Life as a Vietnam War Medic: Ohio Veteran Shares His Story
In his youth, Randy Ark enjoyed an idyllic childhood growing up in the rural parts of Clark County, Ohio. That feeling of innocence was shattered when Ark became a medic in Vietnam, getting an up close and personal look at the atrocities of war. Ark, 77, recently wrote two memoirs about his experiences, “Everyone […]
80 Years After D-Day, the Family of a Black World War II Combat Medic Receives His Medal for Heroism
WASHINGTON — Waverly B. Woodson Jr., who was part of the only African American combat unit involved in the D-Day invasion during World War II, spent more than a day treating wounded troops under heavy German fire — all while injured himself. Decades later, and nearly 20 years after his death, his family finally received […]
A Black Medic Wounded on D-Day Saved Dozens of Lives. He's Finally Being Posthumously Honored
WASHINGTON — Waverly Woodson Jr., a medic who was part of the only Black combat unit to take part in the D-Day invasion of France during World War II, is being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in recognition of the heroism and determination he showed treating troops under heavy enemy fire. The announcement was […]
Clarence Sasser, Vietnam Medic Awarded Medal of Honor for Treating Troops Under Fire, Dies at 76
Clarence Sasser, one of the Vietnam War’s few remaining Medal of Honor recipients, died last week at the age of 76. In 1968, while serving as a medic with the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Sasser’s company unexpectedly came under heavy enemy fire while making an aerial insert into a rice paddy […]
Medic in Black D-Day Unit, Long Denied the Medal of Honor, Gets Wide Backing for Nation’s Highest Military Honor
They haven’t waited in Normandy, or in smalltown Virginia, or at First Army Headquarters in Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, to honor the D-Day heroism of then-Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr., a combat medic with an all-Black unit who is under consideration for the posthumous award of the Medal of Honor. The visitor center at the […]
A Black Medic Wounded on D-Day Will Be Honored for Treating Dozens of Troops Under Enemy Fire
WASHINGTON — An African American combat medic who was wounded while landing on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion but went on to tend to dozens of troops will be posthumously honored Wednesday in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. His family and supporters continue to push for an even higher recognition they believe his […]