Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Honored with Medal of Honor

Dec 14 , 2025

Henry Johnson, Harlem Hellfighter Honored with Medal of Honor

Blood-soaked snow melting in his shattered hands. The midnight air pierced Sgt. Henry Johnson’s lungs like bullets cutting muscle, but he held fast. Around him, the nightmare of war howled—a German raiding party closing in, relentless, savage. Without flank or reinforcements, Johnson became a fortress. Alone, wounded, he fought like hell. This was no moment for mercy. This was survival. This was war.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in 1892 in Albany, New York, Henry Johnson grew up in a world that didn't bend easily for Black Americans. His father, a former slave, instilled in him a hard truth: strength is born from struggle.

Farm hands and laborers around him bore scars of racial hatred. Johnson learned early to carry dignity like armor—and faith like a weapon. A devout Christian, he often turned to scripture, clinging to promises that sustained him through the worst.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you.” —Deuteronomy 31:6

That code—strength, courage, faith—would anchor him as the world plunged into chaos.

The Battle That Defined Him

By 1917, Johnson enlisted in the 369th Infantry Regiment, the “Harlem Hellfighters”—a Black unit fighting in the segregated U.S. Army. Sent to France, they faced not just the enemy, but disdain and limited resources from their own command.

In the dark hours of May 15, 1918, near the village of Bois de Belleau, his company’s sentry post was raided by a German patrol reportedly twice their number. Johnson, then a corporal and later promoted sergeant, was on watch.

Reports say the Germans crept silently through the trenches, setting fires to the barracks. But Johnson was ready. Armed with a rifle, his bolo knife, and sheer will, he engaged the invaders.

Severely wounded—bayonet slashes tearing flesh, bullets piercing muscle—Johnson refused to fall. Even when his buddy Needham Roberts was badly hurt beside him, Johnson fought through hell. Using volley after volley of rifle fire, grenades, and close-quarter knife combat, he killed multiple enemy soldiers, forcing the raiders to retreat.

His wounds were so grievous, he spent months recovering, but his action saved his unit from annihilation.

Recognition in Blood and Honor

Johnson’s heroism was recognized by the French government with the Croix de Guerre with palm. The French press hailed him as a "black lion," their highest praise.

But America’s recognition came slow and incomplete.

For decades, his valor went unacknowledged with the Medal of Honor. It wasn’t until 2015—nearly a century later—that President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Sgt. Henry Johnson the Medal of Honor.

“Henry Johnson’s courage and sacrifice represent the countless silent, brave African-American soldiers whose stories have long been overlooked.” — President Barack Obama (2015)

His official citation calls his actions “extraordinary heroism,” noting he single-handedly repulsed the night attack despite grievous wounds.

Legacy Etched in Valor and Redemption

Johnson’s story embodies the bitter truth faced by Black soldiers: fighting for freedoms abroad, denied equality at home. His scars bear witness to a century-long battle on two fronts.

Yet, his legacy is more than just wounds or medals. It’s the relentless spirit of a warrior who refused to be erased.

He breaks silence—an echo for the forgotten, a beacon for the brave. His sacrifice demands we confront injustice with courage, that we honor the truth beneath the blood and mud.

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

His faith was his fortress, his story a testament.

The story of Sgt. Henry Johnson is fire in frozen ground: raw, unyielding, and redemptive.

He stood when others fled. He bled so his comrades might live.

Remember him.

Carry his courage forward.

Because every veteran’s silence carries stories that demand to be shouted from the highest hill.

The fight for dignity—just like the fight in the trenches—never ends.

Sources

1. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, _Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters_ 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, _Medal of Honor Recipients: World War I_ 3. BBC News, “Henry Johnson: Black WWI Hero Awarded Medal of Honor” (2015) 4. National Archives, _Citation for Sgt. Henry Johnson Medal of Honor_