September 7, 2025
The Harlem Hellfighters ar the most well-known group of Black World War I soldiers.
The Harlem Hellfighters, a group of Black New York National Guardsmen who served in the 369th Infantry Regiment during World War I were posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Sept 3. That particular award is the nation’s highest honor bestowed upon civilians by Congress, given to the families of those soldiers several decades after their military service was ignored by the U.S. Army.
According to NPR, the historical correction of the erasure of the all-Black infantry group was accompanied by a rare moment of bipartisanship from Republicans, who have previously faced criticism for their efforts to erase the contributions of Black people from United States history in general and the military in particular.
In his comments, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) noted that throughout history, Black Americans often answered the call to serve their country, even though, as history will point out, their country did not serve them.
“We know that generations of African-American soldiers have answered that call to fight for freedom, whether on battlefields at home or abroad. Their nation asked them to fight, and they did again and again, even while being denied the full measure of those freedoms here on American soil,” Johnson said.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, (D-NY) who proposed honoring the group in 2021, declared in his comments at the ceremony that no matter how long it has been since an injustice has occurred, it’s never too late to make amends.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing. Today we honor the legacy of your fathers, your grandfathers and your great-grandfathers who served our nation under extreme circumstances and despite intense discrimination. We are all better for their service,” Rep. Suozzi noted.
According to Suozzi’s bill, the medal awarded to the Harlem Hellfighters will be donated to the Smithsonian Institution, “where it will be displayed as appropriate and made available for research.”
Debra Willett, the granddaughter of Harlem Hellfighter Sgt. Leander Willett, accepted the award on behalf of the group, remarking that the honor is one which her grandfather and his compatriots likely never expected or anticipated during the course of their military service.
“I know that my grandfather and the other brave men that fought alongside him never thought that their courage and their exploits would be celebrated in such a revered setting. They sacrificed, and they thought they were making a difference. And today proves that they did,” Willett stated.
Interestingly enough, the group was honored by a video game company, Electronic Arts, through a DLC pack for 2016’s Battlefield 1, before it was collectively honored by the United States, although EA’s short narrative treatment was rightfully criticized by Black gamers as a bait-and-switch after featuring a Black soldier on the game’s cover.
Despite this controversy, the accomplishments of the Harlem Hellfighters, who are believed to be bestowed that particular nickname by the Germans who met them on the field of battle, are noteworthy.
According to The History Channel, the group survived more than six months in combat, more than any other American group. In addition, members of that unit were among the first American units to be honored by France, who outfitted them with better weapons after noticing the shoddy equipment the United States had provided them and allowed them to fight alongside French units. When the Harlem Hellfighters returned home, they were the subjects of a ticker tape victory parade, an honor that was rare for Black soldiers at the time.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, despite the fanfare that accompanied their return, their story was largely forgotten and erased from history, however, the opening of that museum allowed for their story to be revived and told through their “Double Victory: The African American Military Experience,” exhibition.
As Chad Williams, a professor of history and African American and Black diaspora studies at Boston University, told NPR, the honor bestowed upon the group, while overdue, also represents a “cynical” Trump administration.
“On the one hand, it’s long overdue recognition, but it is certainly ironic, considering the times that we’re in. It speaks to the very complicated and oftentimes very hypocritical ways in which this country has chosen to address its racial history. It was a very inspiring, very patriotic, very well-deserved recognition of the historical significance and sacrifices of the 369th,” Williams said. “On the other hand, it was a very cynical display of selective racial memory.”
RELATED CONTENT: ‘The Harlem Hellfighters,’ A New Documentary About Unsung Black WWI Heroes, to Premiere on the HISTORY Channel
