PRINTER'S NO. 2398
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
440
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY JOHNSON-HARRELL, DONATUCCI, HOHENSTEIN, KORTZ,
BARRAR, JONES, RABB, FRANKEL, HARRIS, POLINCHOCK, MILLARD,
McCLINTON, KINSEY, SHUSTERMAN, KOSIEROWSKI, DiGIROLAMO,
WILLIAMS, BIZZARRO, HILL-EVANS, MURT, COX, FREEMAN, WHEATLEY,
YOUNGBLOOD, JOZWIAK, CALTAGIRONE, READSHAW, SAINATO, NEILSON
AND HOWARD, SEPTEMBER 3, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, SEPTEMBER 3, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Honoring African-American World War II Army Staff Sergeant
Waverly Woodson, Jr., on the 75th anniversary of D-Day for
his heroic actions as a corporal and combat medic on Omaha
Beach on June 6, 1944.
WHEREAS, This year marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, a
turning point in World War II, when more than 160,000 Allied
troops invaded Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, to fight Nazi
Germany and liberate Europe from its grasp; and
WHEREAS, For decades, it was commonly believed that African-
American soldiers did not participate in D-Day, but this myth
has been proven to be untrue; and
WHEREAS, African-American soldiers not only fought on Omaha
Beach, the stretch of Normandy's coastline that saw the worst
fighting on D-Day, they played a key role in the invasion, yet
their stories remain largely untold; and
WHEREAS, One such soldier was Philadelphia-born Waverly
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Woodson, Jr., a 21-year old corporal and medic with the 320th
Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only African-American combat unit
to storm the beaches of Normandy; and
WHEREAS, The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, one of the
first units to land at Normandy, was tasked with deploying and
manning an aerial barrage of massive balloons to protect
American forces from German bomber planes; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Woodson's landing craft hit a mine on its way
onto Omaha Beach, which left him seriously wounded by burning
shrapnel, but despite his wounds, he further risked his life to
save the lives of his fellow soldiers; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Woodson worked tirelessly through searing pain
for more than 30 hours to remove bullets, patch gaping wounds,
dispense blood plasma, amputate limbs and resuscitate drowning
men before collapsing; and
WHEREAS, His heroic deeds on D-Day led the United States War
Department to recommend Mr. Woodson for the Congressional Medal
of Honor, our nation's highest military award given for valor;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Woodson never received this recognition as the
institutionalized racism of that era kept African-American
soldiers from receiving the military's highest awards; and
WHEREAS, Instead of receiving the Congressional Medal of
Honor or the Distinguished Service Cross, Mr. Woodson was
awarded the Bronze Star, the military's fourth-highest honor,
and a Purple Heart; and
WHEREAS, Decades passed before Mr. Woodson learned that he
had been nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor; and
WHEREAS, Due to the 1973 fire that destroyed millions of
military personnel files, Mr. Woodson was not among the seven
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African-American World War II veterans who were belatedly
awarded the honor in 1997 by President Clinton; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Woodson never received the honor before his
passing in 2005, but his family and many others continue the
fight to ensure that his heroism on D-Day is no longer
overlooked and that he finally receive the Congressional Medal
of Honor; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor African-
American World War II Army Staff Sergeant Waverly Woodson, Jr.,
on the 75th anniversary of D-Day for his heroic actions as a
corporal and combat medic on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Congress
of the United States to posthumously award Staff Sergeant
Woodson with the Congressional Medal of Honor for the valor he
showed on D-Day in working to save the lives of countless
American soldiers while he himself was wounded.
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