Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter and Medal of Honor Recipient

Jan 04 , 2026

Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter and Medal of Honor Recipient

The night was sundered by gunfire and screams. Alone in the black mire of Chateau-Thierry, Sgt. Henry Johnson fought like a man possessed—not for glory, but survival. His hands, raw and shaking, wielded a rifle and a bolo knife against a raiding party twice his size. Blood on his face, pain in every breath. He didn’t yield. Never wavered.

A Soldier Forged in Harlem’s Fires

Henry Johnson was born in 1892, the son of the rural South who planted deep roots in Albany, New York. The world he grew into was harsh—segregated, unequal, unforgiving. But his faith and fierce resolve were sharper than any injustice.

A devout man, Henry carried with him a moral compass shaped by scripture and a hardened sense of duty. To him, honor wasn’t a word to toss around—it was a covenant sworn in the trenches and tested on every battlefield.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” — Romans 12:21

He enlisted with the New York National Guard’s 15th Infantry Regiment, later federalized as the 369th Infantry Regiment, known around the world as the Harlem Hellfighters. These men would be the first African American unit to serve with the French Army in World War I, fighting a European war on foreign soil—shattered by racism at home, but unbowed.

The Battle That Defined Him

The night of May 14, 1918. The woods near the village of Bois de Belleau. Johnson’s platoon lay dug in, weary and outnumbered. Suddenly, a German raiding party stormed their trenches, intent on slaughter.

Johnson’s actions were swift, brutal, and desperate. Armed with a rifle, he fired relentlessly. When the rifle jammed, he drew his bolo knife and engaged in savage hand-to-hand combat. Reportedly, he killed multiple enemy soldiers despite suffering 21 wounds—bayonet, bullet, grenade shrapnel tearing through muscle and bone.

His comrade, Pvt. Needham Roberts, badly wounded, lay near death. Johnson carried him from the chaos while still under fire, refusing to leave a brother behind. That night Henry Johnson became legend.

Recognition Blood-Stamped in History

Yet the world turned slowly to honor him. Johnson’s heroism was first recognized by the French government with the Croix de Guerre—France’s highest military honor at the time. The citation praised his "extraordinary valor in hand-to-hand combat."

It wasn’t until 2015, nearly a century later, that Henry Johnson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor—the United States military’s highest decoration.

"Sergeant Henry Johnson is an American hero for his exceptional bravery and selflessness." — President Barack Obama, Medal of Honor ceremony, 2015[1]

His story, long buried beneath layers of racial prejudice and institutional silence, finally emerged as a beacon. Survivor accounts and official records affirm his unyielding defense saved his unit from annihilation.

Legacy of Courage and Redemption

Henry Johnson’s scars were both physical and spiritual. His body bore the wounds; his spirit carried the burden of forgotten valor.

But his story teaches something unshakable: courage is not granted by recognition—it is born in sacrifice without witness, in faith beyond fear. Johnson fought not just for survival but for the dignity of all who fight for a country that often turns its back on them.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

His legacy is etched in granite, but lives most deeply in how veterans carry their invisible wounds, how truth fights to rise from silence, how redemptive bravery can shatter the barriers history and prejudice erect.

We owe Henry Johnson more than medals. We owe him remembrance in our hearts—and the relentless pursuit of justice for all who bear arms under the flag.

Sources

1. White House official press release, “President Obama Awards Medal of Honor to Sgt. Henry Johnson,” 2015 2. Harlem Hellfighters: The African-American 369th Infantry in World War I, Stephen L. Harris, University Press 3. French Croix de Guerre citation archives, Bibliothèque nationale de France