, 1943. Henry Johnson enlisted in the
United States Armed Forces on June 5, 1917 as a 5-foot-4-inch young man. This was almost two months after the
American entry into World War I, joining the all-black
New York National Guard 15th Infantry Regiment, which, when mustered into Federal service, was redesignated as the
369th Infantry Regiment, and was then based in
Harlem. The 369th Infantry joined the 185th Infantry Brigade upon arrival in France, but was relegated to labor service duties instead of combat training. The 185th Infantry Brigade was in turn assigned on January 5, 1918, to the
93rd Infantry Division. . Two wound chevrons can be seen on his lower right sleeve. Although General
John J. Pershing,
Commander-in-Chief of the
American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the
Western Front, wished to keep the American forces autonomous, he "loaned" the 369th to the 161st Division of the
French Army. Supposedly, the unreported and unofficial reason he was willing to detach the African-American regiments from U.S. command was that vocal white U.S. soldiers refused to fight alongside black troops. These black regiments suffered considerable harassment by white U.S. soldiers and even denigration by the AEF headquarters, which went so far as to release the notorious pamphlet
Secret Information Concerning Black American Troops, which "warned" French civilian authorities of the alleged inferior nature and supposed tendencies of African-American troops to commit sexual assaults. The 369th Infantry regiment, later nicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters", was among the first to arrive in France, and among the most highly decorated when it returned. The 369th was an all-black unit under the command of mostly white officers, including their commander, Colonel William Hayward. The idea of a black New York National Guard regiment had first been put forward by Charles W. Fillmore, a black New Yorker. Governor
Charles Seymour Whitman, inspired by the brave showing of the black
10th Cavalry in Mexico, authorized the project. He appointed Colonel Hayward to carry out the task of organizing the unit, and Hayward gave Fillmore a commission as a captain in the 15th Infantry Regiment, New York National Guard. The 15th New York Infantry Regiment became the 369th United States Infantry Regiment prior to engaging in combat in France. The 369th got off to a rocky departure from the United States, making three attempts over a period of months to sail for France before finally getting out of sight of land. Even then, their transport, which had stopped and anchored before it could get out of the harbor due to a sudden snowstorm, was struck by another ship due to poor visibility. The captain of the transport, the
Pocahontas, wanted to turn back, much to the dismay of his passengers. The by-now angry and impatient members of the 369th, led by Hayward, took a very dim view of any further delay. Since damage to the ship was well above the
waterline, the ship's captain admitted that there was no danger of sinking. Hayward then informed the captain that he saw no reason to turn back, aside from cowardice. Hayward's men repaired the damage themselves and the ship sailed on. According to Hayward's notes, they "landed at Brest. Right side up" on December 27, 1917. They acquitted themselves well once they finally got to France. Many months were to pass by, however, before they were to see combat. The
French Army assigned Johnson's regiment to Outpost 20 on the edge of the
Argonne Forest in the
Champagne region of France, equipping it with French rifles and helmets. While on observation post duty on the night of May 14, 1918, Johnson came under attack by a large German raiding party, which may have numbered up to 36 soldiers. Using grenades, the butt of his
rifle, a
bolo knife and his bare fists, Johnson repelled the Germans, killing four while wounding others, rescuing
Needham Roberts from capture and saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Johnson suffered 21 wounds during the ordeal. Returning home, now-Sergeant Johnson participated (with his regiment) in a victory parade on
Fifth Avenue in
New York City in February 1919. ==Military awards==