Henry Johnson WWI Harlem Hellfighter Awarded the Medal of Honor

Oct 03 , 2025

Henry Johnson WWI Harlem Hellfighter Awarded the Medal of Honor

Blood soaks the frost-bitten earth. Gunfire cracks through the cold night air near the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery. Alone, outnumbered, facing a German raiding party twice his size—Sergeant Henry Johnson fights with the fury of a man protecting everything he’s ever known. His body battered, bleeding, but unyielding. This battle will carve his name into the stones of history.

A Son of Fort Valley: Faith and Honor in Early 1900s America

Henry Johnson was born into the brutal shadow of Jim Crow—Fort Valley, Georgia, 1892. A Black man in a country still shackled by racism, he carried more than a rifle into battle; he carried unshakable resolve molded by faith and hardship.

Raised in a devout Baptist household, the scripture “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) was not just words. It was doctrine. It was survival.

Before the war, Johnson labored quietly—woodsman, laborer, a man who knew how to endure and obey. He enlisted in 1917 with the all-Black 369th Infantry Regiment of the New York National Guard, later known as the Harlem Hellfighters. The fight ahead would test faith and flesh like nothing before.

The Battle That Defined a Warrior: May 15, 1918, near Château-Thierry

In the eerie dark of May 1918, German soldiers conducted a nighttime raid on the Hellfighters’ trenches. The enemy thought they held the advantage—surprises, shadows, the cold biting their lungs. But they hadn’t counted on Henry Johnson.

Johnson and Pvt. Needham Roberts were the only two men awake on sentry duty near the Bois de Belleau. When the Germans charged the line, Johnson blew his whistle, raising the alarm, then engaged in brutally close combat.

Reports detail Johnson wielding a rifle butt, a bolo knife, and whatever came to hand—fighting off attackers relentlessly. Wounded repeatedly, some accounts say more than 20 wounds, he refused to fall.

“His bravery… most remarkable and his indomitable courage were an inspiration to the whole regiment,” wrote Colonel William Hayward, commander of the 369th.

Despite his injuries, Johnson protected Roberts, keeping the enemy from overrunning their post, preventing a collapse of the line. His actions forestalled disaster. The raiding party was forced to retreat with heavy casualties.

Medal of Honor Delayed but Deserved: Recognition Years Later

In the bitter years after the war, Johnson’s heroism was overlooked by the very nation he fought for. Segregation and racism kept his story in shadows while White soldiers claimed glory. His Silver Star came first—an award rarely given to Black soldiers at that time—with a Purple Heart.

Decades passed. Finally, in 2015, nearly 100 years after his valorous stand, President Barack Obama awarded Sgt. Henry Johnson the Medal of Honor—the United States’ highest military decoration—correcting history’s injustice.

“You stood tall for your country... and we stand tall for you now,” Obama said during the ceremony at the White House.

When the government took so long to honor him, those who knew Johnson understood his true award was selfless sacrifice itself—etched deep into his people’s legacy and the battlefield’s soil.

Eternal Lessons: Courage Beyond the Crossfire

Henry Johnson’s story is carved from grit and sacrifice—and relentless faith. Not just a soldier, but a redemptive symbol of a country’s failure and the power of courage that transcends hatred.

His blade was caught between racism and war—yet he never surrendered to either. He fought to protect his brothers in arms and, in doing so, penned a timeless chapter on valor.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Johnson lived this truth—wounded and weary but unbroken—so others might live free.

In honoring Sgt. Henry Johnson, we remember that courage is forged in trial. That sacrifice demands remembrance. And that sometimes, redemption comes not in medals—but in legacy.

Scars fade. Honor endures. Henry Johnson stood alone in the dark that night—a beacon for all who fight, forgotten no more.

Sources

1. Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage — PBS. 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History — “Medal of Honor: Henry Johnson.” 3. The New York Times, “Obama Awards Medal of Honor to WWI Hero” (2015). 4. A Campaign of the Harlem Hellfighters, Colonel William Hayward, official unit report.