Henry Johnson

The "Harlem Hellfighters", an all-black National Guard company, was among the first American forces to enter Europe during World War I, and Henry Johnson was their most well-known soldier. Before being dispatched to bolster the French army's thin numbers, Johnson and his fellow African American troops worked as unskilled laborers throughout the early stages of the conflict.

Johnson and Needham Roberts, another "Hellfighter", were on watch duty in the Argonne Forest on May 14, 1918. A group of 20 German soldiers attacked the pair shortly after two in the morning. Roberts' wounds were so serious that he was unable to shoot or stand up, but Johnson held on and fought back using hand grenades and his rifle. Both men were shortly injured. He was shot multiple times, but he continued to fight back until his weapon jammed, at which point he used it as a club and fought hand to hand until it was destroyed. Johnson pulled out his only surviving weapon, a bolo knife, and began slashing and stabbing many soldiers until the raiding party finally withdrew when he saw that the Germans were attempting to capture Roberts. When the fighting was over, Johnson had caused at least 12 German losses and had been wounded 21 times with guns and bayonets. He and Roberts later shared one of France's highest military medals, the Croix de Guerre, but Johnson's valiant action went unrecognized in the United States until 1996 when he was posthumously handed the Purple Heart. Later, in 2003, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Lifespan: July 15, 1892 – July 1, 1929

Nation: America