william shemin couldn't stand to watch.nto the hell of no man's land and dragged a wounded comrade to safety. then he did it again. and again. three times he raced through heavy machine gun fire three times he carried his fellow soldiers to safety. the battle stretched on for days eventually the platoon's leadership broke down. too many officers had become causalities. so william stepped up and took command. he reorganized the depleted squads. every time there was a lull in combat, he led rescues of the wounded. as a lieutenant later described it william was cool calm intelligent, and personally utterly fearless. that young kid who lied about his age grew up fast in war. and he received accolades for his valor, including the distinguished service cross. when he came home william went to school for forestry and began a nursery business in the bronx. it was hard work lots of physical labor, just like he liked it. he married a redhead, blue-eyed woman named bertha shiffer and they had three children who gave them 14 grandchild

william shemin couldn't stand to watch.ran out into the hell of no man's land and dragged a wounded comrade to safety. then he did it again, and again. three times he raced through heavy machine gunfire. three times he carried his fellow soldiers to safety. the battle stretched on for days. eventually, the platoon's leadership broke down. too many officers had become casualties. so william stepped up and took command. he reorganized the depleted squads. every time there was a lull in combat, he led rescues of the wounded. as a lieutenant later described it, william was "cool, calm, intelligent, and personally utterly fearless." that young kid who lied about his age grew up fast in war. and he received accolades for his valor, including the distinguished service cross. when he came home, william went to school for forestry and began a nursery business in the bronx. it was hard work lots of physical labor -- just like he liked it. he married a red-head, blue-eyed woman named bertha schiffer, and they had three children who ga

william shemin couldn't stand to watch.e ran out into the hell of no man's land and dragged a wounded comrade to safety. and then he did it again. and again. three times he raced through heavy machine gun fire. three times he carried his fellow soldiers to safety. the battle stretched on for days. eventually the platoon's leadership broke down. too many officers had become casualties. so william stepped up and took command. he reorganized the depleted squads. every time there was a lull in combat, he led rescues of the wounded. his lieutenant later described it william was cool, calm, intelligent and personally utterly fearless. that young kid who lied about his age grew up fast in war. he received accolades for his valor including the distinguished service cross. when he came home, william went to school for forestry and began a nursery business in the bronx. it was hard work. lots of physical labor just like he liked it. he married a red head, blue eyed woman named bertha and they had three children who gave them 14 grand

william shemin couldn't stand to watch.t into the hell of no man's land and dragged a wounded comrade to safety and then he did it again. and again. three times he raced through heavy machine gun fire. three times he carried his fellow soldiers to safety. the battle stretched on for days. eventually the platoon's leadership broke down. too many officers have become casualties so williams stepped up and took command. reorganized the depleted squads. every time there was the while in combat he led rescues of the wounded. the the lieutenant later described it william was cool, and personally utterly fearless. the young king about his age grew up fast in war. he received accolades for his valor including the distinguished service cross. when he came home, william went to school for forestry and began a nursery business in the bronx. it was hard work, lots of physical labor just like he liked it. he married a red-haired, blue-eyed woman named bertha and they had three children who gave him 14 grandchildren. he bought a house ups

william shemin couldn't stand to watch.ran out into the hell of no man's land and dragged a wounded comrade to safety, then he did it again and again. three times he raced through heavy machine gunfire. three times he carried his fellow soldiers to safety. the battle stretched on for days. eventually, plat toon's leadership broke down. too many officers had become casualties. so william stepped up and took command. he reorganized the depleted squads. every time there was a lull in combat, he led rescues of the woman. as lieutenant later described it, william was cool, calm, intelligent, and personally, utterly fearless. young kid who lied about his anyone grew up fast in war. and he received accolades for his valor including the distinguished service cross. when he came home, william went to school for forestry and began a nursery business in bronx. it was hard work lots of physical labor just like he liked it he married a redhead, blue-eyed woman named bertha and they had two children that gave them 14 grandchildren. bough

here's david martin. >> reporter: sergeant william shemin was always a war hero to his daughter elsiedistinguished service cross, the nation's second highest medal for repeatedly braving german machine gun fire in the hell that was no-man's-land. >> he's 19 years old. he goes out on three occasions to bring back his wounded comrades, three separate occasions. >> reporter: but when she was 12, one of her father's army buddies turned everything upside down. >> he said "your father never got the medal that he deserved because he was a jew." >> reporter: her father died in 1973, and world war i faded from public memory. but not from hers. >> when you are discriminated against, it doesn't get better with time. >> reporter: you could say the same about another world war i soldier, private henry johnson. for his bravery in combat-- actually hand-to-hand combat-- he received france's highest honor. >> the french didn't have the segregation policies that the american army had at the time. >> reporter: according to retired major general natianial james, the american army didn't even award johns

