CSPAN - Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony

All Episodes

Previous Next

Sept. 4, 2025 02:34-03:34 - CSPAN

59:52

Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony

Participants

Main

hakeem jeffries

rep/d 05:41

pete hegseth

admin 05:52

Appearances

adriano espaillat

rep/d 02:52

chuck schumer

sen/d 04:09

mike johnson

rep/r 02:21

Clips

tucker carlson

dailycaller 00:17

Large

Audio Only |

Scroll

Show episode speakers

Speaker	Time	Text
unidentified		A member of the Financial Services Committee, and Nebraska Republican Congressman Adrian Smith, chair of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee on government spending deadlines.
		He'll also talk about the Epstein files and congressional news of the day.
		C-SPAN's Washington Journal.
		Join in the conversation live at 7 Eastern Thursday morning on C-SPAN.
		C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, or online at c-SPAN.org.
		C-SPAN, Democracy Unfiltered.
		We're funded by these television companies and more, including WOW.
		The world has changed.
		Today, a fast, reliable internet connection is something no one can live without.
		So WOW is there for our customers with speed, reliability, value, and choice.
		Now more than ever, it all starts with great internet.
		Wow.
		WOW supports C-SPAN as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front-row seat to democracy.
		Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were among the speakers at a congressional gold medal ceremony to commemorate a majority African-American infantry regiment in World War I, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters.
		The ceremony ran just about an hour.
		Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the invocation delivered by Dr. Charles E. Hall, United States Navy, retired president of the 369th Veterans Association.
		Great merciful Father and our God, today we have gathered from around the world to celebrate the legacy and brave concerns and bravery of those who have known as the 369th Infantry Regiment.
		They gather their name from their adversaries who called them the Hell Fighters.
		Their fierceness and their determination in battle as soldiers who for 191 days fought, never losing ground and having no man captured.
		In the shadow of this Capitol, with the world looking on, these patriots, men of endurance, unwavering commitment and valor, are being honored, recognized, and showcased as War I Congressional Gold Medal recipients.
		We stand today with our eyes open, Lord, our hearts open to their memories, their sacrifices, and their accomplishments.
		John Weldon Johnson said it best as he remembered their love and their devotion to their country when he said valently, when he said, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far on this way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray,
		least We stumble and stray from our God.
		Least our hearts drunk with the wine of this world we forget thee.
		Shadow beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to our God, true to our native land.
		May God bless America and America bless God.
tucker carlson ▲ ● ▼		Amen. Please be seated.
unidentified		Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Thomas R. Swazi, United States Representative from the 3rd District of New York.
		Good afternoon.
		Good afternoon.
		Let me first start by thanking Speaker Johnson for scheduling this here today.
		Let's give him a big, big thank you.
		It's never too late to do the right thing.
		So the first thing I want to do is give a big thank you and let's hear it for the families of the Harlem Hellfighters that are with us here today.
		Stand up, Harlem Hellfighter families.
		Stand up and be recognized.
		Today we honor the legacy of your fathers and grandfathers and great grandfathers who served our nation under extreme circumstances and despite intense discrimination.
		We are all better for their service.
		I'm so grateful to Deb Willett for bringing this to my attention, to the North Shore Historical Museum for their research and advocacy.
		Thank you specially to Congressman Adrian Aspayat, who represents Harlem, and Congresswoman Beatty, who was the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus back in 2021, and to all 311 of my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats in the House who co-sponsored this legislation, and to Senator Gillibrand and Senator Schumer, who carried it in the Senate.
		A special thank you also to Cindy Rogers, Sidney Harvey, Dr. Richard Harris, and Colonel Krowaski-Salter.
		give them all a big thank you.
		In 2019, the Willett family from Glen Cove, my hometown, told me about their grandfather, Sergeant Leander Willett, who served bravely with the Harlem Hellfighters in World War I. Sergeant Willett was stabbed with a bayonet.
