’s Black Heroes,” published in 2019, as well as from the office of Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). The documentation concluded that Woodson’s race was probably the reason why America failed to acknowledge his unselfish, brave act of saving the lives of fellow soldiers.
“His power and valor burned through the fog of the war,” Van Hollen said about Woodson. “All the way back to Washington, D.C., aids to President Franklin Roosevelt heard his name. It was recommended that he receive the Medal of Honor.”
Van Hollen further explained that the United States awarded 432 Medals of Honor during World War II. Not a single one went to an African American. It was only in 1997 that some Black Americans received that award for their valor in World War II. So Waverly Woodson’s family has fought to secure the recognition.
Van Hollen and Lt. Gen. Mark Landes presented Joann Woodson and her son Stephen with the Distinguished Service Cross. A soldier brought the medal to them on a wooden tray with the words “First in Deed” carved on the side. Granddaughter Michele and son Stephen gave remarks on behalf of the family.
Impact of Woodson’s Heroism on Today’s Soldiers
Staff Sgt. Aaron Williams, currently serving, received a special acknowledgment for his role this year in the 80th-anniversary observance of WWII battles on June 7, 2024, on Omaha Beach. He was chosen to put the Distinguished Service Cross in the sands to commemorate Woodson’s service.
Williams is the same rank as Woodson. He was unfamiliar with the WWII hero’s bravery until that 80th-anniversary observance in France.
On behalf of the family, Stephen Woodson presented Williams with the U.S. Army insignia from Woodson’s uniform, which can still be worn on uniforms today. The proud son also presented Williams with his father’s sergeant stripes. Gifting rank-in-uniform medals from one generation to the next is an old-age military tradition.
Williams, holding back tears, went back to his seat. He kept staring at the framed mementos as members of Woodson’s family patted his arm over his surprise honor.
“Being in for 17 years, there have been times when I questioned the meaning of my service,” said Williams, who is based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. “Getting something as prestigious as this makes it all worthwhile.”
It has been a long, intentional role for Joann Woodson, the 96-year-old widow of Staff Sgt. Woodson.
“I’m so grateful that I am here for all of this. The rest of the family now know what their grandparents look like,” said Joann Woodson, who lives in Clarksburg, Maryland, and stood next to a portrait of her husband. “It’s been a long time.”
A video of the presentation ceremony is on Sen. Van Hollen’s YouTube channel