william shemin couldn't stand to watch.ran out into the hell of no man's land and dragged a wounded comrade to safety. then he did it again, and again. three times he raced through heavy machine gunfire. three times he carried his fellow soldiers to safety. the battle stretched on for days. eventually, the platoon's leadership broke down. too many officers had become casualties. so william stepped up and took command. he reorganized the depleted squads. every time there was a lull in combat, he led rescues of the wounded. as a lieutenant later described it, william was "cool, calm, intelligent, and personally utterly fearless." that young kid who lied about his age grew up fast in war. and he received accolades for his valor, including the distinguished service cross. when he came home, william went to school for forestry and began a nursery business in the bronx. it was hard work, lots of physical labor -- just like he liked it. he married a red-head, blue-eyed woman named bertha schiffer, and they had three children who g

president obama is posthumously awarding sergeant william shemin and private henry johnson the honoring fellow soldiers in france during world war i. >> we are a nation a people who remember our heroes. we take seriously our responsibilities to only send them when war's necessary, we strive to care for them and families when they come home but we never forget their sacrifice. >> advocates lobbied congress for exemptions to medal of honor rules that said actions needed to have taken place within five years to be considered for the award. >>> high-tech gadgets are going to be big this father's day. steve greenberg is back to show us some of the hottest toys for dad this year. >> earlier we talked about adding battery to dad's cell phone. the other is adding signal to dad's cell phone. es cell phone driving the car, weboost drive. increases your cell phone signal so you don't have dropped calls. a problem at home weboost home, same setup, my kitchens a dead zone. when i added weboost, problem solved. >> do you have to -- would you want to check it out first to be sure -- >> it will work

sergeant william shemin and johnson fought in europe but never given the honor was one was jewish andhe president concluded remarks by noting the progress made for acknowledging those that went unhonored for so long. >> it has taken a long time for henry johnson and william shemin to receive the recognition they deserve. there are surely others who's heroism is still unacknowledged and uncelebrated. we have work to do as a nation to make sure that all of our hero's stories are told. the you know the importance of heart health. you watch your diet, excercise... and may take an omega-3 supplement, such as fish oil. but when it comes to omega-3s, it's the epa and dha that really matter for heart health. not all omega-3 supplements are the same. introducing bayer pro ultra omega-3 from the heart health experts at bayer. with two times the concentration of epa and dha as the leading omega-3 supplement. plus, it's the only brand with progel technology proven to reduce fish burps. new bayer pro ultra omega-3. your pet... could you love him any more? probably not. but now you can give them ev

. >>> on tuesday president obama awarded the medal of honor posthumously to wchl william shemin and private johnson. shimmen's daughter accepted the ward for her father. the vets were recognized for their heroism during world war i. david martin looks at why it took so long for them to be acknowledge. >> reporter: sergeant shemin was always a hero to his daughter. he won the nation's second highest medal for repeatedly braving it. >> he's 19 years old. he goes out on three occasions to bring back his wounded comrades, three separate occasion. >> reporter: but when she was 12 one of her father's army buddies turned everything upside down. >> he said your father never got the medal because he was a jew. >> reporter: it faded if public memory but not from yours. it doesn't get better with time. >> reporter: you could say the same about another world war i soldier private henry johnson for his bravely in combat actually hand-to-hand combat, he received france's highest honor. >> france didn't have the segregation policies that the american army had at the time. >> reporter: according to retired

another world war i veteran received the nation's higest military honor today, sargeant william sheminest award in 1919 the president said his accomplishments never got the full honor they deserved in part because he was jewish. shemin's daughters were on hand to accept his award today. >> the allies were hunkered down in one trench, the germans in another, separated about 150 yards, just a football field and a half, but the open space was a blood bath. soldier aftersoldier ventured after and were mode down. so those still in the trenches were left with a terrible choice. by trying to rescue your fellow soldier or watch him die knowing that part of you will die along with him, william couldn't stand to watch. he ran out into the hell of no man's land and dragged the wounded comrade to safety, and then he did it again, and again. three times he raced through heavy machine gunfire. three times he carried his fellow soldiers to safety. >> brangham: at a press conference earlier this week, elsie shemin-roth said her father was one of many overlooked heroes. >> this supreme honor is the nam

william shemin and henry johnson fought valiantly for the u.s. ever received a medal of honor. activists say that's because shemin was jewish and johnson was african-american. president obama will award the medal of honor posthumously to both men. >>> happy birthday to actor, comedian and "let's make a deal" host wayne brady is 43. andy cohen is 47. and he played church lady and thanks so much for watching "early today." we hope that you have a terrific tuesda >>> breaking news. a fire shutshome. >> and a plane crash this the valley kills a pilot. >> efforts to prevent fire in toke land hills meeting on session i. why homeowners are fighting the funding help. >> a live look at the bay bridge. it is tuesday june 2. you're watching "today in the bay". >> announcer: from nbc bay area this is "today in the bay". >> good tuesday morningment it's 4:30. >> lots to get to. let's check the tuesday morning

