Distinguished Unit Citation
date: label: Date
content: after 1942
name: label: Issued by
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
notes: label: Caption
content: Due to racial tension within the US Army, the 369th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the French Army for the duration of US involvement in World War I. Formed from the 15th New York National Guard Regiment and nicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters," the 369th was the first African American regiment to reach the battlefields of World War I and the first Allied troops to reach the banks of the Rhine. Upon completion of the 369th’s service in the war, the regiment had spent 191 days in combat, the longest of any American regiment. In appreciation for their actions in the Maison-en-Champagne campaign, the 369th was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Government for acts of bravery in conflicts against the enemy. In addition to this honor, 171 individual members of the 369th Regiment were awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. The 369th Regiment finished their service in Europe and returned to the US in February 1919.
label: Description
content: Distinguished Unit Citation with two oak leaf clusters. The blue ribbon is surrounded by a gold frame with a leaf pattern. Two bronze oak leaf clusters attached to the ribbon represent an award or decoration. The back has two butterfly clutch pins on each horizontal end. The back of the frame is hollow.
place: label: Place made
content: United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: World War II
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Awards, Medals, and Insignia
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gina R. McVey, Granddaughter
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2011.108.8
objectType: label: Type
content: ribbon bars
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: bronze, metal and ribbon
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 5/8 x 1 11/16 x 1/2 in. (1.6 x 4.3 x 1.3 cm)