Maj. Gen. Phillip M. Churn, retired and former commanding

Maj. Gen. Phillip M. Churn, retired and former commanding general of the 200th Military Police Command, presents the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) to Pvt. Roosevelt Ruffin during his 100th birthday celebration Feb. 1, 2020, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ruffin served as an Army machine gunner with Company C, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, in World War II. The PUC is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after Dec. 7, 1941 (the date of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of American involvement in World War II). Ruffin was one of the very first African-American tank destroyer unit members of the war. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Sgt. 1st Class Javier Orona)