It’s official: Fort Polk now Fort Johnson
Published 3:15 pm Tuesday, June 13, 2023
- Painting crew members add finishing touches around the new Fort Johnson sign in Leesville. (Emily Burleigh / Leesville Leader)
Fort Polk became Fort Johnson on Tuesday in honor of Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a World War I Medal of Honor recipient from North Carolina who served in the New York National Guard’s 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment.
The 369th Infantry Regiment was ordered into battle in 1918, and Johnson and his unit were brigaded with a French army colonial unit in frontline combat. Johnson served one tour of duty on the western edge of the Argonne Forest in France’s Champagne region, from 1918-1919.
For his battlefield valor, Johnson became one of the first Americans to be awarded the French Croix de Guerre avec Palme, France’s highest award for valor.
Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Medal of Honor.
The story will be updated.
