GAIL DRAKE: America should not forget the names of its valiant veterans

“You have armed me with strength for battle: You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.”

— II Samuel 22:40

It was 2 a.m.

Private Henry Johnson gripped his French Lebel rifle and gazed into the blackness of the Argonne Forest, about 115 miles east of Paris, France. He and fellow soldier Needham Roberts were on sentry duty, listening for German raiders at the front lines.

He heard a noise and turned to his partner, who pointed toward the sound. They heard it again. Johnson fired shots, then ducked. German grenades flew toward them and exploded. Pain seared through his left leg and side. His comrade Roberts, bleeding from his head, managed to throw his grenades over toward the enemy. German forces rushed forward.

Henry Johnson was born to a North Carolina tobacco farmer but moved to Albany, N.Y., when a teenager. He worked several jobs, including service as a redcap porter at the Albany Union Station on Broadway. With the “Great War” raging in Europe, Johnson enlisted in the U.S. military in June 1917 and joined the all-black New York National Guard 15th Infantry Regiment. When mustered into federal service, this unit was redesignated as the 369th Infantry Regiment based in Harlem, N.Y.

The 369th Regiment had a rocky start getting deployed, with three attempts to set sail for France due to a sudden snowstorm and ships colliding before finally getting out of the harbor. The regiment debarked at Brest, France, on New Year’s Day 1918 — and greeted French civilians and soldiers with a jazz rendition of the French national anthem. They were assigned to menial labor tasks of digging ditches and building roads. Then General Pershing “loaned” the 369th to the 161st Division of the French Army. At the time, U.S. regiments were racially segregated, and some white soldiers were reluctant to fight alongside black troops. The French had no such issues and welcomed the 369th, assigning them to Outpost 20 on the edge of the Argonne Forest and equipping them with French rifles and helmets.

On May 14, 1918, Johnson and Roberts came under German attack while on watch duty. It was a scene from “Rambo.” Johnson shot one German in the chest and continued firing until his rifle jammed. Then he swung his rifle butt to club another, then another, engaging in hand-to-hand combat until his rifle splintered. Seeing Roberts was severely wounded, German soldiers grabbed him to take him prisoner. Johnson drew his remaining weapon – a bolo knife, and stabbed it through one of their skulls. Another German shot Johnson in the shoulder; Johnson lunged with his knife and slashed him down. The Germans retreated while Johnson threw more grenades. Johnson suffered 21 wounds from this ordeal, earning the nickname “Black Death” from his comrades.

Days later Johnson and Roberts were awarded the distinguished “Croix de Guerre avec Palme” (“War Cross with Golden Palm”), France’s highest military honor. They were the first Americans to receive this honor. Their regiment became known as “the Harlem Hellfighters,” who served with distinction on the front and suffered heavy losses. Johnson’s exploits were brought to national attention in an article entitled “Young Black Joe,” published by famed author Irvin Cobb in the New York World and Saturday Evening Post.

Johnson and his regiment were greeted with a victory parade on NYC’s Fifth Avenue in February 1919. He was regarded as a champion to his fellow troops and lobbied for veterans to have preference in government hiring. With his 21 wounds, he could not return to his former employment and was hired for a series of lecture tours. He articulated his disagreements about racial inequalities, retired from public speaking and grew sick from tuberculosis. He died in obscurity at age 39 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1996, Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart by President Clinton. In 2015, President Obama posthumously awarded Johnson the Medal of Honor. Obama said, “The least we can do is to say, ‘We know who you are, we know what you did for us. We are forever grateful.’”

As should be said to all our valiant veterans on this Veteran’s Day 2020.

William Henry Johnson: Sergeant, U.S. Army, 369th Infantry Regiment; Medal of Honor; Purple Heart; Croix de Guerre – an American hero. Lest we forget.