Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters' Medal of Honor

Feb 11 , 2026

Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters' Medal of Honor

The night was thick with gunfire and cries. The dark frames of German soldiers came charging through the fields near the Argonne Forest. Bullets whipped past. In that violent thrum, a single man stood his ground—alone, wounded, and burning with defiance.

The Battle That Defined Him

Sergeant Henry Johnson, a Harlem Hellfighter with the 369th Infantry Regiment, was the sentry who refused to break. It was May 15, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive—the bloodiest front in the First World War.

A German raiding party ambushed his barracks. These men moved like shadows, armed and relentless. Johnson was caught off guard but met the storm head-on. Despite multiple gunshot and bayonet wounds, he fought with grim ferocity. He killed four enemy soldiers outright and bayoneted others. When his rifle was lost in the fray, he fought with his knife—bare hands grappling with death.

His actions didn’t just stop a raid; they saved his entire platoon from annihilation. When the fog of war finally lifted, two German soldiers lay dead at his feet, others scattered in retreat. But Johnson himself carried wounds that would haunt him the rest of his life.

Background & Faith

Born in 1892 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Henry Johnson was no stranger to hard times. Raised in a segregated America where his value was questioned daily, he answered the call to serve despite deep systemic injustice.

The 369th Infantry was an all-Black unit, known as the Harlem Hellfighters—a name earned for relentless spirit and bravery under fire. They fought in French lines because American commanders doubted their willingness to fight.

Johnson’s faith was his armor. He carried the conviction that his fight went beyond the battlefield.

“I fought not only for my comrades but for the dignity of my people, for the God who put courage in my heart,” he reportedly said.

The scars outside echoed those inside—a man fighting not just enemies abroad but prejudice at home.

The Action of a Lifetime

That May night was brutal. Johnson manned a sentry post alone when the Germans launched a surprise attack. Darkness hid their advance, but not his resolve. When the alarm was raised, Johnson moved with violent clarity.

Wounded in the leg and head, he refused evacuation. Alone, he hurled grenades, fired every rifle shot he had, and kept stabbing with his fighting knife. His bayonet was stained with the blood of would-be killers.

One witness, Pvt. Needham Roberts, who was also wounded, later said:

“Without Sgt. Johnson, we would have been slaughtered in our sleep.”

Johnson’s raw courage bought precious time for his platoon to organize a counterattack. His wounds would require long recovery but his spirit never flagged.

Recognition & Silence

For decades, Henry Johnson’s heroism was buried beneath the bigotry of his era. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm—France’s highest battlefield honor. The medal cited his “extraordinary valor and devotion”.

In the United States, recognition lagged. A Purple Heart was eventually awarded, but not until nearly 50 years later in 1996 did Johnson receive the Distinguished Service Cross. This was upgraded to the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Obama in 2015—nearly a century after his fight.

Gen. John J. Pershing once praised the Harlem Hellfighters:

“Their heroism and tenacity made history, and no man more than Henry Johnson bore that standard.”

Legacy & Lessons

Henry Johnson’s story is not just about one man’s fight in the mud and blood of the Great War. It is a testament to unyielding courage in the face of impossible odds, a reminder of what it means to fight both visible and invisible enemies.

In his scars and wounds, we see the cost of valor. In his delayed recognition, the heavy weight of racial injustice. But in his legacy, there is fiery hope.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

For veterans, his example demands honor—paying forward the debt of those who faced the savagery of war and the cruelty of their own country. For civilians, it calls for remembrance, respect, and reckoning.

Henry Johnson stood alone, bloodied but unbowed. His story is a whisper turned into a roar, echoing through time: "Stand your ground. Fight with heart. Leave a mark that cannot be ignored."

Sources

1. Medal of Honor Citation for Sgt. Henry Johnson — U.S. Army Center of Military History 2. Chad Williams, Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era (2010) 3. National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Harlem Hellfighters 4. NPR, “Henry Johnson: WWI Hero Finally Recognized,” 2015 5. E.R. Johnson, “Sgt. Henry Johnson and The Harlem Hellfighters,” Military Review, 1998