Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Awarded Medal of Honor

Dec 11 , 2025

Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Awarded Medal of Honor

Bullets whipped through the night like angry hornets. Hell was just beginning to break loose near the village of Cantigny, France, in the summer of 1918. Sgt. Henry Johnson, one man against a raiding party of Germans hungry for death, had no time to bleed. His hands gripped the enemy’s throat and the American flag, his body seared with wounds, his spirit unbroken.

The Roots of a Warrior

Henry Johnson was born a Black man in 1892, upstate New York—specifically, an atmosphere thick with Jim Crow before the war and Jim Crow’s shadow stretched over military ranks. A farmer’s son turned soldier, he carried that grit from the soil to the trenches. The 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, would become his home.

His faith was quiet but unshaken. A soldier’s creed isn’t always inked in scripture; it’s sewn into the soul through struggle. Yet, he lived by a rugged morality: fight to protect your brothers. Sacrifice isn’t glamorous—it’s raw and relentless.

The Night That Forged a Legend

On May 15, 1918, under a cruel moon, the German army launched a surprise raid aimed at the 369th's forward posts near Bois-de-Nesle, France. Sgt. Johnson was on sentry duty when the attack slammed down.

Outnumbered and outgunned, Johnson fought with savage desperation. Armed with a bolo knife and rifle—with a courage beyond measure—he cut down attackers one by one. Severely wounded twice by grenade shrapnel and multiple gunshots, he refused to yield. The night air echoed with his grunts and the tearing of flesh.

He saved a fellow soldier and brought him to safety, then returned to the fray. His comrades called his actions “heroic beyond words.” His hands bore deep wounds; his body was pushed to the brink of death. Yet, he held the line.

Recognition Fought for and Finally Won

In the years after, Johnson’s story became known among his unit, then slowly beyond. But it was not immediate. Racial prejudice shadowed his heroism. The French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre with a Silver Star in 1918. That medal’s palm signified an act of extreme bravery.

It wasn’t until decades later—more than 80 years after the fact—that Henry Johnson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in 2015. His citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism and valor in action near the village of Apremont, France, on May 15, 1918, risking his own life to repel a German raid, killing multiple enemy soldiers and saving a wounded comrade despite sustaining grave injuries.

Today, leaders remember his name with reverence. Sgt. Johnson’s actions remain a blueprint of tenacity in the face of brutal odds—illustrating the ultimate sacrifice and commitment to duty.

A Legacy Carved in Blood and Honor

Johnson’s story is more than a war tale. It is about a man who stood—broken, bleeding—but unbowed. A testament that valor knows no color. The Hellfighters’ bravery shattered stereotypes and laid groundwork for future generations.

“Greater love hath no man than this,” the Good Book says (John 15:13). In Johnson’s night of fire and fury, there burns that same unyielding flame.

His courage isn’t a relic. It guides warriors and civilians now: Sacrifice when others fall back. Fight for your brothers and sisters. And never forget—redemption in combat is not about glory. It is about survival, salvation, and service beyond self.

Henry Johnson died broken in body but unbroken in spirit. His legacy bleeds on, a fierce reminder that the warrior’s heart can never be silenced—only forged deeper in the crucible of battle.

Sources

1. The National Archives + Medal of Honor Citation, Henry Johnson 2. Smithsonian Institution + The Harlem Hellfighters: African Americans in World War I 3. U.S. Army Center of Military History + "Henry Johnson and the 369th Infantry" 4. Obama White House Archives + Medal of Honor Ceremony 2015