b'William Henry Johnsonfrom wikipedia.com Army.Supposedly,theunreportednades,thebuttof and unofficial reason he was willinghis rifle, a bolo knife to detach the African-American regi- andhisbarefists, W illiam Henry Johnson (July 15,ments from U.S. command was thatJohnsonrepelled 1892July 1, 1929), common- vocalwhiteU.S.soldiersrefusedtothe Germans, killing ly known as Henry Johnson, was afightalongsideblacktroops.Thesefourwhilewound-United States Army soldier who per- black regiments suffered considerableing others, rescuing formed heroically in the first AfricanharassmentbywhiteU.S.soldiersNeedhamRoberts American unit of the United StatesandevendenigrationbytheAEFfromcaptureand Army to engage in combat in Worldheadquarters,whichwentsofarassavingthelivesof WarI.OnwatchintheArgonnetoreleasethenotoriouspamphlethisfellowsoldiers. Forest on May 14, 1918, he foughtSecret Information Concerning BlackJohnsonsuffered off a German raid in hand-to-handAmericanTroops,which"warned"21woundsduring combat,killingmultipleGermanFrenchcivilianauthoritiesofthethe ordeal. This act soldiers and rescuing a fellow sol- alleged inferior nature and supposedof valor earned him dier while suffering 21 wounds, intendencies of African-American troopsthenicknameof to commit sexual assaults. Johnson"Black Death", as a an action that was brought to thearrived in France on New Year\'s Day,signofrespectfor nation\'s attention by coverage in the1918. his prowess in com-New York World and The SaturdayThe French Army needed more menbat.EveningPostlaterthatyear.Onandwelcomedthereinforcements.Thestoryof June 2, 2015, he was awarded theThe369thInfantryregiment,laterJohnson\'sexploits Medal of Honor by President Baracknicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters",first came to nation-Obama in a posthumous ceremonywasamongthefirsttoarriveinalattentioninan at the White House. France,andamongthemosthigh- articlebyIrvin In1918,theFrenchawardedlydecoratedwhenitreturned.TheS.Cobbentitled Johnson with a Croix de guerre with369thwasanall-blackunitunder"YoungBlackJoe" star and bronze palm. He was the firstthe command of mostly white officers,publishedinthe U.S. soldier in World War I to receiveincludingtheircommander,ColonelAugust24,1918William Henry Johnsonthat honor. William Hayward. The idea of a blackSaturdayEvening Johnson died, poor and in obscu- NewYorkNationalGuardregimentPost. Guard. Obama said, "The least we can rity, in 1929. There was a long strug- had first been put forward by CharlesReturninghome,now-Sergeantdo is to say, \'We know who you are, gletoachieveawardsforhimfromW.Fillmore,ablackNewYorker.Johnsonparticipated(withhisregi- we know what you did for us. We are theU.S.military.HewasfinallyGovernor Charles Seymour Whitman,ment)inavictoryparadeonFifthforever grateful.\'"awardedthePurpleHeartin1996.inspiredbythebraveshowingofAvenue in New York City in February In2002,theU.S.militaryaward- theblack10thCavalryinMexico,1919. Johnson was then paid to takeThe official citation reads:edhimtheDistinguishedServiceauthorized the project. He appointedpart in a series of lecture tours. HeThePresidentoftheUnitedStates Cross. Previous efforts to secure theColonel Hayward to carry out the taskappearedoneeveninginSt.Louis,ofAmerica,authorizedbyActof MedalofHonorfailed,butin2015of organizing the unit, and Haywardand instead of delivering the expectedCongress, March 3, 1863, has award-hewasposthumouslyhonoredwithgave Fillmore a commission as a cap- tale of racial harmony in the trenches,ed in the name of Congress the Medal theaward.OnMay24,2022,Thetaininthe15thInfantryRegiment,revealedtheabusethatblacksol- of Honor toNamingCommissionrecommendedNew York National Guard. The 15thdiers had suffered, such as white sol- Private Henry Johnsonthat Fort Polk in Leesville, Louisiana,New York Infantry Regiment becamediers refusing to share trenches with berenamedFortJohnsonafterthe369thUnitedStatesInfantryblacks.Soonafterwards,awarrantUnited States ArmyHenry Johnson, rather than its exist- Regiment prior to engaging in combatwasissuedforJohnson\'sarrestforFor conspicuous gallantry and intre-ingnamesake,ConfederateGeneralin France. wearing his uniform beyond the pre- pidity at the risk of his life above and Leonidas Polk. The 369th got off to a rocky depar- scribeddateofhiscommissionandbeyond the call of duty:ture from the United States, makingpaid lecturing engagements dried up. PrivateJohnsondistinguishedhim-Early life and education three attempts over a period of monthsMilitary awards selfbyactsofgallantryandintre-Johnson said that he was born into sail for France before finally gettingTheFrenchgovernmentawardedpidityaboveandbeyondthecallof Winston-Salem,NorthCarolina,onout of sight of land. Even then, theirJohnson the Croix de guerre with adutywhileservingasamemberof July15,1892,whenheregisteredtransport,whichhadstoppedandspecialcitationandagoldenpalm.Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, for theWorld WarI draft, butusedanchored before it could get out of theHe was the first American to receive93rd Division, American Expeditionary other dates on other documents andharbor due to a sudden snowstorm,the award. Forces,duringcombatoperations may not have known the exact datewasstruckbyanothershipduetoagainst the enemy on the front lines of his birth. He moved to Albany, Newpoorvisibility.ThecaptainoftheInJune1996,Johnsonwaspost- oftheWesternFrontinFranceon York when he was in his early teenstransport, the Pocahontas, wanted tohumously awarded the Purple HeartMay15,1918.PrivateJohnsonand and worked as a redcap porter at theturn back, much to the dismay of hisby President Bill Clinton. In Februaryanother soldier were on sentry duty at Albany Union Station on Broadway. passengers.Theby-nowangryand2003, the Distinguished Service Cross,a forward outpost when they received HenryJohnsonenlistedintheimpatient members of the 369th, ledthe Army\'s second highest award, wasa surprise attack from a German raid-United States Armed Forces on Juneby Hayward, took a very dim view ofawardedtoJohnson.JohnHowe,ingpartyconsistingofatleast12 5, 1917, almost two months after theanyfurtherdelay.SincedamagetoaVietnamWarveteranwhohadsoldiers.Whileunderintenseenemy American entry into World War I, join- the ship was well above the waterline,campaigned tirelessly for recognitionfireanddespitereceivingsignificant ingtheall-blackNewYorkNationalthe ship\'s captain admitted that thereforJohnson,andU.S.ArmyMajorwounds,PrivateJohnsonmounteda Guard15thInfantryRegiment,wasnodangerofsinking.HaywardGeneral Nathaniel James, President ofbraveretaliation,resultinginseveral which,whenmusteredintoFederalthen informed the captain that he sawthe 369th Veterans\' Association, wereenemycasualties.Whenhisfellow service,wasredesignatedasthenoreasontoturnback,asidefrompresentattheceremonyinAlbany.soldierwasbadlywounded,Private 369thInfantryRegiment,andwascowardice.Hayward\'smenrepairedTheawardwasreceivedbyHermanJohnsonpreventedhimfrombeing thenbasedinHarlem.The369ththe damage themselves and the shipA.Johnson,oneoftheTuskegeetakenprisonerbyGermanforces. Infantryjoinedthe185thInfantrysailedon.AccordingtoHayward\'sAirmen of WWII, on behalf of HenryPrivateJohnsonexposedhimselfto BrigadeuponarrivalinFrance,butnotes,they"landedatBrest.RightJohnson,thenbelievedtobehisgravedangerbyadvancingfromhis was relegated to labor service dutiesside up" on December 27, 1917. Theyfather; the mistake was not clarifiedposition to engage an enemy soldier in instead of combat training. The 185thacquittedthemselveswelloncetheyuntil 2015, a decade after the youngerhand-to-hand combat. Wielding only a Infantry Brigade was in turn assignedfinallygottoFrance.ManymonthsJohnson\'s death, as part of the fur- knifeandgravelywoundedhimself, onJanuary5,1918,tothe93rdwere to pass by, however, before theyther research done leading up to thePrivateJohnsoncontinuedfighting Infantry Division. were to see combat. senior Johnson\'s Medal of Honor. and took his Bolo knife and stabbed Johnson in 1919, wearing his CroixTheFrenchArmyassignedMedal of Honor itthroughanenemysoldier\'shead. de Guerre. Two wound chevrons canJohnson\'s regiment to Outpost 20 onOn May 14, 2015, the White HouseDisplayinggreatcourage,Private be seen on his lower right sleeve. the edge of the Argonne Forest in theannouncedthatJohnsonwouldJohnsonheldbacktheenemyforce AlthoughGeneralJohnJ.Champagne region of France, equip- receivetheMedalofHonorpost- until they retreated. Private Johnson\'s Pershing,Commander-in-Chiefofping it with French rifles and helmets.humously,presentedbyPresidentextraordinaryheroismandselfless-theAmericanExpeditionaryForcesWhileonobservationpostdutyonBarackObama.Intheceremony,nessaboveandbeyondthecallof (AEF)ontheWesternFront, wishedthe night of May 14, 1918, Johnsonheldon2June2015,Johnson\'sdutyareinkeepingwiththehigh-tokeeptheAmericanforcesauton- came under attack by a large Germanmedalwasreceivedonhisbehalfesttraditionsofmilitaryserviceand omous,he"loaned"the369thtoraiding party, which may have num- byCommandSergeantMajorLouisreflectgreatcredituponhimself,his the161stDivisionoftheFrenchberedupto36soldiers.Usinggre- WilsonoftheNewYorkNationalContinued on Page 1210 MAY 2023 BOCNEWS.com'