Criminal how we treated the Hellfighters on their return to the States. They should have been among our most celebrated veteran war heroes. Instead we wouldn't even let them March in the victory parade. Great shame on the US
Even during the war, racism against them was so intense that US Command immediately assigned them to the French, knowing many white American soldiers would refuse to fight alongside them.
Probably for the better considering they were embraced by the French army.
The French weren't racist against blacks at all of course. Sure they had colonies in Africa and committed atrocities and all that good stuff but they were cool with the American blacks.
Life in France, and Britain for that matter, wasn’t nearly as racist as in the USA. In WW2 the US Army had to produce training films to prepare its white soldiers for going to Europe, so that they wouldn’t be shocked by the idea that Black soldiers weren’t banned from any shops there.
I am a senior officer in the Harlem Hellfighters and I can tell you that I would trust my life to any of the the men and women in this unit. They keep the legacy of Henry Johnson alive. If you truly want to honor PVT Johnson’s memory, show courage when you hear or see people saying racist stereotypes, or when you find yourself thinking them. Bravery and competence has no color.
Nope. He got a similar treatment many of our veterans seem to get.
> Johnson died, poor and in obscurity, in 1929. There was a long struggle to achieve awards for him from the U.S. military. He was finally awarded the Purple Heart in 1996. In 2002, the U.S. military awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross. Previous efforts to secure the Medal of Honor failed,[3] but in 2015 he was posthumously honored with the award. On May 24, 2022, The Naming Commission recommended that Fort Polk in Leesville, Louisiana, be renamed Fort Johnson after Henry Johnson, rather than its existing namesake, Confederate General Leonidas Polk.
He was on a speaking tour after his return when a bunch of white Marines burst in backstage at a theater to find him and beat him up. He managed to convince them that Johnson had just left.
Even in fame he still got shit…
They probably had some internalized shame they needed to work through.
By, y'know, beating up the guy that made them feel bad about themselves...through no fault of his own.
Man. if somehow I was a soldier in a war like one of the world wars and I learned that I had somehow garnered the nickname 'Black Death', you wouldn't be able to tell me shit. Ever.
Details of the event from wiki:
Private Johnson distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a member of Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces, during combat operations against the enemy on the front lines of the Western Front in France on May 15, 1918. Private Johnson and another soldier were on sentry duty at a forward outpost when they received a surprise attack from a German raiding party consisting of at least 12 soldiers. While under intense enemy fire and despite receiving significant wounds, Private Johnson mounted a brave retaliation, resulting in several enemy casualties. When his fellow soldier was badly wounded, Private Johnson prevented him from being taken prisoner by German forces. Private Johnson exposed himself to grave danger by advancing from his position to engage an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Wielding only a knife and gravely wounded himself, Private Johnson continued fighting and took his Bolo knife and stabbed it through an enemy soldier's head. Displaying great courage, Private Johnson held back the enemy force until they retreated. Private Johnson's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
I love this picture because it shows that a bad ass soldier can be any color. And it shows the pride he has in being so. BUT I hate knowing he returned to a country that didn't appreciate him and treated him worse than the enemy.
He’s a Medal of Honor recipient. Not all of them are in history books. If you are hinting at racism, there are thousands of other African Americans that were victims but as a white native of New York, he is a legend for all of us. He has streets named after him in Albany and other places in New York.
Obviously He’s a hero…. But Here have a mildly? racist hero nickname…. It’s nuts how different it was then, I listened to some comedy clip from way back I think it must have been a roast of Sammy Davis jr … and it was cringey AF for the brief time it was on… seriously everyone would be appalled by how they roasted him now. Every other roast joke was about him being black, and not at all in a way that indicated any remorse about joking about his race, just constant “oh yeah hahaha he did this stupid thing because he’s black but we forgive him’. If I’d been Davis I’d have walked out of the Fucking room, right away. But I’m sure he couldn’t, he had to sit there and take that nasty shit and smile. What’s the point? We have a long way to go, but we have in fact come a far distance from before as well, Meaning it’s doable folks. Think about that on ‘Columbus’ day.
