In 2019, Willet family members approached U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi about obtaining a Purple Heart for Sgt. Leander Willet, a member of an African American infantry regiment in World War I known as the “Harlem Hellfighters.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 3, six years later, Leander’s granddaughter, Debra Willet, accepted a Congressional Gold Medal in his honor in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Willet had good company – Suozzi, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat.
“My grandfather and the other brave men who fought alongside him never thought that their courage and their exploits would be celebrated in such a revered setting. I thank all of you for giving them this honor,” said the Oyster Bay native in a press release.
Debra Willet and Col. Byron Linnehan, the commander of today’s Hellfighters, the New York Army National Guard’s 369th Sustainment Brigade, accepted the medal. It will be displayed in the Smithsonian Museum.
The Harlem Hellfighters spent 191 days — the most of any American regiment — in combat during World War I.
Suozzi’s office said the regiment was formed because many white soldiers refused to fight alongside black soldiers. His office said that over three dozen of the Hellfighters were from Glen Cove.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing. The Harlem Hellfighters gave everything for America despite extreme circumstances and intense discrimination. This medal is an effort to recognize their sacrifice, their courage, and their service, and to say ‘thank you,’” Suozzi said.
Suozzi said the family had sought his help in 2019 in obtaining a Purple Heart for Leander Willet, who was stabbed by a bayonet and had suffered the effects of mustard gas.
He said the family was initially turned down due to a lack of documentation, but that his office had been able to secure the necessary support through the National Personnel Record Center.
The Willet family received the Purple Heart in November 2019 at Glen Cove’s North Shore Historical Museum.
Suozzi introduced the Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act in 2021 to honor the regiment’s work.
His office said that only two other Congressional Gold Medals have been awarded to African American military groups: the Tuskegee Airmen and the Montfort Point Marines, both from World War II.
“We are here today to say with one voice to the Harlem Hellfighters, thank you. You will never be forgotten. The Harlem Hellfighters gave everything for America. Today, America tries to give back,” Suozzi said at the ceremony.
“We honor the families and legacies of these patriots who gave their all to America’s enduring struggle to secure global freedom. They persevered even as they faced racism and discrimination here at home,” said Espaillat, who represents Harlem.
Willet, a senior library assistant and education special collections coordinator at Hofstra University, said she was inspired by her grandfather’s award of the Congressional Gold Medal.
“We will continue their fight for making America and transforming America into a land and a beacon of hope, peace and prosperity. But someday, I know that I will be able to tell my students that I was there when my grandfather and other men who looked like me were so honored by all of you, and I thank you for that,” Willet said.