		He was attacked with mustard gas, and yet despite his sacrifice, he never received a purple heart.
		He died long before we could properly honor him.
		In 2019, I had the great privilege of presenting Sergeant Willett's daughter, Clara, with her father's long overdue Purple Heart.
		It was, of course, very moving.
		But Sergeant Willett was far from the only soldier with that experience.
		In fact, over 40 Harlem Hellfighters were from my hometown, from the city of Glen Cove and the surrounding areas.
		And over 2,500 Harlem Hellfighters served over the course of World War I. With the help of Congressman Espayat, Congresswoman Beatty, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Schumer, we did the research, we got the co-sponsors and had this gold medal signed into law by President Biden back in 2021.
		When I returned to Congress in early 2024, after a brief hiatus, one of the first things I did was to write Speaker Johnson, seek him out on the floor several times, and ask him to schedule this ceremony.
		And finally, we are here today to say with one voice to the Harlem Hellfighters, thank you.
		you will never be forgotten.
		The Harlem Hellfighters gave everything for America.
		Today, America tries to give back.
		This medal will stand for them, their families, their descendants, and for every American who believes in courage, sacrifice, and service.
		It's never too late to do the right thing.
		To the Harlem Hellfighters and their families, congratulations and thank you.
		Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Adriano Espaillat, United States Representative from the 13th District of New York.
adriano espaillat ▲ ● ▼		Good afternoon, everyone.
		Speaker Johnson, thank you, Leader Jeffries, Secretary, Senator Gillibrand, and my colleagues, Joyce Beatty, and of course, Tom Swazi from Long Island.
		Thank you for this important event.
		For 191 days, the Harlem Hellfighters protected democracy and our nation.
unidentified		But today is their day.
adriano espaillat ▲ ● ▼		Today is the day for the Harlem Hellfighters, for the sacrifice that they put forward.
		I'm honored to have been here with Tom Swazi and Congresswoman Beatty working to make sure that they get the proper recognition that they deserve.
		They distinguished themselves, African American and Puerto Rican men, were patriots of the highest valor.
		And I want to welcome folks that are here from the village of Harlem today.
		They came all the way from Harlem to be here with us today to share this special moment of the Harlem Hellfighters, which are exemplary of the men and women of the village of Harlem that have given everything for our nation.
		Our government did not perhaps afford the Harlem Hellfighters the treatment that they deserve.
		The French stepped in, and we want to thank the French people for allowing them the ability to protect themselves by giving them the arms during that conflict.
		They put their lives on the line for freedom and the freedoms that are so importantly enshrined in our Constitution, despite doing so at a time when black Americans did not enjoy the very freedoms that they fought to protect.
		So that is why we're so important that we're here today giving this day, this moment, to the Harlem Hellfighters.
		They join other units of the Armed Forces that have distinguished themselves with valor in the field of battle.
		And we will forever now remember them with this Congressional Medal that will forever be in the records of Congress as a proper recognition of what they gave to our nation.
		Let's never forget Harlem.
		Let's never forget the Harlem Hellfighters.
		bless you and keep the faith.
unidentified		Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Joyce Beatty, United States representative from the 3rd District of Ohio.
		I am honored to stand here alongside distinguished leaders in Congress, the administration, and our armed forces.
		Mr. Speaker, Leader Jeffries, U.S. Secretary of Defense, and my good friend and Senator Gillibrand.
		But I am especially proud to be here with families of the 369th Infantry Regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters.
		Your presence reminds us that this is not only history.
		This is family.
		This is legacy.
		This is sacrifice written in black blood, sweat, and tears, passed from one generation to the next.
		And as an Ohioan and chair emeritor of the Congressional Black Caucus, I was proud to join my friend and colleague, the Congressman from New York, Tom Swasey,
		joined with the Congressman from Harlem, as he would say, Congressman Adriana Espiat, to introduce the Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act of the 117th Congress, and that President Biden signed into law on August 25th, 2021.
		And I am proud that Ohioans were among the many who served and sacrificed with the Harlem Hellfighters.