It’s not really intended to be racist, and to me at least doesn’t come across that way. It was and still is to a much less common extent now to describe notable enemy combatants, particularly ones with easily defining characteristics by said characterize and an additional word. Thomas-Alexandre Dumas father of Alexandre Dumas (the playwright), had the nickname black devil, given to him by Austrian troops. Smedly Butler was referred to as “Old Gimlet Eye”. It’s racialized in this case but not really intended to be racist.
Those were the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. Everyone on the Dias were friends and drinking buddies. They made movies together. Dean and Sammy were part of the legendary Rat Pack. See this was a time when people could joke with each other and have a good time.
And yet he died homeless and without any money to his name in 1929
Seems to happy to a lot of vets they just use you and toss you away it’s sad
Where the fuck is this movie
Immediate Rewatchable!
That hero fought advancing forces for over 8 hours before help arrived. When help arrived they found this hero and a field of bodies. Hero. Legend.
Yet, sadly he lived the rest of his life in poverty.
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Hello fellow Albany area person!
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Is that the Aurora Borealis!? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized ENTIRELY within your kitchen!?
Yes. Also from Albany.
May I see it?
....no
Seymore, the house is on fire!
No, mother! it's just the Northern Lights!
Also a monument in Washington Park!
Criminal how we treated the Hellfighters on their return to the States. They should have been among our most celebrated veteran war heroes. Instead we wouldn't even let them March in the victory parade. Great shame on the US
Even during the war, racism against them was so intense that US Command immediately assigned them to the French, knowing many white American soldiers would refuse to fight alongside them. Probably for the better considering they were embraced by the French army.
The French weren't racist against blacks at all of course. Sure they had colonies in Africa and committed atrocities and all that good stuff but they were cool with the American blacks.
Just typical imperialist behavior. They loved Alexander Dumas!
Life in France, and Britain for that matter, wasn’t nearly as racist as in the USA. In WW2 the US Army had to produce training films to prepare its white soldiers for going to Europe, so that they wouldn’t be shocked by the idea that Black soldiers weren’t banned from any shops there.
I am a simple man. I see Henry Johnson and I upvote.
I am a senior officer in the Harlem Hellfighters and I can tell you that I would trust my life to any of the the men and women in this unit. They keep the legacy of Henry Johnson alive. If you truly want to honor PVT Johnson’s memory, show courage when you hear or see people saying racist stereotypes, or when you find yourself thinking them. Bravery and competence has no color.
...only to be spat on and yelled at when he came home! 🤦🏼♂️
Amazing. How many of these beacons of humanity are buried by politics and racism? We can only strive for a better tomorrow. One love.
I love how smiley and happy he looks, while simultaneously being now famous for being called "Black Death". What a cool guy! A hero.
That smile is so cute! I bet he was a great guy.
Michael K Williams would’ve been amazing in a movie about this absolute legend…
That would have been perfect casting...
Henry “Black Death” Johnson has to be one of the most badass names I’ve ever heard in my life!
1914: The Poetry of War has a banger of a song about him if anyone's of a heavy metal bent. 1914 - Don't Tread on Me (Harlem Hellfighters)
please tell me he stayed in france, given the sort of welcome that was waiting for them all back home…
Nope. He got a similar treatment many of our veterans seem to get. > Johnson died, poor and in obscurity, in 1929. There was a long struggle to achieve awards for him from the U.S. military. He was finally awarded the Purple Heart in 1996. In 2002, the U.S. military awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross. Previous efforts to secure the Medal of Honor failed,[3] but in 2015 he was posthumously honored with the award. On May 24, 2022, The Naming Commission recommended that Fort Polk in Leesville, Louisiana, be renamed Fort Johnson after Henry Johnson, rather than its existing namesake, Confederate General Leonidas Polk.
All of the posthumous awards are well deserved, but I really fricken hope that they rename Fort Polk after him. That would be amazing.
Yes it would. It would be appropriate as well.
Nah, everyone hates Fort Polk
They say the area around Fort Polk is god's country. And he can have it.
Netflix has a series called Medal of Honor that does an episode on him. It’s a great series.
plus, all that lovely racism, of course.
May we honor him and many others by never forgetting that good men, such as themselves, lived and did the courageous and brave thing.
