Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Awarded the Medal of Honor

Dec 25 , 2025

Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Awarded the Medal of Honor

Blood, darkness, and the roar of machine guns. Sgt. Henry Johnson stood alone, bullets ripping past, grenades exploding at his feet. His hands were shredded, ribs punctured, but still, he fought—not for glory, but for brothers caught in the crossfire. He was a storm wrath incarnate, a man who refused to die without taking the enemy down with him.

From Albany Streets to the Trenches of France

Henry Johnson was born in 1892 in the rough neighborhoods of Albany, New York. The son of African-American parents during Jim Crow America, he was no stranger to hardship. Yet, it was his steadfast faith that carved his steel resolve. Raised in a devout Christian home, Henry carried a Bible and a quiet creed: serve with honor, and trust God above all.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9

When the Great War swept across the world, opportunity and obligation pulled Johnson to the 369th Infantry Regiment, the famed Harlem Hellfighters. The unit shattered racist barriers, fighting with a fierce pride that belied their segregated status in the U.S. Army.

The Battle That Defined Him: Argonne Forest, May 15, 1918

The Argonne Campaign was hell on earth, a web of mud, wire, and death. On May 15, Johnson’s convoy was ambushed near Bois-de-Belleau by a surprise German raiding party. Outnumbered, outgunned, and in the dark, the patrol scrambled to survive.

Johnson grabbed his rifle and grenades. When the enemy closed in, he became a one-man bulwark—a machine gun nest all by himself. He charged, fired, and tossed grenades with unmatched fury, buying time and opening a path for his comrades to retreat.

Fighting with a shattered right arm and lethal wounds to his left side, Johnson reportedly killed or wounded at least a dozen enemy soldiers. He carried a wounded French officer out of the woods, refusing to leave any soul behind.

"I never saw a man fight with such determination," his commanding officer later stated. “He was a wall of fire we could march behind.”

The Medal of Honor, Then and Now

Despite his heroism, Sgt. Johnson’s story was buried by racial bias for decades. It wasn’t until 2015—almost a century later—that President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor, acknowledging the courage overlooked by time and prejudice.

Years earlier, Johnson had received the Croix de Guerre from France, one of the nation’s highest accolades for valor under fire. Veterans and historians alike have come to regard Johnson as a symbol of extraordinary bravery and resilience.

“Henry Johnson was a man who walked through fire twice,” said historian Darrell W. Williams. “Once in war, once in the battle for equality and recognition.”

Legacy Etched in Blood and Honor

Sgt. Henry Johnson’s scars run deeper than flesh. They cut through the fabric of American history, exposing brutal truths about race, sacrifice, and redemption. His story reminds us that valor doesn’t see color, and honor doesn’t bow to injustice.

His fight was not just against German bullets, but against the blindness of his own country toward its black warriors. The legacy he left behind is an urgent call to recognize the forgotten, to trust in faith and grit when the world turns dark.

“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

In the trenches or the streets, heroes like Henry Johnson teach us that redemption often demands blood and sacrifice. But beyond wounds and medals, it calls for a steadfast heart willing to stand alone, hold the line, and shield the vulnerable.

His story burns in the hearts of every veteran still bearing battle’s weight — proof that courage is never wasted, and no sacrifice is forgotten.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, “Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters” 2. National Archives, Medal of Honor Citation: Sgt. Henry Johnson 3. Darrell W. Williams, Bitter Glory: African American Soldiers in World War I (University of North Carolina Press) 4. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Official Statement on Henry Johnson, 2015 5. France’s Ministry of Defense, Awarding of the Croix de Guerre to Henry Johnson