		Tom, thank you.
		Thank you for your vision and your courage, because today's honor is another step towards justice and telling America the story of black men who fought for democracy abroad while being denied democracy at home.
		The Harlem Hellfighters wore the uniform of a nation that segregated them.
		Yet still they fought with unmatched valor and unshakable courage.
		Fighting under French command, they spent 191 days on the front line, never lost a man to capture, never gave up an inch of ground.
		The Germans named them the Hellfighters for their relentless spirit.
		The French decorated them with the croix de guerre.
		But in America, they returned to racism and often to second-class citizenship, to a silence that lasted too long.
		But today, Tom and Adriana, today more than a century later, we say their names, Ms. Willett.
		We honor their sacrifice.
		We lift up their story as part of a great American story, a story written of black heroes.
		And as Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and on behalf of our 12 founders of the CBC and today's 61 members, we say, Harlem Hellfighters, we remember you, we honor you, we thank you, and we will never let this nation forget you.
		God bless you.
		Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand, United States Senator from New York.
		Good afternoon, everyone.
		I'm so grateful that this day has come.
		I remember the first day when Tom called me and said, let's get this done.
		That was years ago.
		And so now to be able to be here together at this moment to celebrate such an incredible moment in history is so meaningful.
		I want to thank our leaders, Leader Schumer, Leader Thune, Leader Jeffries, Speaker Johnson.
		I want to thank the Congressional delegation.
		You really led this effort, Tom Swazi, Adriano Espeat, and Joyce Beatty, for your outstanding vision and leadership to get this across the finish line from the very inception.
		Most importantly, I want to thank the family and the members and loved ones of these brave heroes that we are here to honor.
		I'm so glad that we are here to recognize New York's 369th Infantry Regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters.
		While their national recognition is long overdue, today we rightly honor the brave men with Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements, something that was so important to our nation's history, the Congressional Gold Medal.
		The Harlem Hellfighters served our nation with distinction, spending months in the trenches and in combat operations, where they demonstrated remarkable courage and sacrifice.
		Though initially assigned to just unload ships, this unit of brave warriors went on to spend more time in continuous combat than any other American unit of its size, suffering 1,400 casualties, more than any other American regiment.
		They fought with such determination that our French allies called them the Men of Bronze, and even their German adversaries gave them the moniker, Harlem Hellfighters.
		Never losing a position, these men fought fiercely to defend American freedoms and values overseas, and they did so even as they faced segregation and prejudice here at home.
		Stories like that of then Private Henry Johnson remind us of the ferocity with which these brave men fought.
		One night while on guard duty, Johnson came under sudden and overwhelming attack.
		Though gravely wounded, he refused to give an inch and he refused to yield with literally nothing else but a field knife in his hand.
		He launched a fearless counterattack, engaging in hand-to-hand combat, preventing the capture of any fellow soldier, and holding back enemy forces against impossible odds.
		That is why they are called Hellfighters.
		The discrimination these men faced before deployment and after returning home cannot be outdone with this award.
		Still, the Congressional Gold Medal offers us a chance today to honor the bravery they showed and the sacrifices they made in service of our national values, values that they are still very much striving, all of us living up to today.
		I was proud to lead this in the Senate.
		I was proud to work with my colleagues.
		I'm most proud that these men and women came from our great state, Harlem.
		And I'm so grateful that we are all here to celebrate their extraordinary bravery.
		Ladies and gentlemen, the United States Army Band, Pershing Zone, performing I'm Just Wild About Harry.
		There's just one fellow for me in this world.
		Harry's his name.
		That's what I claim.
		Why, for every fellow, there must be a girl.
		I found my me by kindness and faith.
		I'm just wild about Harry, and Harry's wild about me.
		The heavenly blisses of his kisses fill me with ecstasy.
		He's sweet just like chocolate candy and just like honey from a bee.
		Oh, just wild about Harry.
