4 Stories of Valor: Do you know these veterans’ stories?

Veterans Day celebrates the service of those who have defended our nation. Sometimes people may forget how much we owe to these brave individuals and their families, but it is important to remember them every year on November 11th.?

What Sacrifice Looks Like

Sacrifice means giving up something that is important to you for the good of someone else. For veterans, it means giving up their lifestyles and safety to go serve in a military force or national guard abroad. Many times these individuals even lose family members during war. Sacrifice also comes from those left behind who sacrifice time with their loved ones while they are overseas fighting for our country.

Take this day to remember all those who have served our country and thank them for their sacrifices.?

Mogadishu, Somalia - 1993

The movie Black Hawk Down was about this third day in October of 1993 when Operation Gothic Serpent was underway in Mogadishu, Somalia. Two U.S. Army Rangers, Master Sgt. Gary Ivan Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall David "Randy" Shughart were providing sniper cover as an Army helicopter went down. The two soldiers watched as Somali militia closed in on the four trapped American soldiers in the downed chopper. The Somali insurgents outnumbered the U.S. soldiers and were heavily armed. Shughart and Gordan begged their commanders to allow them to help the trapped men. Their commanders denied them at first, but then allowed the men to take on the insurmountable task of protecting the fallen chopper crew. Shughart and Gordan saved the pilot, but lost their own lives doing so.

Even though they knew their chances of survival were slim, Shughart and Gordon sought to help "because comrades were in danger, because they believed passionately in the creed that says, 'I will not fail those with whom I serve,'" President Bill Clinton said as they were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1994.

The Four Chaplains

At the start of World War II, America drafted all sorts of professionals into service including rabbis and ministers. Four newly commissioned Clergymen were heading together to England on a ship called SS Dorchester when they got torpedoed by a German submarine. All four gave up their life jackets to other servicemen—giving their lives for others.?

These four Army chaplains were: George Fox (Methodist), Alexander Goode (Jewish), Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed) and John Washington (Roman Catholic).

Audie Murphy

It was by far one of the greatest displays of valor in American history by one individual. Audie Murphy was just 19-years-old when he became a household name for bravery.?

On January 26, 1945, in Holtzwihr, France, Audie Murphy held off 250 German troops single-handedly as a one-man army. He ordered his men to retreat to their defensive position along the tree line. Then he proceeded to empty his M-1 carbine at the Germans. After that he jumped on a flaming tank destroyer and fired a volley of rounds from the still functional .50-caliber machine gun turret. While on top of the flaming tank, he phoned in an artillery strike. Alone, he killed or wounded 50 enemy troops that day. Murphy and his men then counterattacked the remaining Germans, driving them back into the woods.

One of Murphy’s men (Private Anthony Abramski) said it was the “greatest display of guts and courage I have ever seen. For an hour he held off the enemy force singlehanded, fighting against impossible odds.”?

Check out the Audie Murphy Memorial page for more details about this act of courage.

Also, check out a more detailed account at https://www.history.com/news/audie-murphys-world-war-ii-heroics-70-years-ago

Waverly B. Woodson, Jr.

As machine-gun fire pounded Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, Army Medic, Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson, Jr. treated at least 300 men that morning of June 6, 1944.?

As soon as reached the beach, the Germans blasted the landing craft he arrived on, which killed the man beside him. Cpl. Woodson thought he, too, was dead since the man was torn up with shrapnel. Bloodied, this brave medic who was also with the lone African-American combat unit, set up a medic station and operated it for 30 hours, saving and repairing many broken bodies. In addition to saving the men on the beach, Woodson also saved four men from drowning after their guide rope broke. He administered CPR and saved the men.

Woodson was cited by his commanding officer for extraordinary bravery. General Eisenhower praised Woodson’s unit, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, for carrying “out its mission with courage and determination, and proved an important element of the air defense team.”

Sadly, Waverly Woodson never received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary act of valor. His Bronze Star was upgraded to a Silver Star, but he has not received the prized Medal of Honor to this day. Not one black soldier was awarded a Medal of Honor despite that over a million African-Americans served in the war. Soldiers like Woodson were passed over for the award because of their race.

His wife, Joann Woodson once said, “As long as I am living, I would do anything to see that he gets the proper recognition.” She plans to donate the medal to a museum. For a more detailed account of this brave soldier, visit the History Channel’s A Black Medic Saved Hundreds on D-Day. Was He Deprived of a Medal of Honor?

Veterans Day is a good opportunity for us to show our respect and gratitude to those who served for our country. The courage of young people who volunteered for service during these wars then and now is admirable. Thank you for your service. God bless you!