11/12/2021
Reposted from Leiba.
One of the most decorated all-Black American regiments was finally nationally recognized more than a century after World War I.
On August 25, President Joe Biden signed into law the Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act, which posthumously honors the 369th Infantry Regiment.
Made up mostly of New Yorkers, the Harlem Hellfighters spent 191 days on the front-line trenches, longer than any other American unit. Despite their courage and sacrifice, the soldiers returned home to face racism and discrimination.
In 1916, after years of advocacy by civic leaders in Harlem, Governor Charles Whitman formed the 15th New York National Guard Regiment, which became the 369th Infantry Regiment.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, most of the Hellfighters hailed from Harlem, many of them “porters, doormen, or elevator operators, some teachers, night watchmen or mailmen.”
During the first three months of their service in France, the Hellfighters shoveled dams and built hospitals. In March 1918, the US Army reassigned the 369th infantry regiment to the French Army. This was a politically convenient move, as The French needed reinforcements and reassigning the African American unit maintained a segregated Army. White U.S. soldiers refused to serve alongside Black soldiers.
The regiment entered the front line about a month before soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force fought their first major battle. The Hellfighters not only fought longer than any other American servicemen, but they also suffered more losses than any other American regiment, with more than 1,400 casualties.
On May 15, 1918, regiment members Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts successfully fought off two dozen German soldiers, although they were stabbed and shot multiple times. Soon after, Johnson and Roberts became the first Americans to be awarded the Croix de Guerre. The French government also awarded the military decoration to 171 members of the regiment, along with 11 citations.
While the Hellfighters were barred from participating in New York’s farewell parade before heading to Europe because they were Black, upon their return, thousands of New Yorkers celebrated the regiment with a victory parade.
On February 17, 1919, 3,000 Harlem Hellfighters heroes marched from 23rd Street and 5th Avenue to 145th Street and Lenox Avenue.
Despite this victory parade, the Hellfighters and their heroism went largely forgotten in the United States until recently. In 2015, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Sgt. Henry Johnson the Medal of Honor.
Only two other Congressional Gold Medals have been awarded to African American military groups: the Tuskegee Airmen and the Montfort Point Marines, both that served during World War II.
Thank you for your service, your courage, your resilience and your legacy, Kings!! 👑❤️🙏🏼
