![]() ![]() Men and women like my father, warriors like Henry Johnson, and like the veterans of today, are not raising their hand to serve in our military in the numbers as they did in the past. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Getty Images Obama also awarded a Medal of Honor to the late Army Sergeant William Shemin for his actions, also during World War I. Major Louis Wilson of the New York National Guard, who is accepting on behalf of the late Army Private Henry Johnson, for actions while serving in France during World War I, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House Jin Washington, DC. President Barack Obama presents a Medal of Honor to Command Sergeant. In recent decades, Johnson received his rightful place in history when he was awarded the purple heart in 1996 and the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor and in 2015 was posthumously presented by President Barrack Obama. Johnson died, poor and in obscurity, in 1929. When Johnson returned home, he was not provided the same benefits as white soldiers and was unable to work due to his injuries. Johnson became the first American soldier to ever receive the French Croix de Guerre for his heroic actions. ![]() His acts of valor earned him the nickname of “Black Death”, and his bravery encouraged many other African Americans to serve. Ultimately, Johnson single-handedly fought off twenty attackers while sustaining 21 separate wounds in hand-to-hand combat. He observed two Germans about to carry away his wounded comrade at which point Johnson used his knife to fight off the attackers. Johnson threw grenades and fired his rifle until he was out of ammunition. At about two o’clock in the morning, a 20-man German raid party attacked the sentry position. Late into the evening of, Johnson and a fellow soldier were on sentry duty in the Argonne Forest. (Photo by Interim Archives/Getty Images) Getty Images ![]() They were also known as the Harlem Hellfighters. and organized by Colonel Haywood, who were among the most highly decorated upon its return home, 1918. View of African American troops of the 369th Infantry, formerly the 15th Regiment New York Guard. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |