Montclair Honors Harlem Hellfighters: Memorial Day 2016

Montclair, NJ – Montclair town officials honored the memory of four Montclairites that served with the 369th infantry regiment known as the “Harlem Hellfighters” during the town’s annual Memorial Day tribute on Monday.

According to a township news release, the four African-American soldiers - Pvt. Crawford Crews, Corp. Austin Barnes, Corp. Benjamin E. Smith, Pvt. Alonzo Mills - served with the French Army during World War I and were “integrated into the French chain of command and fought in the trenches alongside their French brothers-in-arms.”

“For their exceptional bravery, the Hellfighters were awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government – they were the first Americans to receive this honor,” town officials stated.

Representatives from a number of veterans and other organizations were also present during Monday’s ceremony, including The Crawford Crews American Legion Post 251, Lt. Vincent J. Russo of American Legion Post 382, Daughters of the American Revolution - Eagle Rock Chapter, Disabled American Veterans, Pvt. Harvey Post 2139 Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Montclair Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

File photo: Stuart Seeger, Flickr Commons