NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced Monday that the U.S. Senate has passed a bill that would award Congress' most prestigious civilian honor to a historic Black infantry regiment known as the Harlem Hellfighters.
Gillibrand sponsored the Senate bill honoring the 369th Infantry Regiment from Harlem, who fought in World War I longer than any other American unit and suffered the most casualties than any other infantry.
“The Harlem Hellfighters served our nation with distinction, spending 191 days in the front-line trenches, all while displaying the American values of courage, dedication and sacrifice,” Gillibrand said. “The Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act honors these brave men, who, even as they faced segregation and prejudice, risked their lives to defend our freedoms."
Gillibrand noted that the U.S. Army assigned the infantry to the French army because white American soldiers refused to fight alongside Black Americans.
Earning the nicknames “Hommes de Bronze” or Men of Bronze, The Harlem Hellfighters were awarded 11 French citations while the unit and 170 individual soldiers earned one of France's highest military honors: the Croix de Guerre.
The Harlem Hellfighters is the third African American military group to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, following the Tuskegee Airmen in 2007 and the Montfort Point Marines in 2011.
Gillibrand thanked New York Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi and Adriano Espaillat who led the House version of the bill — which passed in June. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the measure into law.