How Girl Scouts Are Fighting For Corporal Waverly Woodson’s Medal Of Honor

Send us Fan MailCourage deserves a clear record. We sit down with historian and philanthropist Lloyd Gill to follow a remarkable path from a family’s memorial scholarship to a full‑scale community campaign to honor Corporal Waverly Woodson Jr., the Black medic who worked 30 straight hours on Omaha Beach saving lives while wounded. What began as a student research challenge turned into a mission for Girl Scout Troop 423, who wrote to museums, military commands, and even heads of state to document a story that bureaucracy lost and a warehouse fire tried to erase.Across the conversation, we unpack the overlooked impact of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the all‑Black unit whose balloons forced enemy aircraft higher and shielded the landings from strafing runs. We trace Woodson’s path from scoring high in training and being blocked from a commission due to segregation, to serving as a medic attached to the 320th on D‑Day. The details are visceral: shrapnel wounds before he reached shore, a makeshift field hospital in the sand, amputations and artery ties under fire, and reviving drowning British soldiers before finally collapsing. Commanders recommended top honors, a three‑star general advanced the case for the Medal of Honor, and yet the trail stalled—downgraded, delayed, and eventually buried under lost records.What stands out is how everyday people can move history. Lloyd lays out exactly how listeners can help: visit house.gov, find your representative, and ask them to push the Medal of Honor upgrade and accept alternative documentation. Share the story with veterans’ groups, churches, schools, and civic leaders. Tap the network effect of social media and local press to make it impossible to ignore. Along the way, you’ll learn about D‑Day tactics, award protocols, and how a determined troop of Girl Scouts turned research into advocacy.If this story moved you, help us move Congress. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review with one action you’ll take today to support Corporal Waverly Woodson Jr.’s rightful recognition.Support the show