BLIND JUSTICE For Black History Month, DAV honors a World War II veteran whose suffering brought attention to the civil rights movement By Janice M. Hagar I n February, the town of Batesburg, S.C., will unveil a historical marker detailing a story of horrific, discriminatory violence against an American war veteran for all to see—and feel. The marker will feature a Braille and engraved print inscription to help tell the story of Army Sgt. Isaac Woodard, the World War II veteran who returned home from the Pacific to be savagely beaten and blinded for life. “I’m honored to be a part of this celebration of an American hero who never should have come home from war only to suffer and lose his sight at the hands of fellow Americans,” said National 1st Junior Vice Commander Donald Day, who will speak at the dedication. Just a few hours after being honorably discharged from the Army in February 1946, Woodard—still in his Army uniform—was on a bus heading home to Winnsboro, S.C., where his wife was waiting for him. When the bus made an unannounced stop, Woodard asked the driver if he had time to use the restroom. The driver didn’t like how Woodard spoke to him, and the two exchanged words. When the bus reached Batesburg, S.C., the driver complained to local police about Woodard. Police ordered the Army veteran off the bus, and as Woodard tried to explain his side of the story, he was beaten in the face with a nightstick by the town sheriff, Linwood Shull. After Woodard was taken to jail, Shull continued to beat him, repeatedly striking him in the face and pounding his eyes with the end of the nightstick. Woodard was left for the night with no first aid or treatment. Woodard pleaded guilty to drunk and disorderly charges the next day. He went back to his cell and treated his wounds with hot compresses until a doctor examined him. The doctor advised officials to take him to a veterans hospital nearby, but it was too late and the damage too severe. Woodard spent two months recovering at the hospital but completely lost his sight. He had survived 15 months of war overseas, only to be beaten, maimed and blinded by a fellow American. Although charged, Shull was found not guilty at trial. Woodard faced a new life without sight. His wife left him, and he had no hope of a job. As his future 10 DAV MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2019
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BLIND JUSTICE
Janice M. Hagar
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