		And he's just wild about cannot do without.
		He is just wild about me.
		Oh, I'm just wild about Harry.
	And he's just wild about me.
	The heavenly blisses of his kisses fill me with ecstasy.
	He's sweet just like chocolate candy and just like honey from a bee.
	I'm just wondering about Harry and he just wild about, cannot do without.
	He just won about me.
	Oh, I'm just wild about Harry.
	And he just won about me.
	The blisses of his kisses fill me with ecstasy.
	He's sweet just like chocolate candy and just like honey from a bee.
	Oh, just wild about Harry.
	And he just wild about, cannot do without him.
	Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Leader of the United States House of Representatives.
hakeem jeffries ▲ ● ▼		Speaker Johnson, Leader Fumer, Senator Gillibrand, to Representatives Swazi, Beatty, and Espayat who championed this effort, members of the cabinet, Secretary Hegstaff, members of the administration, distinguished guests, families, and all those assembled.
		It's a high honor and a distinct privilege on behalf of the House Democratic Caucus to deliver a few words as we celebrate the heroic Harlem Hellfighters.
		Black troops have fought valiantly in every war undertaken by this nation, beginning with the American Revolution.
		But the Harlem Hellfighters were one of a kind.
		They were brave, bold, and beguiling patriots who loved America even when America didn't show the same love to them.
		The Harlem Hellfighters trained for combat, but when it was time to deploy, they were not allowed to march in the farewell parade because of the color of their skin.
		But they still loved America.
		These soldiers were sent across the Atlantic to unload ships, supply troops, and dig trenches.
		Unglamorous, dangerous, yet important work.
		It was not until the French Army badly needed reinforcements that General Pershing decided the Hellfighters could finally see combat.
		But with the French Army, not alongside American troops.
		Yet they still loved America.
		They were even denied the use of American weapons.
		Yet they still loved America.
		The Hellfighters legendary commander William Hayward of Nebraska noted in a letter that our great American general simply put the black orphan in a basket, set it on the doorstep of the French, pulled the bell, and went away.
		They were set up for failure, but the Lord works in mysterious ways.
		And the Hellfighters were heavenly ordained.
		The Harlem Hellfighters spent more time on the front lines than any other American unit, never ceding an inch of territory or losing a single POW.
		Private Henry Johnson, who stood only 5'4 and weighed just 130 pounds, became one of the first Americans ever to receive the highest French military award for valor after fighting off over 20 enemy troops single-handedly with nothing more than a jammed rifle and a bolo knife.
		He gave them hell.
		When recounting his service, Private Melville Miller of the Harlem Hellfighters said, every man felt he was in the best squad in the best regiment of the whole dang United States Army.
		Private Miller, when speaking about the equipment used by the Hellfighters, observed, we were issued French helmets, French rifles, French ammunition, French canteens, and instead of water, we were issued French wine.
		Turns out that serving with the French did have some benefits.
		Upon returning home to the United States, the Hellfighters hoped that fighting for democracy abroad would strengthen the fight for equality at home.
		Yet these hopes, we know, were quickly dashed.
		These courageous heroes had to deal with the indignities of Jim Crow's segregation, a lack of recognition for their heroics, and even exclusion from the World War I victory parade.
		But the enduring spirit of America is one of gratitude.
		And thankfully, that wasn't the end of their story.
		Monuments now stand for them.
		Posthumous awards have been issued.
		And today, the entire 369th Infantry Regiment is being given the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor conferred by Congress, the Article I branch of government.
		That's the enduring spirit of the United States of America.
		The Harlem Hellfighters went from relegation to elevation.
		We will never forget their bravery.
		We will never forget their service.
		We will never forget their patriotism.
		Their story will live on forever.
		God bless you.
		God bless the Harlem Hellfighters.
		May God always bless the United States of America.
unidentified		Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Charles E. Schumer, Democratic Leader of the United States Senate.
chuck schumer ▲ ● ▼		Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, friends, families, veterans, guests, and my colleagues who joined me in leading this effort, Senator Gillibrand, Congressmembers Swazi, Espiot, and Beattie, and many others, including somebody who fought so hard for the Hellfighters, my dear friend who we dearly miss, Congressman Charlie Wrangell.
