SCHUMER ANNOUNCES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAS RECOMMENDED THAT WWI HERO, SGT. HENRY JOHNSON, RECEIVE LONG-AWAITED, AND UNJUSTLY DENIED, MEDAL OF HONOR – SENATOR ANNOUNCES HE WILL INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO SEND REQUEST TO PRESIDENT’S DESK FOR FINAL SIGNATURE
Schumer Campaigned Relentlessly To Secure A Medal of Honor for African
American WWI Hero & Albany Resident Henry Johnson, Wrongfully Denied
Our Nation’s Highest Military Honor Because of Segregation –
After Three Years Of Vetting, Johnson’s Medal of Honor Request Has
Now Cleared The Department of Defense; Last Remaining Approval Is The President
Schumer to Introduce Legislation for Johnson to Correct Current Law That
Requires Medal of Honor Be Awarded Within Five Years of the Heroic Act
– Legislation Is Required In Order for President to Consider Awarding
Johnson’s Medal of Honor
Schumer: Henry Johnson is an American Hero Who Displayed Incredible Bravery
in Battle; Was Denied this Award Because He Was African American; &
We Should Not Wait Another Day to Honor Him
Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that U.S.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has recommended that late World War I
hero and Albany resident Sgt. Henry Johnson receive a Medal of Honor.
After Hagel, the final signature needed to approve the Medal of Honor
request is that of the President. However, before the President is able
to consider the application Schumer submitted on Johnson’s behalf,
the Senate must pass legislation specifically allowing Sgt. Johnson’s
case to be considered, since current law only allows Medals of Honor to
be awarded within five years of the date of the heroic act justifying
the award. Schumer announced that he will soon be introducing legislation
specifically exempting Johnson’s case from this limitation, something
that has been done before, and he vowed to fight to pass this legislation
as quickly as possible. Schumer has led the fight to get Sgt. Henry Johnson
the recognition he deserves for his bravery and heroism during WWI. Schumer
submitted a nearly-1,300 page request to the military in support of Johnson’s
receiving the Medal of Honor and launched an online petition to build
public support. Schumer held a personal call with U.S. Army Secretary
John McHugh, met with Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
Jessica Wright – who oversees decisions regarding Medals of Honor
– and wrote a letter to Secretary Hagel, all in an effort to secure
the Medal of Honor for Sgt. Johnson.
“Today’s recommendation by the Secretary of Defense brings
us one step closer to the ultimate goal – recognizing Henry Johnson,
who displayed the most profound battlefield bravery, with the Medal of
Honor he deserves but was denied because of segregation. Johnson is an
American hero and I am pleased the Department of Defense has looked at
all of the evidence and correctly agreed that he is truly deserving of
this recognition,” said Schumer. “But the work to right this
terrible wrong is not yet done. I will soon be introducing legislation
that we must pass in order for the President to consider the request.
This legislation will enable Johnson to be exempted from the current Medal
of Honor rules, which prevent anyone from receiving the Medal of Honor
whose heroic act took place more than five years ago. Johnson should have
received this recognition 95 years ago, and providing an exemption for
him now is the right thing to do. I will work with my colleagues to get
this measure passed as soon as possible, and I will not stop pushing until
the President has signed off and Johnson gets the recognition he deserves.”
Schumer has consistently expressed his support for Sgt. Johnson to receive
the Medal of Honor. In March 2011, Schumer and his staff revealed that
they had uncovered game-changing evidence to support the posthumous award
of the military’s highest honor to Sgt. Johnson. In May 2011, Schumer
submitted a nearly-1300 page request for reconsideration, which included
a wealth of never-considered evidence containing the incontestable proof
showing that Johnson deserves this award. And last October, Schumer launched
an online petition in support of Henry Johnson’s heroics during
World War I, while Schumer uncovered additional evidence in support of
Johnson’s candidacy for the Medal.
In October 2012 in Albany, Schumer was joined by local veterans and elected
officials in his unveiling of this national online petition and in providing
an official list of more additional evidence than has previously been
made public, all of which has been discovered by Schumer and his office
in the past two years. Despite these discoveries, however, the case remains
pending. In 2012, Schumer also appeared in an episode of PBS’ History
Detectives that featured a painting depicting the Battle of Henry Johnson.
This painting is contained in Schumer’s new recommendation, and
he stated that this serves as even further proof of Johnson’s worthiness
for the Medal of Honor.
In March 2013, ahead of the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Henry Johnson,
Schumer publicly called on Secretary McHugh to approve his request to
honor Johnson with a Medal of Honor. Schumer also made multiple phone
calls to McHugh on this subject over the course of 2013 and 2014.
While on duty around 12:00am on May 15, 1918, then-Private Johnson, a
volunteer with the New York National Guard serving under French command
due to segregation, came under attack by a well-trained and well-armed
German raider party of about two dozen. Despite his severe injuries, including
sustaining an estimated 21 gunshot wounds, Johnson continued fighting
bravely, with total disregard for his own safety. He fought off the Germans
and rescued one of his fellow soldiers with just a rifle (which jammed),
a bolo knife and his bare hands. Sgt. Johnson, an Albany resident and
African-American soldier serving in a segregated Army, received the Croix
de Guerre with Gold Palm, one of the French military’s highest honors,
for his bravery in battle during World War I.