it's the story of private henry johnson and sergeant william shemin on separate battlefields in france 1918. johnson just 54 and armed only with a knife, held off a surprise german attack with hand to hand combat. >> he lived at a time when people were judged not by who they were but by the color of their skin he never got his recognition. >> william shellen repeatedly led rescues in a battle that stretched on for days. he too was denied the medal of honor. so began generations of another battle. to earn recognition for two great americans. >> what motivated you? >> the unfairness of it all. he never got the medal he deserved because he was a jew. and that cut my heart out. >> today in the east room of the white house, that changed. fighting back tears, shaking hands, steadied by the commander in chief. two daughter the in their 80s accepted their dad's medal of honor. >> had is the most wonderful country in the world. >> the president of the united states standing in the white house will honor my wonderful father mentioned the name shemin. >> reporter: johnson's name would be spoken t

and there was army sergeant william shemin. one of his daughters, elsie, holding his photo there. sergeant shemin ran across a battlefield not once but three times to save wounded soldiers. he was shot in the head and survived. there was no honor. he was jewish-american. his daughters at the white house today. >> well, elsie, as much as america meant to your father, he means even more to america. i want to invite his daughters, elsie and ina, 86 and 83, and gorgeous. to accept this medal on their father's behalf. >> it was a touching moment. both men posthumously awarded the medal of honor. the president saying, it's never too late to say thank you. >>> there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this tuesday. the young american woman killed by that lion while on safari. there is new word tonight about the victim, who she was. the attack through that open car window. and tonight, our reporter takes us right inside that park. you will see the lions in a moment. >>> also, the big change from nestle this evening. affecting some of its biggest names. the changes to hot pock

sergeant williamshemin -- william shemin repeatedly dodged gunfire to pull safety -- soldiers to safetysergeant henry johnson single-handedly fought off surprise german attack. that is a look at the top stories. coming up in the next half-hour, pulling the curtain back on the nsa's power. the senate moves forward on a bill to reshape what the nsa can and cannot do. plus, the apple watch is not working like clockwork. issues are popping up with third-party apps and we will play what they are. blame fors the fed to the growing wealth gap in the united states? it is the trillion dollar question. we will look at the winners and the losers of the heads policy decision. auto sales are rolling in and results are better than expected. gm and chrysler reported rising sales while ford, nissan, and toyota sales declined but less than analysts expected. epa is trying to put large commercial trucks on a field direct. here to talk about implications for the trucking business is not -- is matt hardy. of course, our very own car guy matt miller joins us as well. matt: as in 18 wheelers and tractor-trai

sergeant william shemin was just 19 years old when he dodged gunfire to save wounded soldiers.r now in her 80s says he was denied the honor because of anti-semitism and private henry johnson rescued a wounded soldier from his all-black unit, the harlem hell fighters they were called, while fighting off a german attack. the medal of honor is generally bestowed within five years of heroic action on the battlefield but in the cases today that requirement was waived. and we'll be right back. >>> we are back. last week, u.s. attorney general loretta lynch handed up a massive 47-count criminal indictment against fifa, the bosses running soccer. today, sepp blatter announced his resignation in zurich. he's now also the focus on the fed's corruption investigation. if you're a casual fan of soccer or maybe you don't follow it at all, this story matters for years, fifa has operated under a cloud of suspicion. the u.s. competed, our country did to host the world cup in 2022. and lost out to qatar. now, everything has been turned upside down. by the way, the swiss have opened up a criminal

. >> reporter: william them shemin repeatedly led refuge in a bottle that lasted days. what motivated you? >> the unfairness of it all. they said he never got the medal he deserves because he was a jew. and that cut my heart out. >> reporter: today in the east room of the white house, that changed. fighting back tears, shaking hands steadied by the commander in chief, two doubters in their 80s accepted their dad's medal of honor. >> this is the most wonderful country in the world. >> the president of the united states standing in the white house to honor my wonderful father mentioned the name shemin. >> reporter: johnson's name would be spoken too. >> medal of honor to private henry johnson. >> the least we can do is to say we know who you are. we know what you did for us. we are forever grateful. >> reporter: two wrongs righted, a victory for them and their country. chris jansing, nbc news, washington. >> we salute their honor and memories tonight. that will do it for us on this tuesday evening. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc >>> officers are leaving faster this

also awarded there he is sergeant william shemin, he was a jewish american who ran across a battlefieldounded soldiers. he was shot in the head but survived. >> our nation judged them by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. but we can do our best to make it right. >> johnson couldn't find work after the war. died at the age 32. shemin died in 1973. >> well deserved honors. >> good luck to a woman who is rogue right now. this is a long trip. she's going from san diego to hawaii. that's a long flight even. >> the boat looks much more hi-tech than i had imagined in my head. her name is mary rose making the 2400 mile journey to draw attention to the plight of the world's birds. there are some birds facing extinction that she's raising money for. she's been training for three years. she says that her first 200 miles or so, that she won't be sleeping very much. >> yeah, she will settle into a schedule of rowing four hours, resting for an hour. if all goes well, she'll get to hawaii in about three months. we'll follow up. coming up. >> best of luck. >> to her. art an