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PICTURE SHOWS: Sgt. Henry Johnson waves to well-wishers during the 369th Infantry Regiment march up Fifth Avenue in New York City on Feb. 17, 1919 during a parade held to welcome the New York National Guard unit home. Johnson was the first American to win the French military's highest honor during World War I.More than 2,000 Soldiers took part in the parade up Fifth Avenue. The Soldiers marched seven miles from downtown Manhattan to Harlem. ............. STORY COPY: 100 Years Ago (17 Feb 1919): Shunned African American 'Hell Fighters' WWI Soldiers Got Heroes' Welcome Home ....... In 1917, the New York National Guard's 15th Infantry Regiment of African American soldiers were shunned from street parades held for soldiers off to World War I. But on Feb 17, 1919, when those 2,900 Soldiers came home as the infamous "Harlem Hell Fighters" of the 369th Infantry Regiment, New York City residents, both white and black, packed the streets as they paraded up Fifth Avenue. The 369th was in combat for 191 days; never losing a position, never losing a man as a prisoner, and only failing once to gain an objective. Sgt. Henry Johnson of the 369th became a U.S. Army legend: he killed four Germans and chased away 24 others after they overran his position. "They fled in fear as Pvt. William Henry Johnson wielded his bolo knife, hacking away at them after expending his bullets," an Army article detailed. "The French and American Soldiers, he served with on the battlefields of France during World War I, were in awe of him following that epic struggle." Sgt. Johnson was finally awarded the Purple Heart in 1996. In 2002, the U.S. military awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross. Previous efforts to secure the Medal of Honor failed, but in 2015 he was posthumously honoured with the award. BACKGROUND There had been New York City parades for those off to join World War I: for the Guardsmen of the 27th Division and the 42nd Division and the draftee Soldiers of the 77th Div