Louisiana’s Fort Polk Army Base Renamed to Honor Black WWI Hero

Fort Polk, located in Louisiana, is set for an official name change to Fort Johnson during a re-designation ceremony scheduled for Tuesday.

CNN reports that the base will be renamed as the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson to celebrate Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Black U.S. soldier who single-handedly fought off approximately two dozen Germans during WWI.

The North Carolina native was a recipient of the World War I Medal of Honor and Purple Heart. He served valiantly in the New York National Guard’s 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment.

"Sgt. Henry Johnson embodied the warrior spirit, and we are deeply honored to bear his name at the Home of Heroes,” said Brig. Gen. David Gardner, the commanding general of the base.

Johnson was renowned for his stance against racism, and on occasion was reprimanded by Army officials for speaking up for fellow Black soldiers. He succumbed to myocarditis in 1929, following a diagnosis of tuberculosis.

“As a Black American whose bravery wasn’t acknowledged at the time, Sgt. Johnson personified the Army values and was the epitome of strength,” said Brig. Gen. Isabel Rivera Smith, the director of joint staff for New York National Guard.

The base, formerly named after Confederate commander Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, is one of nine army installations being renamed to expunge Confederate leader names. This follows the recent renaming of North Carolina's Fort Bragg, now known as Fort Liberty, earlier this month.