Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter and Medal of Honor Recipient

Jan 11 , 2026

Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter and Medal of Honor Recipient

He was alone in a dark trench, bullets whipping like angry hornets, face shattered by shrapnel, blood pouring from a hundred wounds. Yet he fought—barehanded, relentless, defiant. Sgt. Henry Johnson stood between death and his shattered unit. His hands, cracked and red with rage, tore through darkness to save lives.

Background & Faith

Born in 1892, Albany, New York carved him with the rough hands of a laborer and the heart of a soldier. Henry Johnson came from a world where dignity lived in hard work and faith. His roots ran deep in his community and church—a quiet foundation, steel-threaded with prayer.

Living in Harlem before the Great War, Johnson joined the New York National Guard’s 15th Infantry Regiment in 1916, later federalized as the 369th Infantry Regiment—one of the first African American combat units sent to France. Faith was his compass amid chaos.

“The Lord is my refuge and my fortress.” — Psalm 91:2

He carried that promise forward, armed with courage forged in scripture and sacrifice. The Jim Crow era’s bitter sting only sharpened his resolve. Johnson’s fight was never just against the enemy—it was against the world’s blind injustice.

The Battle That Defined Him

May 15, 1918. Argonne Forest, France. Darkness thick. German raiding party — nearly 20 men — crept to assault the "Harlem Hellfighters." Johnson and a comrade, Pvt. Needham Roberts, manned their post, exhausted but alert.

What happened next was a maelstrom of savage defense. Johnson, despite being shot in the head and repeatedly stabbed, charged through the night alone. He wielded grenades, his rifle, even a bolo knife in vicious close combat. Each strike was a prayer, each breath stolen was a vow to protect his brothers-in-arms.

He reportedly killed a dozen Germans, wounded others, disrupting the attack and preventing his unit’s destruction. When the sun rose, he was found barely conscious, bleeding profusely—yet victorious.

His action earned him the nickname "Black Death" by German troops — terror on their side, salvation for his own.

Recognition

The U.S. military initially overlooked Johnson’s heroism, a bitter testament to the racism of that era. He received the French Croix de Guerre with palm—the first American to earn it in WWI.

Only decades later, in 2015, was Sgt. Henry Johnson posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama—a war-born justice long overdue.

“Never in a million years did I think a Negro soldier could be recognized as one of the bravest American heroes of World War One.” — Rep. Charles Rangel, champion of Johnson’s recognition.

His Silver Star and Purple Heart arrived posthumously, sealing the record of valor written in blood and grit. Johnson’s story endured because truth, like fire, cannot stay buried forever.

Legacy & Lessons

Henry Johnson’s fight was never about glory but about duty. Against ignorance, against hatred, and against the brutal machinery of war, he stood.

His scars tell stories—not just of battle, but of the fight for dignity within a fractured nation. He defied the silence imposed by bias, illuminating the true face of courage: unswerving loyalty, sacrifice, and humanity in the darkest hour.

To veterans and civilians, his journey proclaims this truth: redemption often comes through struggle—both on foreign fields and the battlefields at home.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

Henry’s legacy is not the medals or the late honors. It’s the living code of valor etched into the soul of every soldier who keeps standing when the world says to fall.

He bled so others could live free. His example screams from the earth: Stand. Fight. Protect. Remember.

That is the warrior’s eternal creed.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, "Henry Johnson," 2. BBC History, "WWI Medal of Honor Recipient Henry Johnson," 3. Congressional Record, Statements on Medal of Honor Award, 2015 4. New York Times, “Decades Later, a Hero Gets His Due: Henry Johnson,” 2015 5. The Harlem Hellfighters: African American Soldiers in WWI, by Stephen L. Harris