The famous Harlem Hellfighters of World War I received the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday, more than a century after their heroic service fighting for the United States in France.
House Speaker Mike Johnson presented the nation’s highest civilian honor to Debra Willett, granddaughter of Sgt. Leander Willett, during a ceremony at Emancipation Hall in the Capitol. The award honors the 369th Infantry Regiment, an all-Black unit that spent 191 consecutive days in combat, more than any other American regiment.
“My grandfather and the other brave men that fought alongside him never thought that their courage and their exploits would be celebrated in such a revered setting,” Willett said.
The regiment originally formed as the 15th New York National Guard Regiment before becoming the 369th Infantry Regiment. About 4,500 Black American soldiers served in the unit during World War I, suffering approximately 1,500 casualties while never losing ground or having a man captured.
“They were brave, bold, and beguiling patriots who loved America, even when America didn’t show the same love to them,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at the ceremony.
White American troops refused to serve alongside the all-Black unit, forcing the Army to assign them to the French Army. The soldiers received French weapons, helmets, and equipment while keeping their American uniforms. The French called them “Hommes de Bronze” (Men of Bronze), while Germans dubbed them “Hellfighters” due to their fighting prowess.
Johnson, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and other members of New York’s congressional delegation attended the two-hour ceremony.
“We know about their 191 consecutive days in combat, from the trenches of France to the banks of the Rhine,” Schumer told attendees. “We know about their triumphs. We know about their tragic losses, including 1,500 casualties — more than any American unit.”
The regiment became the first Allied forces to reach the Rhine River in Germany at war’s end. They earned 11 French citations, a unit Croix de Guerre, and 170 soldiers received individual French Croix de Guerre awards for valor.
Sgt. Henry Johnson became a central figure in Wednesday’s ceremony. The slight man from Albany single-handedly fought off German attackers in 1918, using a bolo knife to save a fellow soldier while suffering severe wounds. Former President Theodore Roosevelt called him one of the bravest American soldiers of the war.
Johnson became one of the first Americans to receive France’s Croix de Guerre avec Palme, the country’s highest award for valor, before dying in July 1929. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Johnson the Medal of Honor in 2015.
“We say again, in no uncertain terms: God bless these boys,” Johnson said during the ceremony.
The Congressional Gold Medal legislation was signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2021 after New York congressional members spent nearly five years trying to secure the award. Rep. Tom Suozzi led the legislative effort to honor the regiment.
Mount Vernon produced 22 Harlem Hellfighters. Rep. George Latimer joined local officials and descendants for a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor the unit. Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard held a separate wreath-laying ceremony at Warriors Way in Brush Park.
“Today we honor the Harlem Hellfighters, brave African American soldiers who left Mount Vernon and communities across New York to fight for democracy abroad, even as they faced injustice at home,” Patterson-Howard said.
The regiment faced severe discrimination at Camp Wadsworth in South Carolina and throughout their service in a military that would not be desegregated until 1948. Despite mistreatment, they served with distinction and helped change white Americans’ opinions about Black soldiers.
Col. Bryon Linnehan, commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade of the New York National Guard, formally accepted the honor. The brigade is a descendant unit of the original Harlem Hellfighters.
“It’s humbling to be in the presence of descendants of our famed World War I heroes,” Linnehan said.
The regiment also gained fame for introducing jazz music to European audiences through their regimental band under the direction of James Reese Europe.
Hegseth detailed the regiment’s history at the ceremony’s end, explaining how they overcame racial barriers to become one of the most celebrated units of the war. “Today America pauses to bestow an honor we all know is long overdue,” Johnson said.
The Congressional Gold Medal will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institute and at events associated with the Harlem Hellfighters. Bronze versions will be struck for sale by the U.S. Mint.
Retired Army Colonel Andre Kernes attended the ceremony and called the Harlem Hellfighters’ achievements “a critical part of military history — not just as a Black regiment but as soldiers in general.”
For descendants like Marcia Holmes, who drove from Pittsburgh to attend, the ceremony connected her with family history she never knew. Her ancestor, Henry Davis Primas, served as a private in the regiment’s medical detachment.
The honor comes as the regiment’s legacy continues through various memorials. New York renamed the Harlem River Drive as “Harlem Hellfighters Drive” in 2003, and a twelve-foot monument honoring the 369th Regiment was unveiled in 2006.
You can watch the entire ceremony here —