Henry Johnson's Valor and Legacy as a Harlem Hellfighter

Nov 22 , 2025

Henry Johnson's Valor and Legacy as a Harlem Hellfighter

Sgt. Henry Johnson stood alone in the dark woods of the Argonne, shotgun in hand, the night air thick with shouts, gunfire, and the stench of death. Wounded, bleeding, outnumbered—he faced a German raiding party hell-bent on wiping out his unit. With no thought for himself, he fought like a man possessed, savage and relentless, holding the line with teeth clenched and bloodied hands. That night, Sgt. Johnson became more than a soldier—he became a guardian in the shadow of chaos.

From Albany’s Streets to the Frontline

Born in 1892, Henry Johnson grew up in Albany, New York, in a world that didn’t welcome Black men as brothers. His childhood was stitched with hardship—an America rigid with segregation and silent with oppression. Yet Johnson carried a code of honor that refused to break. A devout Christian, his faith was a quiet armor,a witness to a higher power beyond the battlefield’s hell.

Johnson was a laborer before the war, his hands steady and strong, his heart quietly fierce. When war erupted in Europe, the United States called its sons, but Henry answered with a weight few could bear. He volunteered for the 369th Infantry Regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters, a segregated unit sent to fight under French command. They faced hostility from their own army and enemies on the front lines alike.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid... for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:9

The Battle That Defined Him

On the night of May 14, 1918, near the Oise-Aisne region, Henry Johnson and Pvt. Needham Roberts were on sentry duty when a German raiding party ambushed their trench. Outnumbered and under heavy fire, Johnson grabbed his shotgun and a bolo knife, his throat raw with shouted commands.

Despite wounds to his throat and body, he tore through the enemy, slashing and shooting, turning the tide single-handedly. Reports say he killed at least four enemy soldiers and wounded many more, saving his comrade and the entire unit’s position. He even carried Roberts, also wounded, back to safety through hailstorms of bullets.

His courage was a raw, blazing flame, fueled by sheer will—and perhaps a quiet prayer whispered in the broken silence.

Recognition in the Shadow of Injustice

Henry Johnson’s bravery was recorded by his comrades and French commanders, who awarded him the Croix de Guerre with a special citation for valor—the first American soldier to receive France’s highest decoration in WWI. But back home, his heroism was met with cold shoulders, wrapped in the same segregation that had followed him into war.

It wasn’t until 2015, nearly a century later, that the U.S. recognized Sgt. Johnson with the Medal of Honor posthumously. President Barack Obama declared:

“His valor under fire was remarkable; his life, a testament to courage and sacrifice in the face of injustice.” 1

His story became a reckoning—a reminder that valor recognizes no color, creed, or caste.

Legacy Etched in Valor and Redemption

Henry Johnson’s life echoes out of the trenches like a battle cry. His scars—visible and invisible—serve as a monument to the cost of courage in a world too often blind to the sacrifices of Black soldiers. He fought not just the Germans but the deep hatred at home.

His legacy lives in every veteran who walks away from battle wounded in body and spirit but refuses to stay fallen. The true enemy, he teaches, runs deeper than the trenches—rooted in fear, ignorance, and injustice.

Johnson’s story is this: courage is not the absence of fear but the command to carry on amidst it.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” —Matthew 5:9

They tried to bury his name in silence. But courage like his has a way of rising with the dawn.

Sgt. Henry Johnson did more than hold the line. He held a mirror up to a nation’s soul, showing what redemption looks like amid the wreckage of war and prejudice. His blood stains these pages as a sacred oath—to never forget, never yield, and never let those who sacrificed fade into the shadows.

This is the legacy of the Harlem Hellfighter who fought for his brothers, his country, and his God.

Sources

1. National Archives + Medal of Honor Citation and Presidential Statement for Sgt. Henry Johnson 2. Smithsonian Institution + "Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters" 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society + History and Records of WWI MoH Recipients