Existing comment:
The Harlem Hellfighters
This June marks the 105th anniversary of the 15th Infantry Regiment, the forbearers of today's 369th Sustainment Brigade. This storied unit, that was given the famous nickname "The Harlem Hellfighters," by their German adversaries, has earned a distinguished place in history as a result of the tenacity they displayed both on and off the battlefield.
"As the first and only all-black New York National Guard unit, the story of the 369th Infantry in World War I, is a heroic tale of the struggle of African Americans to prove their worth as soldiers on the battlefield as well as assert their rights as citizens at home," said Courtney Burns, the Director of Military History, New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.
On June 2nd, 1913 the 15th Infantry Regiment, was constituted as a part of the New York National Guard. The men that formed the initial ranks of the unit faced a society at the time that was highly fragmented along racial lines, enduring prejudice and unjust treatment in the segregated Army of the time. They were forced to fight under the command of the French Army, as many white American soldiers refused to fight alongside the black soldiers.
The unit's fortitude would soon be put to the ultimate test on the ground in war-torn France, where the Hellfighters did not merely survive, but thrived on the battlefield. Their resilience resulted directly in a proud heritage as those men from Harlem never lost a man through capture, lost a trench, or a foot of ground to the enemy.
"With 191 days in continuous combat, the first American unit to cross the Rhine, the 369th was one of the most successful units in the US Army, black or white. The unit was credited with campaign participation in Champagne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, Champagne 1918, Alsace 1918, and Lorraine 1918, earning a regimental French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star and Streamer, and 171 individual Croix de Guerre medals. Their deeds earned them widespread respect and acknowledgment and helped to lay the groundwork for the 20th century civil rights movement." said Burns. -- Maj. Bryon Linnehan |