Inside the fight to prove this Black Iowan deserves the Medal of Honor
Under a hail of gunfire on a French battlefield in World War I, 2nd Lt. Rufus Jackson of Des Moines crawls forward among the muck and the bodies of his fallen comrades to pinpoint the location of German machine gun nests that are slaughtering his men.
For his selfless heroism that day, Jackson was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross. But a team of military historians believes his valor in action fits the criteria for a Medal of Honor, the highest honor bestowed by the American military. He was denied that medal, the team believes, because of the racial discrimination of the times.
In a story that publishes this weekend, Iowa Columnist Courtney Crowder tells the story of Jackson’s bravery and the work of the Parkville, Missouri-based George S. Robb Centre for the Study of the Great War. Its team of researchers is conducting a congressionally sponsored valor medals review to determine whether World War I soldiers were unjustly denied appropriate medals because of racial, ethnic or religious discrimination.
Courtney also expertly weaves in the story of another Iowan and Army veteran, Josh Weston, 32, who’s part of the medals review team. Weston, who served as a military police officer, has struggled with depression but has found renewed purpose in endeavoring to ensure that soldiers who served a century ago receive the honors they deserve for their courage and sacrifice.
“As a veteran it is my duty to make damn sure we do the best that we can do to see if they warrant any further and long, long overdue recognition by our nation,” Weston told Courtney. As he so aptly puts it, “valor never expires.”
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— Carol Hunter, executive editor, chunter@registermedia.com
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Inside the fight to prove this Black Iowan deserves the Medal of Honor
