Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Awarded Medal of Honor

Dec 20 , 2025

Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Awarded Medal of Honor

Sgt. Henry Johnson stood alone in a rain-soaked trench. The night was ripped open by German rifles and grenades. Wounded, bleeding, outnumbered—he fought like a man possessed. His body screamed. His heart refused. When the enemy surged, he didn’t flee. He became the shield.

A Brooklyn Son with Steel in His Spine

Born in 1892, Henry Johnson grew up in Albany, New York. A barber by trade, he wasn’t a man of commands or accolades at first. But the world was on fire, and Henry answered the call.

He enlisted in the 369th Infantry Regiment—an all-Black unit known as the Harlem Hellfighters. They were sent to the forgotten hells of Europe in World War I, a war to end all wars. But for Henry, it was a battlefield where justice, honor, and faith forged every breath.

Faith tempered his fierce resolve. Raised Christian, Johnson carried a quiet belief in purpose beyond the muck and blood. “The Lord is my strength and my shield,” he might have whispered in those darkest moments (Psalm 28:7). This belief was not empty—it fueled the courage that no rifle or grenade could shatter.

The Battle That Defined a Warrior

May 15, 1918. No name on most maps, but a mountain of hell etched in memory forever. Johnson and his unit held a forward post deep in the Argonne Forest, France. Suddenly, a German raiding party surged—sharp, swift, brutal—aiming to wipe out the American pickets and steal prisoners.

The attack was close, ferocious. Henry fought without hesitation—with a bolo knife in one hand, rifle in the other—he kept the enemy at bay despite multiple wounds. His body tore apart, a bullet through his arm, shrapnel in his face. Yet he never stopped.

He beat back every German who came within reach. When his ammo ran dry, the blade became murder itself. Alone, he stopped a dozen men, saved his squad from capture, and gave time for reinforcements.

One soldier recalled, “He fought like a lion in the thicket. We would have been lost without him.”

Honors Won in Blood and Shadow

Henry Johnson’s valor was almost lost in the racial tides of history. Though recommended for the Medal of Honor, it took decades before the full measure of his heroism was recognized.

In 1918, France awarded him the Croix de Guerre with a bronze palm—the first American to receive this distinction in WWI—from General John J. Pershing himself.

Only in 2015 did the United States finally award Johnson the Medal of Honor posthumously. President Barack Obama acknowledged a legacy long overdue:

“A soldier who saved a fellow American soldier’s life, who stood in the face of enemy fire and fought, no matter how dire the odds.”

Henry Johnson’s story is a hard truth about race, valor, and recognition. His scars told a tale the country once refused to see. The citation reads:

“For extraordinary heroism in action near the Bois de Bazoches, France, Sergeant Henry Johnson distinguished himself while serving with the 369th Infantry Regiment…”

A Legacy Carved in Sacrifice

Henry Johnson’s courage was no myth. His sacrifice was a lifeline for brothers in arms and a beacon for generations who would fight prejudice as fiercely as bullets.

His life reminds us that heroism is not bowed by skin, nor is valor diminished by injustice. It is steadfast, raw, and eternal.

Every combat vet knows this truth: the war is not just in far-off lands. It follows you home—etched in bone, soul, and memory. Johnson’s story teaches us that true victory demands both sacrifice and redemption.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

That’s Henry Johnson’s legacy—the courage to stand alone, the faith to keep fighting, and the strength to be remembered as a brother, a warrior, and a man redeemed.

Sources

1. PBS, The Harlem Hellfighters: Henry Johnson 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citation: Henry Johnson 3. The New York Times, “Army Awards Medal of Honor Posthumously to Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter,” 2015 4. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Henry Johnson Biography