一 | WASHINGTON -- An African American combat medic who was wounded while landing on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion but went on to tend to dozens of troops will be posthumously honored Wednesday in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. His family and supporters continue to push for an even higher recognition they believe his heroism is owed.Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr. was a 21-year-old Army medic assigned to the only African American combat unit to land in Normandy on June 6, 1944. His landing craft took heavy fire and he was wounded before even getting to the beach, but for the next 30 hours he treated 200 wounded men while under intense small arms and artillery fire before collapsing from his injuries and blood loss, according to accounts of his service.Woodson, who was born in Philadelphia and lived in Maryland with his wife, died in 2005. He spoke to The Associated Press in 1994 about his harrowing journey.“The tide brought us in, and that’s when the 88s hit us,” he said of the German 88mm guns. “They were murder. Of our 26 Navy personnel there was only one left. They raked the whole top of the ship and killed all the crew. Then they started with the mortar shells.”He survived and was awarded the Bronze Star, but by the time the award was finalized he was in Hawaii preparing for the invasion of Japan so there was little in the way of ceremony. And he was never awarded a Combat Medic Badge, which denotes that a medic has been in combat. To rectify that wrong, his former unit applied for Woodson to receive the badge and it was approved in August.His widow, Joann, and his son, Steve, will be presented with both honors during the ceremony at Arlington, where Woodson is buried.“He truly was a hero on Omaha Beach," said Capt. Kevin Braafladt, the historian for First Army. Woodson's unit, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, was part of First Army during the invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The battalion was responsible for setting up explosive-rigged balloons to deter enemy planes.At a time when the U.S. military was still segregated by race, about 2,000 African American troops are believed to have taken part in the invasion. The balloon battalion was the only African American combat unit.Woodson's supporters have been pushing for years to see him awarded the Medal of Honor for his exploits during the invasion that was key to turning the tide in the war. Although 1.2 million Black Americans served in the military during World War II, none was among the original recipients of the Medal of Honor awarded in the conflict. The Army commissioned a study in the early 1990s to analyze whether Black troops had been unjustly overlooked during an era of widespread racism and segregation in the military. Ultimately, seven Black World War II troops were awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997.At the time, Woodson's case was part of the study and the authors interviewed him. But, they wrote, his decoration case file couldn't be found and his personnel records destroyed in a 1973 fire at a military records facility. Braafladt said the U.S. military made a conscious effort to reduce paperwork after the war, and that the fire at a military records facility