		I stand here today, not just as a Senate Democratic leader, but as the senior senator from New York, home to one of the finest groups of fighters our nation has ever seen, the 369th.
		the great Harlem Hellfighters.
		Today, today with this medal, we deliver justice long denied, recognition long overdue for the Harlem Hellfighters.
		By now, we all know the story of these brave Hellfighters.
		We know about the racism they faced in the segregated military and at home in America.
		We know about their 191 consecutive days in combat, from the trenches of France to the banks of the Rhine.
		We know about their triumphs.
		We know about their tragic losses, including 1,500 casualties, more than any American unit.
		And we also know, as our leader mentioned, heroes like Sergeant Henry Johnson of Albany, New York, who Theodore Roosevelt called one of the five bravest American soldiers of the war, and rightly so.
		Sergeant Johnson is credited with single-handedly fighting off a German raider party, at times using only a bolo knife, stopping their advance, saving his soldiers from capture and death.
		The veterans of Albany, black and white, came to me and said, this man has been denied the Medal of Honor.
		And it took huge effort because, as you know, to get the Medal of Honor, you need contemporaneous witnessing of the bravery of the soldier.
		We worked for two years, and deep, deep in the archives of the Pentagon, we found contemporaneous knowledge of what Johnson had done by none other than General Person.
		We presented it to DOD, and it was such a proud, proud moment when President Obama gave him the medal in 2015.
		Fitting, just, and long overdue.
		I was also proud when it was announced that they would be renaming Fort Polk to Fort Johnson in his honor.
		And while that decision was reversed earlier this year, I hope today shows what a mistake that was and why a base deserves to bear the name of one of Harlem Hellfighters' finest.
		What made the Hellfighters so remarkable is how they loved their country, even when their country did not unconditionally love them back.
		They risked everything fighting to protect freedoms they did not fully know, but believed were worth fighting for.
		Their bravery inspired future generations to fight for our founding ideals, that all people are created equal and deserve equal protection under the law.
		So much progress has been made, but so much work remains to be done.
		In their name, in the Hellfighters' name, we will continue to fight for full dignity, recognition, and equality for all.
		So God bless the Harlem Hellfighters.
		God bless our service members in uniform, and God bless the United States of America.
		Thank you.
unidentified		Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		Well, it's been a fitting honor today, and we'll get to the big moment here.
unidentified		I just wanted to share one more quick story because it's an encouraging one.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		There are lots of stories about these great men and their valor and heroism and what they've meant to our country.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		And as has been said, as my good friend Hakeem Jeffries noted, and everybody has, at the time of the First World War, our military was still segregated.
unidentified		You had black soldiers were most often assigned to labor battalions.
unidentified		They would be ordered to dig ditches instead of seeing combat.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		But among those determined to right this wrong was the man who was named earlier, Colonel William Hayward.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		He was the officer instrumental in organizing, recruiting, and training the Harlem Hellfighters.
unidentified		He believed in these men.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		And there's a story I just wanted to share briefly before we hand out the medal.
unidentified		It was the spring of 1917.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		As America mobilized for war, there was a military parade held in the streets of Harlem to rally potential recruits.
		A photograph from that day was shown mockingly to Colonel Hayward, who himself was preparing to deploy to France with the 369th Regiment.
		Pictured before him were a couple hundred men loosely organized as they trudged down through the streets of Harlem.
		And as one soldier put it, it was actually a dreadful picture to record.
unidentified		That's a quote.
		The colonel's face lit up with anger.
		He was frustrated by it.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		It was hardly the picture of military might that he had envisioned for his own men that he had recruited.
