Harlem Hellfighters, WWI Heroes, Could Get Congressional Honor

HARLEM, NY — A majority-Black army regiment based in Harlem whose soldiers won plaudits for their bravery overseas during World War I may get long-delayed recognition by Congress, through a new bill by a New York representative.

Descendants of the famed Harlem Hellfighters gathered Thursday at the 369th Regiment Armory near the East River for a news conference organized by U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from Long Island who is introducing legislation to award the Hellfighters the Congressional Gold Medal.

"It is never too late to do the right thing," Suozzi told the socially-distanced crowd.

The Hellfighters, a segregated regiment composed mostly of Black and Puerto Rican troops, were deployed to France in 1917. They earned their nickname from their German foes, who were impressed by their enemies' bravery on the battlefield.

Suozzi's connection to the Hellfighters began in 2019, when he was approached by neighbors in Glen Cove, Long Island whose ancestor, Sgt. Leander Willett, had been injured in France while serving with the regiment. Suozzi's office pushed successfully to posthumously award Willett a Purple Heart.

In 1918, the Hellfighters were assigned to serve with the French Army, rather than with their white countrymen who refused to serve with Black soldiers — a "decades-old injustice" that the Gold Medal would help correct, Suozzi said Thursday.

Those in attendance included former U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel — himself a Purple Heart recipient for his service in the Korean War — as well as former Harlem Assemblymember Keith Wright, whose grandfather served with the Hellfighters.

"It is about time they get the recognition they deserve," Wright said.

The Hellfighters would be the third African American military group to receive the Gold Medal — Congress's highest honor bestowed upon individuals and institutions — following the Tuskegee Airmen and the Montfort Point Marines, both of whom served in World War II.

Also in attendance was Jérémie Robert, the French consul general to New York, who said the Hellfighters were "American heroes, and also heroes in France.

"We owe them a debt of gratitude," he said.

The Harlem Hellfighters are part of the history of Harlem.

They risked their lives in WWI despite facing racism and segregation in their own country. Thank you @RepTomSuozzi for awarding them with a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest honors in this nation! pic.twitter.com/CIK0WTZpnv
— Senator Brian Benjamin (@NYSenBenjamin) April 8, 2021

We owe the Harlem Hellfighters our deepest gratitude for fighting on behalf of a country that actively discriminated against them in WWI. Thank you @RepTomSuozzi for introducing a bill to provide their families with a Congressional Gold Medal. pic.twitter.com/vzbH7HZZdd
— Gale A. Brewer (@galeabrewer) April 8, 2021