The medal itself was the specific object: a blue ribbon with the five-pointed star, the miniature figure of Minerva in the center of the star, the reverse inscribed with the recipient’s name and the words “The United States of America.” The physical object that Johnson should have received in 1919 was given instead in 2015, to an empty room in his name.
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**Source Notes**
Research for this article drew on the following sources:
**National Park Service, “Henry Johnson (1892-1929)”** (nps.gov/people/henry-johnson-1892-1929.htm) — Birth year, early life, enlistment, 369th Infantry service, May 15 action, French recognition, post-war life, Arlington burial, posthumous awards timeline.
**National Archives / Rediscovering Black History Blog, “We Remember Our Heroes: Henry Johnson”** (rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov, April 16, 2020) — Enlistment date June 5, 1917; Camp Wadsworth training; French 16th Division attachment; discharge papers omitting wounds; disability compensation denial; Purple Heart 1996; DSC 2001; Medal of Honor 2015.
**U.S. Army Medal of Honor profile** (army.mil/medalofhonor/johnson) — Official biography, citation language, award dates, Arlington burial, Fort Johnson naming.
**BlackPast, “Johnson, Henry (1897-1929)”** (blackpast.org) — Birth in Winston-Salem NC; marriage to Georgia Edna Jackson September 1917; May 1 sergeant promotion; May 14/15 action at bridge outpost; divorce 1923; death July 2, 1929 New Lenox Illinois; Arlington burial; DSC 2002; Medal of Honor June 2, 2015; Fort Johnson June 2023.
**Smithsonian Magazine, “Remembering Henry Johnson, the Soldier Called ‘Black Death'”** (smithsonianmag.com) — “Just fought for my life” quotation; Irwin article New York Evening Sun; February 1919 Fifth Avenue parade; alcoholism; death age 32; belief in pauper’s burial; Arlington confirmation 2001; Schumer Medal of Honor campaign; Pershing communiqué.