Sec. 2. FINDINGS

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## SEC. 2 FINDINGS Congress finds the following: ####

(1)When the United States officially entered World War I in April 1917, the Armed Forces were still segregated, even though African-American soldiers had served and distinguished themselves in every war since the Revolutionary War, and even the Colonial Wars preceding the American Revolution. ####

(2)After several years of advocacy and debate, in 1916 the State of New York authorized the recruitment of the 15th New York National Guard Regiment, which was called to Federal service on July 25, 1917, soon after arriving for training at Camp Whitman, New York. ####

(3)The 15th completed its basic military practice training at Camp Whitman, New York. ####

(4)To receive combat training, the 15th reported, on October 8, 1917, to Camp Wadsworth, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where it experienced many incidents of racial discrimination. ####

(5)Consequently, the government agreed to remove the 15th from Camp Wadsworth, but, instead of receiving further training, the regiment began preparing for deployment to France in November. ####

(6)The 15th arrived in Saint Nazaire, France, on January 1, 1918, where it was redesignated the 369th Infantry Regiment. ####

(7)Partly because many White soldiers within the American Expeditionary Forces (hereinafter, the “AEF”) refused to perform combat duty with Black soldiers, members of the 369th were initially assigned manual labor tasks, such as loading and unloading supplies, and constructing roads and railroads. ####

(8)After receiving pressure from the 369th regimental commander about not having a combat mission, the AEF attached the 369th to the French Fourth Army. ####

(9)By mid-March of 1918, the 369th went to the Argonne Forest with the French 16th Division for training and soon entered the trenches. ####

(10)The 369th encountered its first German soldiers in combat in April, 1918. ####

(11)In May of 1918, Private Henry Johnson of the 369th received the French Croix de Guerre, with Palm, for extraordinary valor, becoming one of the first American soldiers to be awarded this honor. ####

(12)Johnson also belatedly received a Purple Heart, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and in, 2015, was awarded the Medal of Honor. ####

(13)Throughout the remainder of the spring and into the summer the 369th served at Minacourt, in the Champagne-Marne Defensive, and during the Aisne-Marne Offensive in support of the French 161st Infantry Division. ####

(14)As summer turned to autumn, the 369th went on to participate in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, where it captured the important village of Sechault despite sustaining severe losses. ####

(15)On October 14, 1918, the 369th advanced to Alsace. ####

(16)On November 20, 1918, the 369th reached the banks of the Rhine River as part of the French Army of Occupation, the first Allied unit to do so. ####

(17)The 369th was relieved of its assignment with the French 161st Division in December, 1918, and elements of the regiment sailed for New York in late January and early February, 1919. ####

(18)The 369th Infantry Regiment received a parade up 5th Avenue in New York City on February 17, 1919, receiving applause and cheers from hundreds of thousands of onlookers. ####

(19)The 369th was demobilized on February 28, 1919. ####

(20)Over 170 individual members of the 369th received the Croix de Guerre, many were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and the 369th was awarded a unit citation. ####

(21)It is generally believed that the 369th was dubbed the “Harlem Hellfighters” by German soldiers, who found the men to be incredibly determined and courageous in battle. ####

(22)The 369th was the first regiment of African Americans to deploy overseas during World War I and spent 191 days on the front line in World War I, more than any other American regimental sized unit. ####

(23)The 369th never lost a foot of ground nor had a man taken prisoner, despite suffering a high number of casualties.