November 19, 2014 – A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress that would pave the way for an African-American World War I hero to receive the Medal of Honor posthumously. Under current law, recommendations for the award must be made within two years of the deed and awarded within three years. The new bill would grant a one-time waiver for Sergeant Henry Johnson, member of the 369th Regiment, a segregated unit commonly known as the Harlem Hellfighters.
Johnson enlisted in the Army in 1917 shortly after the United States declared war on Germany. In Europe, the 369th was placed under French command. Johnson and another soldier were on sentry duty one night when their camp came under attack. Armed with a knife and a rifle, Johnson fought off the Germans and, using his rifle as a club after he ran out of bullets, kept them from taking his fellow soldier captive. His heroics left four Germans dead and at least 20 others wounded before they retreated. He received more than 20 gunshot wounds and fought so courageously that the incident is remembered as the Battle of Henry Johnson.
The French awarded Johnson the Croix de Guerre, one of that nation’s highest honors. Back in the States, he rode in a chauffeured limousine in a New York City victory parade, but received no military commendations or benefits. He died destitute 10 years later.
Sergeant Johnson has already received two posthumous awards, a Purple Heart in 1996 and a Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. Army’s second-highest honor, in 2003.
Link: FoxNews
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