Standing at just 5 feet, 4 inches tall, Henry Johnson was nicknamed the "Black Death" for his heroics as part of an all-black infantry in France. When he came home to Harlem, he was greeted with a parade to celebrate his return from the war, but he was forgotten not long after that.
He did not fit the white American hero standard of the time and did not receive any honors for his work during the war and was too old to return to his former job. He died destitute and was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave where his son did not even know where to visit him.
Even though according to President Theodore Roosevelt himself, Black Death was one of "five bravest Americans" to ever serve during the first World War, Johnson was not given any honor or a legacy he deserved simply because he was black.
On June 2, however, Presidet Barack Obama will posthumously award Johnson the long-deserved Medal of Honor for bravery during World War 1. Black Death's deeds were documented in a letter sent by his commanding officer, Col. William Hayward, to his wife Edna.
The letter details how Johnson single-handedly stopped a dozen Germans even after his weapon ran out of ammunition.
The Germans, the letter said, surrounded Johnson and another private, Needham Roberts, when they were serving as sentries one night in the Argonne Forrest on May 15, 1918.
The raiders surrounded the two soldiers and wounded them. Though he was in danger of being killed or taken captive by the enemy, Johnson stood his ground.
"Johnson concussed one German with the butt stock of his rifle, and then sunk a heavy bolo knife he was carrying into another's head, killing him. He stabbed to death at least one more attacker who was beating Roberts, allowing the Americans to toss hand grenades that prompted the rest of the Germans to flee," says the Washington Post on how Johnson fought off the Germans and prevented them from taking Roberts prisoner.
Although both Johnson and Roberts received the Croix de Guerre from France for their valor, the first Americans to get such a prestigious honor, they were never recognized by their own government until today, nearly a century later.
Henry "Black Death" Johnson is one of two Americans who will posthumously receive a Medal of Honor. For his family, the honor is a long time coming and they never stopped fighting for his legacy to be recognized.
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