unidentified		But then, as he looked again, something changed.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		Colonel Hayward would later recall that a vision came to him in that moment.
		And in his vision, those scattered columns of men transformed.
		Their numbers increased by 20-fold in his vision.
		Onlookers cheered, and the soldiers had taken on, quote, a new and magnificent dignity.
		Colonel Hayward wondered aloud whether that fond dream of his might ever come true.
		Thankfully, as history notes, it actually did.
unidentified		There was a day, there was a moment when the war was finally over and the Harlem Hellfighters returned to a hero's welcome.
		They went back to Harlem.
		Tens of thousands cheered them on.
		They cheered on these brave men as they marched down Madison Avenue.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		Sounds of exaltation and gratitude could be heard from every direction as men and women cried, God bless these boys.
		And now, on behalf of a grateful nation, as we honor these brave men, we say once again, in no uncertain terms, God bless these boys.
		May God bless the fallen of all of our wars, our veterans, their families, and all those who still serve today in following that great legacy.
unidentified		Thank you all for being here.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		At this point, we're going to hand out the medal, the moment we've all been waiting for.
unidentified		So, at this point, I would like to invite our program participants to come on up.
unidentified		There'll be some on the stage and some down below because there's a lot.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		And we'll include as well Colonel Linehan, Colonel Salter, Dr. Harris, and Miss Willett.
unidentified		You all come up on the stage, if you will, to accept the medal on behalf of all the members of the Harlem Hellfighters.
		You should go in the middle.
		Ladies and
		gentlemen, L. Linehan, Commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade, NEW YORK ARMY National Guard.
		Good afternoon, distinguished guests, Speaker Johnson, Secretary of Defense Hegsef, Honorable Members of the House and Senate, senior military leaders, French military representatives, Hellfighter descendants, and fellow hellfighters.
		It is humbling to be in the presence of descendants of our famed World War I heroes, alongside so many distinguished people and organizations for whom the Hellfighter story means so much.
		The Harlem Hellfighters' bravery, courage, and resilience in World War I sets an example for the current generation of soldiers to follow.
		At our Armory in Harlem, New York, we endeavor to honor, preserve, and promote their incredible legacy.
		People hear about the 191 days of frontline combat during World War I, more than any other American regiment, never losing an inch of ground or a man to capture, being the first American unit to cross the Rhine into Germany, and the stories of Sergeant Henry Johnson and Lieutenants George Robb and James Reese Europe.
		But there were almost 4,000 men who served in the regiment during the war.
		Of these, there were over 1,000 casualties wounded or killed.
		All of these men had their own story.
		Today's hellfighters honor all of these men to preserve their legacy and example.
		Thank you for this opportunity to speak.
		Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Deborah Willett, granddaughter of Harlem Hellfighter Sergeant Leander Willett.
		If you could all just give me a minute, only because I know that my grandfather and the other brave men that fought alongside him never thought that their courage and their exploits would be celebrated in such a revered setting.
		And I thank all of you for giving them this honor.
		You know, they sacrificed and they thought that they were making a difference.
		And today proves that they did.
		And we will continue your fight for making America and transforming America into a land and a beacon of hope, peace, and prosperity.
		Let's not let that out.
		But someday, someday, I know that I will be able to tell my students that I was there when my grandfather and other men that looked like me was so honored by all of you.
		And I thank you for that.
		Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Richard C. Harris, co-chair of the Harlem Hellfighters Recognition Committee and liaison for the Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act.
		Good afternoon.
		My approach is going to be a little different, but every community's history is filled with stories of interesting people and events.
		And one discovery of such stories began actually in April of 2018 in the town of Glen Cove on the north shore of Long Island.
