Joann Woodson of Clarksburg stands next to the portrait of her late husband, Army Staff Sgt. Waverly Woodson Jr., who on Tuesday was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his gallantry on D-Day. Photo by Katharine Wilson/Capital News Service
By Katharine Wilson
WASHINGTON – Before his landing craft reached Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day, 21 year-old Army Cpl. Waverly Woodson Jr., a combat medic, was injured by intense shell fire.
His shrapnel wounds quickly dressed, Woodson worked tirelessly for 30 hours to save the lives of an estimated 200 soldiers as German fire raked the crowded sand.
On Tuesday, Woodson received posthumous recognition for his actions on that day in June 1944 after decades of advocacy from his family. The Army honored Woodson, a Clarksburg resident after the war, with the Distinguished Service Cross, the highest honor the Army can bestow on its own authority, in a ceremony on Capitol Hill.
The medal was laid on Omaha Beach before being presented to his widow, Joann Woodson, now 95.