(CNN) — A Black medic credited with treating many wounded soldiers on D-Day has been posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland announced Monday.
Army medic Cpl. Waverly Woodson, Jr., was part of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, an all-Black unit tasked with deploying balloons to protect troops along the beaches of Normandy from German fighter planes during D-Day nearly 80 years ago, CNN previously reported.
D-Day, which took place on June 6, 1944, was the first day of the Normandy landings that laid the foundations for the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Woodson, who became seriously injured when his boat hit a mine, spent 30 hours treating fellow soldiers as the assault took place, according to a press release from Van Hollen’s office. After the war, Woodson worked in clinical pathology for decades.
He died in 2005 at 83 years old, CNN previously reported.
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second-highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the Army. Van Hollen, other lawmakers and Woodson’s family have pushed for years for Woodson’s actions to be recognized. He hasn’t been honored due to his race, they said.
“It’s an important moment so that we can say to the family that we recognize his heroism but it’s also an important moment for the country to come to grips with its past because it’s very clear that he did not receive this metal earlier because of the color of his skin,” Van Hollen told CNN.
Woodson’s relatives said they were thankful for the honor.
His wife, 95-year-old Joann Woodson said, “Waverly would have felt honored to be recognized for what he knew was his duty. But we all know it was far more than duty; it was his desire to always help people in need.”
The family, like Van Hollen, said they will continue calling for Woodson to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
“Hopefully this will pave the way for further recognition of his heroism on D-Day for saving lives in the pursuit of freedom for the oppressed; that recognition being the Medal of Honor,” Woodson’s son, Steve, said in a statement.
In 1997, Woodson was on the shortlist for the Medal of Honor when the first Black World War II soldiers were honored by President Bill Clinton. At the time, Woodson was not selected because of lack of documentation, Van Hollen’s office said.