It was June 6, 1944, and U.S. troops had begun their landing on the beaches of northern France. This was to become the turning point in the allied victory defeating Germany in World War II. Waverly Woodson was one of those soldiers. He was born in 1922 in Philadelphia. At the time of the invasion, he was just 21 years old.
He enlisted in the Army, putting his college studies on hold. He had received a high score on an officer aptitude test but was told that he didn’t qualify because of his race. He was transferred to combat medic training. He was a corporal on the day of the D-Day Invasion.
Corporal Woodson was wounded even before landing on Omaha Beach with shrapnel wounds to his groin and back. As soldiers advanced, they left behind a shore filled with bodies, some dead, some wounded. All totaled, there were 3,700 casualties at Omaha Beach.
Corporal Woodson found a cliff out of machine gun range and set up a first-aid station using a tent he found. This was the only first-aid station on the beach. For the next 30 hours straight, he treated the wounded soldiers. He treated over 200 soldiers and is credited with saving scores of lives. His personal treatment impacted from 5%-7% of the casualties.
Corporal Woodson’s own wounds were treated on a hospital ship. After only three days of being treated, he asked to be allowed to return to the front.
His commanding officer recommended that he be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and this was later upgraded to a recommendation of a Medal of Honor. He never got his medal because of racist attitudes and alleged bureaucracy.
Today, June 6, 2024, is the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion. Corporal Woodson will receive the Distinguished Service Cross. The quest to award him the Medal of Honor continues.
He passed away in 2005 at 83. At the time of his passing, he had yet to receive any recognition for his heroism.
There were many heroes of the D-Day invasion. Not one of the 432 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor during World War II was African American. The mark of a true hero is someone who fights for the future and is not resentful of the present. The story of Corporal Woodson is one that should stir all our souls as we remember the true meaning of the Golden Rule: Do to others what you would have them do to you.