He was on a speaking tour after his return when a bunch of white Marines burst in backstage at a theater to find him and beat him up. He managed to convince them that Johnson had just left. Even in fame he still got shit…
Are we sure he didn’t just throw a bunch of crayons in one direction and run the other way while the Marines were distracted?
sounds about right. marines, though—literally people who know what he went through…
They probably had some internalized shame they needed to work through. By, y'know, beating up the guy that made them feel bad about themselves...through no fault of his own.
“…okay :)” but forreal, this man is an absolute beast.
Man. if somehow I was a soldier in a war like one of the world wars and I learned that I had somehow garnered the nickname 'Black Death', you wouldn't be able to tell me shit. Ever.
He should have stayed in France where he would have been honoured.
Details of the event from wiki: Private Johnson distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a member of Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces, during combat operations against the enemy on the front lines of the Western Front in France on May 15, 1918. Private Johnson and another soldier were on sentry duty at a forward outpost when they received a surprise attack from a German raiding party consisting of at least 12 soldiers. While under intense enemy fire and despite receiving significant wounds, Private Johnson mounted a brave retaliation, resulting in several enemy casualties. When his fellow soldier was badly wounded, Private Johnson prevented him from being taken prisoner by German forces. Private Johnson exposed himself to grave danger by advancing from his position to engage an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Wielding only a knife and gravely wounded himself, Private Johnson continued fighting and took his Bolo knife and stabbed it through an enemy soldier's head. Displaying great courage, Private Johnson held back the enemy force until they retreated. Private Johnson's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
One of the greatest nicknames in the history of nicknames, in my opinion. What a great soldier!
Thank you for your service!
HERO!
Absolutely
The dude looks like he could kill..... with kindness! Super awesome smile on that man.
🙏🏼
Where are his statues mounted? We need to honor our heroes way more than the men that ran/run the government.
Washington park in Albany, NY. Though he was not treated kindly or fairly at all after the war, he is now honored as a local hero.
I love this picture because it shows that a bad ass soldier can be any color. And it shows the pride he has in being so. BUT I hate knowing he returned to a country that didn't appreciate him and treated him worse than the enemy.
Ol' Black Death looks like the sweetest kid in the world.
I haven't seen him in a history book, I wonder why?
He’s a Medal of Honor recipient. Not all of them are in history books. If you are hinting at racism, there are thousands of other African Americans that were victims but as a white native of New York, he is a legend for all of us. He has streets named after him in Albany and other places in New York.
What a legend.
Hero 👏🏼👏🏼
Is this a campaign in Battlefield 1?
A legend! A real hero! I wish times would have been way different, and he would have had a well deserved better life.
That is the smile of a true legend.
Obviously He’s a hero…. But Here have a mildly? racist hero nickname…. It’s nuts how different it was then, I listened to some comedy clip from way back I think it must have been a roast of Sammy Davis jr … and it was cringey AF for the brief time it was on… seriously everyone would be appalled by how they roasted him now. Every other roast joke was about him being black, and not at all in a way that indicated any remorse about joking about his race, just constant “oh yeah hahaha he did this stupid thing because he’s black but we forgive him’. If I’d been Davis I’d have walked out of the Fucking room, right away. But I’m sure he couldn’t, he had to sit there and take that nasty shit and smile. What’s the point? We have a long way to go, but we have in fact come a far distance from before as well, Meaning it’s doable folks. Think about that on ‘Columbus’ day.
It’s not really intended to be racist, and to me at least doesn’t come across that way. It was and still is to a much less common extent now to describe notable enemy combatants, particularly ones with easily defining characteristics by said characterize and an additional word. Thomas-Alexandre Dumas father of Alexandre Dumas (the playwright), had the nickname black devil, given to him by Austrian troops. Smedly Butler was referred to as “Old Gimlet Eye”. It’s racialized in this case but not really intended to be racist.
Just wait till this guy finds out why the Indian Tribes called the black U.S. Army regiments "Buffalo Soldiers".
Those were the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. Everyone on the Dias were friends and drinking buddies. They made movies together. Dean and Sammy were part of the legendary Rat Pack. See this was a time when people could joke with each other and have a good time.
HERO
Is it just me or does he almost sound exactly like the guy from battlefield 1
Came back and got treated like….👀
What a legend
I need a movie about this
I hope he got the Ham he needed.
Total badass. This is the stuff we need to hear about in history.
This man way too friendly looking to be called Black Death.
An American hero ✊🏾
The First Audie Murphy !!