[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2079-S2080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Honoring Sergeant William Johnson

  Mr. President, on Fort Johnson, one of the greatest things of our 
country is the rich legacy of Americans who dedicated their lives to 
serving their fellow citizens, especially on the battlefield. But for 
every hero whose memory lives on, countless others become heroes in 
anonymity. That is why today I am happy to celebrate the legacy of SGT 
William Henry Johnson--World War I veteran, Albany resident, and Harlem 
Hellfighter.
  Yesterday, Fort Polk in Louisiana was officially renamed in Sergeant 
Johnson's honor, after many years of advocacy, research, and a fierce 
push from my office to make sure that this New Yorker got the 
recognition he has long deserved.
  Over a century ago, Sergeant Johnson enlisted to fight with the 
Allies in World War I. But because of segregation, he served under 
French command. He was wounded in battle during a German advance. He 
saved the lives of his fellow soldiers but was permanently

[[Page S2080]]

disabled, and Sergeant Johnson never received the recognition he 
deserved in life because of the color of his skin.
  I was honored to lead the push in Congress to have the White House 
posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Johnson. I wrote to 
former Secretary Hagel, got on the phone with Army Secretary McHugh, 
and met with senior Pentagon officials. I made a push in 2014 to waive 
the time restrictions to receive the Medal of Honor, and my staff, 
amazingly, went deep, deep, deep into the Pentagon archives and 
discovered previously unknown writings of Sergeant Johnson's acts on 
the battlefield by his own foxhole partner.
  Even General Pershing commented on his bravery, we found, because you 
needed contemporaneous views of how great Sergeant Johnson was to get 
the Medal of Honor.
  And then, much to the delight and happiness of veterans groups in the 
Capital Region--Albany, NY--and around New York and the country, 
President Obama awarded Sergeant Johnson the Medal of Honor in 2015.
  When Congress authorized the Naming Commission to provide new names 
to bases originally named after Confederate leaders, I knew that Henry 
Johnson was a perfect candidate for this honor. I am overjoyed that 
Sergeant Johnson has now joined the revered company of American heroes 
whose names are now affixed to our military bases.
  Now a Black American hero is taking the place of a Confederate 
commander in the South. It is correcting history in a good way. Fort 
Johnson will forever stand proud as an inspiration for generations to 
come.