Racial injustice for this brave veteran has finally been overcome and his sacrifice recognised.
Due to racial inequalities in the United States during WWII, veteran Osceola “Ozzie” Fletcher, never received the Purple Heart medal he deserved.
The Purple Heart is given to military members who were either wounded or killed while on duty. Ozzie was badly injured during the crucial battle in Normandy when the Allied Forces invaded Western Europe and pushed back the Germans. He was in his vehicle when it became the target of German gunfire.
"The problem was that the Black soldiers were considered injured and an injury wasn't considered an incidence of Purple Heart," Fletcher's daughter Jacqueline Streets told CNN. "The White soldiers were considered wounded."
For 77 years, Ozzie didn't receive a medal for his sacrifice because of his skin color. But in June, in front of 150 people at the Fort Hamilton Community Club in New York, Ozzie was honored at the age of 99.
“We’re delivering him something he’s been entitled to for almost 77 years: Purple Heart for wounds received,” Gen. James C. Mc Conville, Chief of Staff of the Army, commented.