Earlier this week the Congressional Naming Commission recommended that Fort Polk, located in Vernon Parish, be renamed for World War I legend Sgt. William Henry Johnson. LSU military history professor, Dr. Martin Loicano says despite being down to just a knife and after suffering 21 separate wounds, he kept the Germans at bay on the Argonne Line in France in May of 1918.
“This guy manages to hold a position against a massive number of people, while severely injured, and he succeeded in holding that part of the line by himself,” said Dr. Loicano. ”
Johnson’s story began in a segregated military where he was not allowed to fight alongside white American soldiers, though he was embraced by other Allied Forces. Loicano says after recovering from his wounds Johnson continued to fight, eventually earning the nickname “Black Death.” Johnson was one of the first heroes of the war and the first American to receive the prestigious Croix de Guerre (Krwa de Gair) from the French military.
“It’s such a remarkable story because it kind of reveals the character of Sgt. Henry Johnson,” Loicano said. “He was just a man who was made of sterner stuff than most are.”
Despite his heroism in combat Sgt. Johnson returned home to a lack of opportunity and died in poverty at age 36. Dr. Loicano says Johnson’s story is a reminder of the many Black soldiers who have long fought for their country even when it didn’t always fight for them.
“We’re contributing, we’re showing our equal worth in this crucible of combat,” said Loicano of the thoughts of Black servicemen. “And then after those conflicts are done, the expected recognition comes, at best, as a small fraction of what you would expect from the contribution that was given.”
The Naming Commission will submit all recommendations for Congressional approval by Oct. 1.
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