Obama awards Medal of Honor to overlooked black, Jewish WWI soldiers

President Obama on Tuesday awarded the Medal of Honor to two World War I soldiers who were denied recognition in the past because of their race or ethnicity. 

The president awarded the nation’s highest military honor to Sgt. William Shemin, who was Jewish, and Pvt. Henry Johnson, an African-American, nearly 100 years after fighting on the battlefields of France. 

Obama said both men, who have long since passed away, committed heroic acts that saved the lives of their fellow service members. 

{mosads}“We believe it’s never too late to say thank you,” Obama said. 

During a battle in August 1918, Shemin braved enemy fire three times to rescue wounded soldiers on the battlefield, suffering a shrapnel injury in the process.  Days later, Shemin took command of his platoon due to the deaths of other officers, but he was wounded by a German bullet that left him hospitalized.

Johnson served in the all-black 369th Army Infantry regiment. He was wounded multiple times in May 1918, when he singlehandedly fought off a German raiding squad to rescue a fellow solider who had been taken prisoner. 

Shemin’s octogenarian daughters, Elise Shemin-Roth and Ina Bass, accepted the award on their father’s behalf. 

Johnson’s award was accepted by Command Sgt. Maj. Louis Wilson of the New York Army National Guard. 

Obama said he would make similar efforts to acknowledge American veterans whose past gallantry has been overlooked. 

“It has taken a long time for Henry Johnson and William Shemin to receive the recognition they deserve,” he said. There are surely others whose heroism is unacknowledged. We have work to do as a nation to make sure all of our heroes’ stories are told. We’ll keep at it, no matter how long it takes.”