		I found, for example, in looking through library file folders, newspaper articles, that over three dozen men from Glen Cove in the immediate area had been members of the Harlem Hellfighters.
		I also found that several of them had received the French quadruped.
		And interestingly, one family from Glen Cove sent seven sons off to fight in that war, six of whom belonged to the 369th.
		An exhibit of the 369th at the North Shore Historical Museum led to the creation of the Harlem Hellfighter Recognition Project.
		And the project committee decided early on that our goal would be to try to have Congress approve a congressional gold medal for the unit.
		Congressman Swazi and others who've been mentioned joined in the effort.
		And amazingly, here we are today.
		Thank you to all the individuals and organizations that have contributed to making this day and the recognition of the recognition project committee looks forward to more events celebrating that unit.
		We haven't given up yet.
		We haven't stopped.
		And in fact, we hope the next event will be a commemorative stamp.
		Again, let us never forget the Harlem Alfredos.
		Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Pete Hetseth, Secretary of Defense.
pete hegseth ▲ ● ▼		They were more than 150 miles off the coast of New York bound for the North Atlantic and onto France when they knew they had to return to shore.
		A piston rod in the ship had broken.
		The repair could not be completed at sea.
		And so back to the pier they went.
		It was November 1917.
		When they set sail for France a second time, a fire broke out in the ship's bunker.
		The damage could not be repaired at sea.
		Back to the harbor they went.
		On December 13th, they launched a third time.
		One soldier, Lieutenant Louis Shaw, wrote to his mother, This letter will be delivered when the War Department hears of our safe arrival.
		Keep busy and well, for we have lots of good times coming.
		And so they sailed on through cold rain.
		They were soldiers, volunteers, and they were incredible Americans.
		As the rain turned to snow, an English tanker drifted into them by accident.
		It tore metal plates off the side of the soldier's ship.
		Determined to get to France and take their place in the Great War, the soldiers refused to turn back.
		Instead, in 10-degree weather, they used slings to lower themselves down on the side of the ship to make repairs.
		And they kept going.
		Vigilant about enemy submarines, the soldiers slept in their uniforms.
		They wore life vests and they ate supper at 3.30 p.m. because they couldn't burn lights after sundown.
		Not even cigarettes were allowed.
		Just before Christmas Eve, the men gathered for a makeshift church service.
		As they sang hymns, the verses from Onward Christian Soldiers echoed through the ship.
		Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise.
		Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.
		On Christmas, seven Allied destroyers met the ship to escort the soldiers to France.
		They arrived on New Year's Day, 1918.
		As is noted, fighting under French command, they wore the horizon blue helmets of the French army.
		But these men were exceptional Americans.
		They sewed badges on their olive-colored uniforms.
		On each one was the image of the rattlesnake, the 369th Infantry Regiment.
		During the American Revolution, it was Benjamin Franklin who said that the rattlesnake captured the temper and conduct of this new republic.
		She never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the damage of treading on her, he said.
		And so the soldiers were named the Rattlers.
		Through valleys and over ridges filled with gas and smoked, they forged ahead.
		They faced the enemy head-on.
		They faced him at point-blank range.
		They faced him amid bullets and shells raining down.
		They were exceptional Americans.
		So they pushed on.
		I thought their shells had messed us up a good deal, Sergeant Robert Collins said about one of the enemy's attempts.
		But man, you should have seen what we done to them.
		When our machine guns got through with them, they looked like a bunch of Swiss cheese.
		Of such men, Captain William Hayward observed, The first thing I knew, the first thing I knew, was there was nothing between the German army and Paris except my regiment.
		But that was fair enough because there was nothing between us and Berlin except the German army.
		One German admitted, we can't hold up against these men.
		They smile when they kill, and they will not be taken alive.
		The enemy grew so frustrated and frightened of these American warfighters that their high command offered a reward of 400 marks to any German who captured one of them alive.
		They never succeeded.
		Not one.
		And if you understand World War I, you understand how incredible that is.
		One night when it looked as if the enemy had cornered a few of those American soldiers, they could do nothing but surrender, they thought, and become prisoners of war.
