Message From Our Chaplain

Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460

Veteran-Owned and Serving You Since 1902

At Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460, we know how much it means to serve. As a veteran-owned organization, we are committed to meeting the needs of those in our community. We’ve been open since 1902, and that means we’ve spent over 120 years helping people right here in Solon, IA.

As part of our mission, we are open to the public for meals, special events, and more. To learn more about Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460 and what we’re all about, read this recent letter from our chaplain from December 2024.

A Message From Chaplain Doug Thompson

The first American designated as a hero during World War I was Pvt William Henry Johnson (better known as Henry) of the 369th US Army Regiment, 93rd Division. His five-foot-four-inch stature and 120-pound weight made Henry the most unlikely person anyone would have singled out to become a war hero.

Henry and another soldier were posted as sentries in a forward outpost on May 15, 1918, at Saint Menehoul, Argonne Forrest, France. That night, a German raiding party attacked the outpost, but Henry and the other soldiers put up a stiff resistance. Out of ammunition, they swung their rifles like baseball bats. Both Henry and the other soldier were severely wounded, but Henry kept fighting, refusing to surrender. As he fought, he noticed that two Germans were dragging the other wounded soldier away. At this point, Henry withdrew his knife, killing two more of his attackers, then charged after the two Germans who were pulling his wounded comrade away. Henry killed both Germans with his knife, preventing his friends' capture, then he helped his wounded friend back to their position. Back into their position, Henry continued his hand-to-hand fight with such fierce tenacity that the Germans retreated. The next morning, twenty German bodies, a large cache of German weapons, and valuable intelligence information were found.

For his bravery, the French awarded Henry the Croix de Guerre, the highest decoration for valor that France awarded. In addition, the French also added the avec Palme that designated extraordinary valor. The US Army awarded Henry the Distinguished Service Cross. Ninety-seven years later, the United States upgraded Henry's Distinguished Service Cross for his valorous actions to the Medal of Honor.

By now, you may be wondering why it took 97 years for the US government to rectify this error in judgment. The answer is simple: racial prejudice. The 93rd Division was an all-black American Division, and it was thought that black soldiers would lack the ability to be effective fighters. The French government, however, was not constrained by such prejudices. In fact, all surviving members of the 369th Regiment were awarded Croix de Guerre after the war ended, plus another 171 Croix de Guerre were awarded posthumously. The Germans called the 369th Regiment “Hell-fighters” because this Regiment never retreated; later, they were known as The Harlem Hell-fighters. The 369th endured 191 days of combat, and during that time, they never surrendered one foot of ground. The 369th was the longest-serving American combat unit in World War I.



Despite their collective bravery, these men returned home to a nation that chose to ignore their military service and to maintain repugnant Jim Crow laws. Yet the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons of these men have continued to step forward to serve a nation that has maligned them because of the color of their skin. I would like to think that, as a nation, we have grown. I am not naive enough to think that racism is a thing of the past. Racism is a symptom of our own individual insecurities, but if we work together to become a nation of what we can be, then there is hope for our future generations.

Doug Thompson, Chaplain dotandjot@aol.com