Henry Johnson (World War I soldier)

William Henry Johnson was a United States Army soldier who performed heroically in the first African American unit of the United States Army to engage in combat in World War I. While on watch in the Argonne Forest on May 14, 1918, Johnson single-handedly fought off a German raiding party in intense hand-to-hand combat, killing multiple enemy soldiers and rescuing a fellow comrade, all while suffering 21 severe wounds. His extraordinary actions were subsequently brought to national attention through media coverage in the New York World and The Saturday Evening Post later that year.

Despite his incredible bravery, Johnson's actions went unrecognized by the United States government for decades, although the French government immediately recognized his valor. He continued to suffer from his extensive combat injuries after the war and died in poverty. Decades after his death, a long-running campaign by veterans and supporters successfully advocated for his recognition, leading to several posthumous decorations.

In 1996, Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, followed by the Distinguished Service Cross in 2003. Ultimately, on June 2, 2015, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration for valor, in a ceremony at the White House, finally securing his legacy as one of the great heroes of the First World War.