		Sergeant William Butler of Maryland charged out of his trench.
		He shouted and fired his rifle as he rushed the enemy.
		He killed four of their men.
		The Americans escaped.
unidentified		Warriors all.
pete hegseth ▲ ● ▼		Soldier Routes 20 Germans was the headline in the New York papers.
		I guess I just ran amok, Butler said.
		In 1919, more than a quarter of a million Americans turned out to cheer the soldiers' homecoming in the streets of New York.
		They had served nearly 200 days in continuous combat.
		Think about that, six months in some of the most ferocious fighting you can imagine, did not give an inch.
		Along those city streets, in the shop windows, on the banners, and on the lapel buttons of the citizens who paid their respects, there was an image, the rattlesnake, the symbol of the men we honor today as the Harlem Hellfighters, the symbol of these soldiers who were the bravest of Americans.
		We ought always thank Almighty God for such men.
		And may we honor them forever, especially because they were not honored in their time.
		God bless.
unidentified		Ladies and gentlemen, the 369th experience performing Darktown Strutters Ball.
		Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the benediction delivered by Colonel Kruski A. Salter, Ph.D., United States Army Retired Liaison for the Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act.
		Speaker of the House, Honorable Elected Officials, Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the families of the Harlem Hellfighters, and all present here, let us pray from the book of Mark, verse 45.
		For even the Son of Man did not come to be served.
		He came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.
		That is what the men of the 369th Infantry Regiment did during the Great War.
		They were volunteers who deployed overseas to serve, willing to give their lives to help make America and indeed the world safe for democracy, hoping that democracy would bestowed upon their families, their communities, and themselves when they returned from war.
		And I, oh God, believe that the men of the 369th Infantry Regiment would give us permission today to share this Congressional Gold Medal honor with the other 200,000 African Americans who served overseas during the Great War.
		For all of them served to ensure that the rights of the 13th, the 14th, and the 15th Amendments, which granted freedom, citizenship, and the right to vote for black men after the Civil War, would be preserved for all Americans throughout posterity.
		Similar to Psalms 118-22, the stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.
		In other words, the 369th, which was rejected by the American Expeditionary Forces, turned out to be the longest serving U.S. Army regimental size unit on the front lines.
		They ultimately turned out to be one of the most decorated American regiments in the American Expeditionary Force.
		And arguably today, they are one of the most known regiments in American military history.
		They planted the seeds of Executive Order 9981, which led to the integration of the Armed Forces beginning in 1948.
		And they also planted the seeds for the modern-day civil rights movement of the 1950s and the 1960s.
		So may God bless the Harlem Hellfighters whose blood still flows through the veins of their descendants in this very room today.
		May God bless all 4 million American soldiers who served during World War I. 2 million overseas in the American Expeditionary Force and almost 2 million more on their home front.
		And may God continue to bless America.
		Amen.
		C-SPAN's Washington Journal, our live forum inviting you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics, and public policy from Washington and across the country.
		Coming up this morning, we'll talk about redistricting battles in Texas and nationwide, the Epstein files, and congressional news of the day with Texas Democratic Congressman Al Green, a member of the Financial Services Committee, and Nebraska Republican Congressman Adrian Smith, chair of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee on government spending deadlines.
		He'll also talk about the Epstein files and congressional news of the day.
		C-SPAN's Washington Journal.
		Join in the conversation live at 7 Eastern this morning on C-SPAN.
		C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app or online at c-span.org.
		Live today on the C-SPAN networks at 9 a.m. Eastern, the House will vote on final passage on the 2026 Energy and Water Spending Legislation.
		That's on C-SPAN.
		On C-SPAN 2 at 10 a.m., the Senate gavels in to continue work on 2026 defense programs and policy legislation, which authorizes $914 billion for the Pentagon and the Energy Department's nuclear weapons programs.

▲