ST. LOUIS — Veterans Day offers a moment to remember the 369th Infantry Regiment, an all-Black unit whose soldiers fought with distinction during World War I while facing segregation at home.
The regiment, widely known as the Harlem Hellfighters, served under French command after American military leaders initially restricted Black troops from combat roles. Its soldiers spent 191 days on the front lines, longer than any other American regiment, according to federal historical records.
France awarded the unit the Croix de Guerre. The National Park Service says 171 members received individual Croix de Guerre medals for valor. Among the best-known soldiers was Henry Johnson, who fought off a German patrol while wounded. The United States posthumously awarded Johnson the Medal of Honor in 2015.
The regiment returned to New York in February 1919 and marched up Fifth Avenue before a large crowd. Its service helped challenge false claims about Black soldiers’ ability and leadership, even as veterans returned to discrimination and racial violence.
The 369th’s history belongs to the broader story of Black military service: service performed for a country whose promises were still incomplete. Remembering that full record honors both the soldiers’ courage and the civic work that followed.
Sources: National Park Service and National Archives.
