Obama awards Medal of Honor to black, Jewish WWI soldiers: 'It's never too late to say thank you'

On Tuesday, President Obama posthumously awarded the nation's highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, to Army Sgt. William Shemin and Pvt. Henry Johnson, two soldiers who demonstrated heroic bravery during World War I and were apparently passed over for decoration because Shemin was Jewish and Johnson was black.

Johnson, who fought off a German sneak attack in 1918 while attached to a French unit, had been awarded France's highest military honor, but the Pentagon normally only awards top military honors within five years of the celebrated incident. A defense bill passed in December scratched those rules for Johnson and Shemin, who rescued wounded colleagues under fire for three days in 1918.

"We are a nation, a people who remember our heroes," Obama said at a ceremony in the White House. "We never forget their sacrifice, and we believe it's never too late to say thank you." Watch highlights of the ceremony below. Peter Weber

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up