Henry Johnson (1897?-1929), served valiantly as part of the 369th regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters. On June 2, 2015, representatives of his National Guard unit were presented with the Medal of Honor awarded to Henry Johnson posthumously. This was almost one hundred years after his return from war.
At the same White House ceremony, Sgt. William Shemin (1896-1973) , another World War I hero, was also honored with the Medal of Honor. Shemin faced discrimination because he was Jewish.
“We are a nation, a people, who remember our heroes,” President Barack Obama said of the two men, according to press reports. “They both left us decades ago, before we could give them the full recognition that they deserve. But it’s never too late to say thank you.
“It takes our nation too long, sometimes, to say so,” he continued. “We have work to do as a nation to make sure that all of our heroes’ stories are told. The least we can do is to say, ‘We know who you are, we know what you did for us. We are forever grateful.’”
Johnson is only the second African American to receive the Medal of Honor for World War I service. The first was a soldier named Freddie Stowers.
Harlem Hellfighters Exhibited Great Bravery
Johnson, a member of the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment, was passed over for U.S. governmental honors for nearly eight decades. Just after the war, Johnson received the distinguished Croix de Guerre by the French under whose flag the 369th fought. His ribbon also featured a golden palm for “extraordinary valor.” He was the first American to receive this high honor from the French government.
When he came home, the story was different. While a special parade was held to honor the Harlem Hellfighters when they first arrived home in New York, but htey were barred from participating in the Victory Parade in New York City in 1918.
And while Henry Johnson was acknowledged for his good work by the government because they employed him to hep with military recruitment, he was never presented with any awards. When the Army no longer needed him, Johnson returned to Albany. Sadly his marriage ended, and his injuries prevented him from being able to return to his work as a railroad porter.
Johnson soon moved to Washington, D.C. He received some medical help at Walter Reed but it wasn’t enough. He had heart problems and drank heavily. He died at age 32 in an Illinois veterans hospital. Someone took note of who he was, however, and he did receive burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Family Fought for His Honor
Johnson’s family along with a group of scholars and activists felt he had not been properly recognized. They assembled the necessary paperwork and campaigned for him to be acknowledged posthumously. In 1996, he received a Purple Heart, and the group continued on asking for further recognition. In 2003 he was given the Distinguished Service Cross. The Medal of Honor, however, was denied at that time.
Ten years later, Henry Johnson’s cause came up again. Some World War I veterans were being reconsidered for the Medal of Honor. (Read William Shemin’s story about how his daughter Elsie fought for recognition for World War I veterans.)
This time the military hired a genealogist (as they do for all Medal of Honor candidates) to trace Johnson’s lineage. As a result, the family received upsetting news. The man they had known as their grandfather was actually not a blood relative.
When the family received the news, they were devastated. But after talking with representatives from Senator Schumer’s office, it was agreed that the Johnson family would still be guests of the government at the ceremonies. Herman Johnson, the man believed to be Henry’s son, passed away in 2005, so Herman’s daughter Tara became the family’s primary representative at the event.
At the ceremony, Henry Johnson’s Medal of Honor was given to a representative of the 369th Infantry Regional Veteran Association. Johnson’s other medals are in their possession, and this one, too, will be on display with the 369th.
“America can’t change what happened to Henry Johnson,” Obama said. “We can’t change what happened to too many soldiers like him who went uncelebrated because America judged them by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. But we can do our best to make it right.”
To read the full story of Henry Johnson, click here. For more on the Harlem Hellfighters, click here.
It is a crying shame how this Veteran was treated. Not all just by “the color of his skin,” either, as most Veterans from that War were mistreated by the Government and held in disdain by the isolationists. I disagree with Obama’s blanket statement, “who went uncelebrated because America judged them by the color of their skin.” Stop vilifying all of America. Racism was an affliction not practiced by all Americans, nor was it indicative of America.
I agree with you… the way the Harlem Hellfighters were treated during World War I, followed by our reluctance to honor them afterward was representative of a few—not the many. Thanks for posting.
Pingback: Harlem Hellfighter Hero: Henry Johnson - America Comes Alive