Henry Johnson's Medal of Honor and Valor at Argonne

Oct 06 , 2025

Henry Johnson's Medal of Honor and Valor at Argonne

Henry Johnson stood alone under a moonlit sky, bloodied but unbroken. Around him, the stale midnight air hung thick with gunpowder and whispered death. A fierce storm of German raiders closed in—cold, calculated killers bent on annihilating his unit. And yet, he fought... not for glory, but survival. For his brothers in arms. For honor.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in Albany, New York, in 1892, Henry Johnson carried the weight of a generation shackled by Jim Crow and prejudice. A son of rural hardship, he wrestled the land and the law before the war. His faith, forged in the black church, was his refuge and weapon—a shield in times of trial. "The Lord is my shepherd," he’d later reflect quietly, even as bullets sliced the night.

He enlisted with the 15th New York National Guard, the fabled “Harlem Hellfighters,” a unit of African American soldiers that bore the brunt of racial hatred at home and the enemy’s fire overseas. Their fight was twofold: against an external foe and the insidious cancer of segregation.

The Battle That Defined Him

It was May 15, 1918—Argonne Forest, France. Darkness cloaked the trees. German raiders, well-armed and swift, launched a surprise attack on Johnson’s bivouac. Orders were chaos. Men scattered or fell.

Sergeant Johnson, though severely wounded—multiple stab wounds, gunshots, and a shattered arm—decided to hold the line. Alone, he unleashed a relentless fury with his rifle, his bolo knife, and raw instinct.

Charging into the fray, he killed four raiders with his bayonet, and reportedly wrestled another to death hand-to-hand. He also dragged a wounded comrade to safety, refusing to leave anyone behind despite blood loss.

His defiance bought precious time for his unit to regroup, turning near annihilation into survival. "I grabbed my rifle and started firing," Johnson told an investigator later—fighting like a cornered lion. Darkness gave way to dawn, but not before he’d paid a brutal price. His body was a map of the battle: twenty-one wounds from bullets, bayonets, and knives.

Recognition in a World That Overlooked Him

For decades after the war, Henry Johnson’s heroism lingered in shadows. The French government decorated him with the Croix de Guerre—a rare honor for an American and perhaps the only medal recognizing an African American soldier’s valor in WWI.

Back home, the Army initially overlooked his deed, its racial policies blinding itself to undeniable courage.

It was not until 2015—nearly a century later—that Johnson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration. President Barack Obama’s words at the ceremony cut through history’s silence:

“You fought with courage and valor so great it rewrote the history his comrades served to protect.”

Comrade James Reese Europe once said of the Harlem Hellfighters: “We proved we are men, not myths.” Johnson embodied that truth—not merely a soldier, but a symbol of unwavering resolve against impossible odds.

The Legacy of Relentless Valor

Sergeant Henry Johnson’s saga tells us that courage is not the absence of fear or injury, but the fierce refusal to quit. His scars are more than flesh—they etch a story of sacrifice demanding recognition beyond race, beyond time.

He fought not just for victory, but for dignity. For black soldiers who served with valor yet found themselves invisible in the nation’s eyes.

His story is a grenade planted on the battlefield of history—exploding myths about race, recognition, and heroism.

Redemption in Blood and Faith

There are no fairy tales here. Only the gritty reality of a man who stood alone, wielded faith like a blade, and met death’s shadow head-on. His final wounds did not silence him. They spoke loudly of perseverance, redemption, and a warrior’s honor.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” — Isaiah 40:31

Sgt. Henry Johnson’s wings carried more than himself. They bore the weight of a people, a nation, and a promise—that courage carved in blood will one day claim its rightful place under the sun.

His legacy charges every veteran and civilian alike: to stand when it costs everything. To fight for one another beyond the battlefield’s smoke. To remember—the greatest victories often rise from the depths of injustice.

His story is our blood-stained battlefield journal. Written in scars. Honored in eternity.

Sources

1. Smithsonian Institution + “Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters” 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History + “Medal of Honor Citation for Henry Johnson” 3. NPR + “The Forgotten Hero of the Argonne: Sgt. Henry Johnson” 4. The New York Times + “Medal of Honor for Sgt. Henry Johnson—A Century Late”