Fort Polk renamed Fort Johnson in honor of Black WWI hero
By ROSE L. THAYER
STARS AND STRIPES • June 13, 2023
With the striking of an anvil to symbolize the forging of the warrior spirit, the home of the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center in Louisiana was officially renamed Tuesday from Fort Polk to Fort Johnson.
“At the heart of the warrior spirit lies courage, unwavering bravery to face danger head on, to stand firm in the face of adversity and to protect the freedoms we hold dear,” said Brig. Gen. David Gardner, the post’s commander. “If Sgt. William Henry Johnson doesn't exemplify the warrior spirit in its purest form, then I don't know who does.”
Born in North Carolina, Johnson moved to New York as a teenager and enlisted in the Army in June 1917. He was assigned to the 369th Infantry Regiment, an all-Black New York National Guard unit known as the Harlem Hellfighters.
Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, attended Tuesday's ceremony and said Johnson fought in World War I with the National Guard — the first war in which the organization was officially called the National Guard and was considered a professional military force. He thanked the commission tasked with renaming the Army’s nine installations for choosing a member of the National Guard for recognition.
https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2023-06-13/fort-polk-johnson-confederate-army-10427731.html