New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, American
Description
Due to racial tension within the US Army, the 369th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the French Army for the duration of US involvement in World War I. Formed from the 15th New York National Guard Regiment and nicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters," the 369th was the first African American regiment to reach the battlefields of World War I and the first Allied troops to reach the banks of the Rhine. Upon completion of the 369th’s service in the war, the regiment had spent 191 days in combat, the longest of any American regiment. In appreciation for their actions in the Maison-en-Champagne campaign, the 369th was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Government for acts of bravery in conflicts against the enemy. In addition to this honor, 171 individual members of the 369th Regiment were awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. The 369th Regiment finished their service in Europe and returned to the US in February 1919.New York Recruiting medal that features a multi-colored ribbon and circular medal. The ribbon has a central purple, white, purple stripe surrounded by yellow on one side and orange on the other. The outer pattern is the same on either side, blue, white, red, green and blue on the border. The ribbon is embedded in the upraised edges of the gold pinback. The medal hangs from its ribbon by a circular metal loop. On the front of the medal the name is written above, [NEW YORK NATIONAL GUARD] and...
Metal And Ribbon
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gina R. McVey,Granddaughter