in Missouri also destroyed countless documents.His supporters aren't giving up. First Army and Braafladt have been on a mission to document Woodson's actions on D-Day in hopes of getting the Medal of Honor for him. Braafladt is convinced — “100%” — that Woodson was recommended at the time of the war for the Medal of Honor.One of the pieces of information pointing to that conclusion is a memo talking about how Woodson had been recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross but a top general decided the recommendation should be for the Medal of Honor instead.Braafladt first heard about Woodson's case around 2020 and has been obsessively searching for documents that will help make Woodson's case. He has not yet found the Medal of Honor recommendation letter, but along the way he has found documents he thinks buttress the case. Just last week he received the text describing Woodson's Bronze Star citation.“I’m one document away from getting an answer here and righting a wrong.” he said.U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, where Woodson's widow now lives, has also been pushing since 2015 to have Woodson honored with the Medal of Honor, and has introduced legislation to that effect in Congress.Woodson's son said in a telephone interview that his father rarely talked about World War II until late in his life and then only in bits and pieces. The family would like to see him honored with the Medal of Honor not only to shine a spotlight on his heroism but to highlight the efforts of Woodson's unit and all Black troops. Steve Woodson said he'd be disappointed if his father does not get the Medal of Honor, but he's also grateful for all the recognition and honors that have come so far. “If he gets it, that’s fabulous. If he doesn’t, we will just continue to put his legacy forward,” he said.。 新加坡将在2026年迈入超老龄化社会。
二 | （联合早报） 作者 李国豪新加坡将在2026年迈入超老龄化社会，每五人就有一人在65岁及以上；到了2030年，更会达到每四人就有一人在65岁及以上的水平。
三 | 如何因应即将到来的超老龄化社会，社会上的相关讨论不少。有越来越多研究显示，让乐龄人士保持活跃，是降低失智和其他疾病风险的良药。因此，避免年长者产生“老了没有用”的想法，让他们能继续在社会上立足，有尊严的生活，是不少相关政策的初衷。
四 | 在硬件设备方面，新加坡下了不少苦工。但在心件部分，我们还有哪些可以反思之处？日本社会同样面临超老龄化难题，近年来，当地有不少大型超市和商家开始设立“特慢收银处”，这种做法对老年人所展现的贴心，也许值得我们借鉴。
五 | 所谓的“特慢收银处”，顾名思义，就是让顾客慢慢付钱，一切不急不躁，和人们印象中越快越好的收银台截然不同。
六 | 特别设立“特慢收银处”，是因为当地有不少业者留意到，有年长者在付款时因手脚太慢，遭后排其他顾客抱怨而倍感压力，甚至会因害怕打扰到他人，再也不敢出门购物。“特慢收银处”正是为了让“手脚慢”的乐龄人士能自信地购物结账，不必因他人催促的眼神而感到不好意思。至于赶时间的人，则可到一般柜台结账。据日本媒体报道，当地收银员指出，他们在“特慢收银处”招呼过最慢的顾客，甚至可能花超过20分钟结账，但收银员会主动缓和气氛，和老顾客闲话家常，为的便是鼓励他们继续勇敢走出家门，下次再光顾。日本有许多超市和店家开始设立对年长者友善的“特慢收银处”。（互联网）“没关系，您慢慢来”“特慢收银处”当然不是什么惊天动地的伟大发明，但这样一个小小巧思，却能延伸出整个社会所该给予年长者的体贴。现代人生活节奏快，分秒必争，但衰老的生命历程，无可避免会导致个人被迫“减速”。“特慢收银处”这种“没关系，你慢慢来”的体贴，或许就是新加坡未来迈入超老龄化社会，能加以融会贯通，注入每个社会角落的元素。
七 | 在高速之中，保留慢的元素，让乐龄人士有尊严地生活，在社会上适得其所。英语有句谚语——“举全村之力，养育一个小孩”（It takes a village to raise a child），在超老龄化社会，这句话或许得再改写成“举全村之力，让乐龄人士有尊严地生活”。新加坡人必须开始体认到，再过不久，新加坡就会是个乐龄人士成为“主流”的社会。让年长者能有尊严地在社会上活动，避免他们自己和外界该他们贴上“老了就无用”的负面标签。（联合早报）面对年长者的慢，我们得开始有更多的同理心。在公共交通上下车、进出站刷卡，排队买东西或在路上步行，面对前方行动较缓慢的乐龄人士，多点体谅，少点抱怨，这能大大加强他们继续在外头走动，参与社会活动的信心。数码化很便捷，扫码点餐很先进，但在快速飞跃的节奏之中，何不考虑保留一些年长者在生命长河中更熟悉的传统方式？让他们能手动点餐，让他们能用熟悉的方式结账，让他们不必手足无措，不必因着他人催促的眼神，而陷入“老了无用”的负面情绪。商家的菜单或商品资讯的字体，何不设计得大一些，在设计考量与友善老人之间取得平衡，让他们无须因为眼前一片模糊而充满无力感。有些菜单字体太小，患有老花眼的年长者看起来相对吃力。（联合早报）社会讲求效率，追求便利，习惯汰弱留强，但随着老龄化社会的来临，适度保留慢的元素，是我们能回馈给曾为社会付出心力的年长者的温柔。“没关系，您慢慢来。”。
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