Schumer Bill to Award Medal of Honor to WWI Hero Sgt. Henry Johnson Clears Senate Unanimously

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that his legislation to allow the President to be able to consider the Medal of Honor application for the late World War I hero and Albany resident, Sergeant. Henry Johnson, has passed the Senate unanimously. Schumer has led the fight to get Sgt. Henry Johnson, an African-American WWI hero, the Medal of Honor he has long been denied, due to segregation, but deserves for his bravery and heroism during WWI. After years of urging the Department of Defense to recommend a Medal of Honor for Johnson, Defense Secretary Hagel officially made the recommendation last month. Under current law, however, a Medal of Honor must be awarded within five years of the heroic act being recognized. Before the President can consider the application Schumer submitted on Johnson's behalf, Congress has to pass legislation specifically allowing Sgt. Johnson's case to be considered. Now that Schumer's legislation -- which was cosponsored by Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Scott (R-SC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), John Rockefeller (D-WV), Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) -- has passed, it is now up to the House of Representatives to pass the same bill, which Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) has already introduced. Schumer urged the House to pass the bill as soon as possible so that the request for a Medal of Honor for Sgt. Johnson can be sent to the President's desk for his final sign-off.

"I am pleased to announce that legislation to put the request for Sgt. Henry Johnson's long-awaited, much-deserved, Medal of Honor on the President's desk has passed the Senate unanimously, and I am urging the House to quickly follow suit," said Schumer. "This legislation was a bi-partisan effort and demonstrates that people from around the country recognize Sgt. Johnson's bravery and our efforts to get him the recognition he should have received 95 years ago. We are one step closer to the finish line, and I will not stop pushing until we get the President's signature."

Sergeant Henry Johnson, an African American who was part of the "Harlem Hellfighters" that served under French Command due to segregation, was not properly recognized for gallantry during his lifetime. During World War I, then-private Henry Johnson fought with the French on the Western Front because of discriminatory laws in the United States. On May 14, 1918, Johnson came under attack by a German raider party of approximately 20 men. Despite sustaining numerous gunshot wounds, Johnson fought off entire German advance, rescued his fellow soldier from certain capture, and acquired a large cache of enemy weapons. Schumer said that Johnson accomplished these actions with little training, a jammed rifle, and a bolo knife against an overwhelming German unit that was well trained during a raid that was carefully planned and meant to capture prisoners. Schumer said that, 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. Johnson, who was permanently disabled after the fight, was issued a communique from General Pershing commending his service, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Gold Palm, one of the highest military honors of France, for his bravery in battle.

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.

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. 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.

-In October 2011, 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.

-In May 2014, following Secretary McHugh's recommendation that Sgt. Johnson receive the Medal of Honor, Schumer wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging him to do the same. He also met with Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica Wright, who oversees decisions regarding Medals of Honor, and urged her to consider Johnson's application.

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