“We should never forget that Henry Johnson put his life on the line
for America when our nation did not treat him with the equality and dignity
that comes with full citizenship rights. Segregation was the reason he
did not receive our nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of
Honor, and that injustice needs to be rectified with all due speed,”
said Schumer.
Years later, in concert with Sgt. Johnson’s activists, including
the late John Howe, a Vietnam veteran, Schumer helped secure the second-highest
American military honor for Johnson, the Distinguished Service Cross,
in 2003. On May 15, 2011, Schumer submitted a nearly 1300-page recommendation
urging the Army to reconsider the case for the Medal of Honor in light
of compelling and newly discovered evidence. Schumer’s package contains
a plethora of new documents, including the ultimate chain-of-command endorsement
from WWI Commander of the war in Europe General John Pershing; an eyewitness
account of Johnson’s brave actions during the battle from the man
Johnson saved, Pvt. Neadom Roberts; and a letter detailing and praising
Johnson from his Regiment commander, Colonel William Hayward. However,
despite these supporting documents, submitted more than a year ago, the
case has yet to be decided.
There are several specific forms of evidence required in order to present
a Medal of Honor to a member of the U.S. military. One requirement is
a chain-of-command endorsement, which is met by the statement from General
John Pershing; it was written as a memo on May 20, 1918, from Pershing
to officials in Washington, D.C. The memo provides a variety of updates
of the warfront in France, and immediately highlights details related
to what many historians now refer to as the “Battle of Henry Johnson.”
Senator Schumer’s original letter to Defense Secretary Hagel is included below:
Dear Secretary Hagel,
I write to urge that you recommend approval to award Sergeant Henry Johnson the posthumous Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts in World War 1. It is my understanding that Secretary of the Army John McHugh has submitted his recommendation for approval for comment by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and a recommendation for approval from the Secretary of Defense to the President of the United States. Though Henry Johnson, an African American who was part of the “Harlem Hellfighters” that served under French Command due to segregation, was not recognized for gallantry during his lifetime, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Cross Award in 2003. In light of an abundant amount of additional evidence members of my staff uncovered, I believe that the U.S. Department of Defense should take further action to honor Sergeant Johnson. Today marks the 96th anniversary of the Battle of Henry Johnson and there would be no better way to honor this true American hero than by awarding him America’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor.
As you may know, Henry Johnson, an Albany resident, was an African American volunteer with the New York National Guard serving under French command due to segregation. While on guard duty in the dark early morning hours on May 15, 1918, then-Private Henry Johnson’s outpost, on the French side of the Western Front, came under attack by a German raider party of about twenty. Despite sustaining numerous gunshot wounds, he fought off 20+ Germans, rescued his fellow soldier from certain capture, and acquired a large cache of enemy weapons. He did all this with little training, a jammed rifle and a bolo knife. The German unit was well-trained, the raid was carefully planned and it was meant to capture prisoners. If not for Johnson’s bravery, with total disregard for his own life, his fellow soldiers would have been captured, a cache of weapons and supplies would not have been acquired by the allies and valuable intelligence would have gone to the enemy. Sgt. Johnson, who was permanently disabled after the fight, was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Gold Palm, one of the French military’s highest honors, for his bravery in battle during World War I. This French award was bestowed just days after the famous battle. Yet, he received no military decorations from his own country. It was not until 1996 that his own country would officially honor him. That year, Johnson was awarded the Purple Heart, followed by the Distinguished Service Cross in 2003.
Upon submitting new evidence and materials my staff uncovered that had previously not been considered, the Army decided to reopen the case for the Medal of Honor. These materials included a communique from General John Pershing detailing the battle and noting that Sergeant Johnson should be recognized for his bravery and an eyewitness account from Colonel William Hayward, Sergeant Johnson’s commanding officer. There are several specific forms of evidence required in order to present a Medal of Honor to a member of the U.S. military. One requirement is a chain-of-command endorsement, of which there are now several, including Col Hayward’s letter to Johnson’s wife, Major Little’s glowing account, and, most importantly, General Pershing’s communiqué. Pershing’s memo dated May 20, 1918 to officials in Washington, D.C. highlights details related to what many historians now refer to as the “Battle of Henry Johnson.”
On this 96th anniversary of the Battle of Henry Johnson, I believe there is no better date to appropriately acknowledge Sergeant Henry Johnson for his bravery and distinguished service to our country. I urge you to approve the posthumous Medal of Honor for Sgt. Henry Johnson for his conspicuous gallantry, intrepidity at the risk of his life, and actions far above and beyond the call of duty in the May 1918 battle against German forces. There is incontestable evidence that demonstrates Henry Johnson’s unambiguous qualification for the United States of America’s highest military honor. Thank you for your attention to this matter, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
U.S. Senator