Henry Lincoln Johnson, a 20 year old railroad porter working at the Albany Union Station in Albany, New York, enlisted in the Army on June 5, 1917 and was assigned to the 15th New York July 29. Training was conducted in Spartanburg, South Carolina, despite some racially motivated incidents that could be their own story. The unit was renamed the 369th Infantry and sent to France.
On the morning of May 14, 1918, a German patrol, numbering from 24 to 30, was sent to capture some of the newly arrived troops for interrogation. Privates Henry Johnson and Nedham Roberts were on guard duty at a bridge near the Aisne River, a forward post in the Argonne Forest. The patrol caught them by surprise and both were wounded, Johnson 3 times. Roberts was captured. The patrol attempted to take Roberts away until Johnson recovered. Johnson fired his rifle until it jammed and then wielded it as a club until it broke. In the fighting, he was thrown to the ground where he took a grenade from a German he had killed and threw it behind the patrol, killing several others and then drew his bolo knife. He then fought off the remaining Germans and cared for Roberts until their relief arrived to find them laughing and singing. Roberts had been wounded 5 times. Johnson had been wounded 21 times. Reports of the incident vary, but the most conservative reports credit Johnson with killing 4 and wounding at least 10 others. Johnson and Roberts were both honored with the French Croix de Guerre with Gold Palm, the highest military honor France has to offer and were the first Americans so honored. The French citation translation reads thusly:
"First---Johnson, Henry (13348), private in company C, being on double sentry duty during the night and having been assaulted by a group composed of at least one dozen Germans, shot and disabled one of them and grievously wounded two others with his bolo. In spite of three wounds with pistol bullets and grenades at the beginning of the fight, this man ran to the assistance of his wounded comrade who was about to be carried away prisoner by the enemy, and continued to fight up to the retreat of the Germans. He has given a beautiful example of courage and activity."Second---Roberts, Needham (13369), private in Company C, being on double sentry duty during the night was assaulted and grievously wounded in his leg by a group of Germans continuing fighting by throwing grenades, although he was prone on the ground, up to the retreat of the enemy. Good and brave soldier. The general requested that the citation of the division commander to the soldier Johnson be changed to the citation of the orders of the Army.
"Some time ago the great General Gouraud placed in my hands the sum of 100 francs to be sent to the family of the first one of my soldiers wounded in the fight with the enemy under heroic circumstances. Inasmuch as these boys were wounded simultaneously, and both displayed great heroism, I think it but fair to send to each one-half of this sum. Accordingly I am enclosing New York exchange for the equivalent of fifty francs. I am sure that you have made a splendid contribution to the cause of liberty by giving your husband to your country, and it is my hope and prayer to bring him back to you safe and sound, together with as many comrades as it is humanly possible by care and caution to conserve and bring back to America. But it must be borne in mind that we cannot all come back, that none of us can come back until the job is done."
Inspired by Johnson's example, the 369th became legendary. It went on to capture more than 400 Germans and kill countless others, was later renamed "The Harlem Hellfighters" after the German nickname for the unit and honored with a Unit Citation of the Croix de Guerre. The unit historian wrote "...that the regiment never lost a man captured, a trench, or a foot of ground; that it was the only unit in the American Expeditionary Force which bore a State name and carried a State flag; that it was never in an American brigade or division; that it saw the first and the longest service of any American regiment as part of a foreign army; and that it had less training than any American unit before going into action." On top of their abilities in combat, the 369th Regimental Jazz Band, led by Lieutenant James Reese Europe, became reknowned through Europe and is credited with bringing Jazz to Europe and the world.
Johnson, with his newly awarded sergeant's stripes, returned to a hero's welcome in New York City and a parade up 5th Avenue, accompanied by the 369th Regimental Band. He and his wife Edna were honored by the entire city of Albany where they lived. He was referred to as "one of the five bravest men" to fight in World War I by Theodore Roosevelt. After Johnson's discharge from the Army on February 2, 1919, he returned to Albany and was regarded as living legend.
His status as a legend, however, could not help him make a living. He tried to return to former job as a porter but his injuries left him unfit to work. He received no military benefits and no recognition of his task from the U.S. Government. He wasn't even awarded a Purple Heart for his wounds. Rumors abound that, unable to work, he fell in and out of depression, drank heavily and took to drug use to help alleviate both the physical and emotional scars left behind by his "moment of glory." His wife eventually left him and he died alone in the Veteran's Administration hospital in Albany on July 2, 1929 at age of 32.
Johnson's legend, however, lived on in a number of ways. His son, Herman, went on to become an officer in the Army and a hero in World War II as a member of the 332nd Fighter Group, also known as the Tuskeegee Airmen, an all black fighter squadron. The 369th Veteran's Association built and dedicated a granite monument to him in Albany, which also renamed a street in his honor. Stories of his valor were passed down to younger generations. It was these stories that prompted columnist John L. Howe to compile the facts of Johnson's service record and submit them to the State of New York to redress the wrong that he believed had been done to Johnson by the Army and the U.S. Government.
In 1997, President Bill Clinton directed that Johnson be awarded Purple Heart for the wounds he received in 1918.
In 1998, after a struggle to exempt Johnson from the Statute of Limitations, the New York National Guard filed a recommendation on Henry Johnson's behalf for the Congressional Medal of Honor. Governor George Pataki of New York wrote to the Secretaries of the Army and Defense urging the recommendation's approval. The Department of the Army began a review of the case.
In 2001, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs recommended the request be turned down, citing "failure to follow procedure." Governor Pataki then wrote to President Bush urging approval of the citation over the objections of the Chairman.
Veteran's groups, politicians, members of various black organizations, citizens of New York and even a few living Medal of Honor recipients have voiced their support for the posthumous award. Some see it as suitable reward for courage above and beyond the call of duty. Others believe it to be a necessary step in healing the rifts between black people and a government that, in the past, openly practiced racial discrimination. Still others see it as a chance to right a grievous wrong done to an American hero.
To this day, there has been no word on the issue from the White House.
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