Sergeant Henry Johnson, American Hero of World War I
A multi-panel sheet with a portrait of Sergeant Henry Johnson and smaller scenes of his work as a railway porter, receiving the Croix de Guerre and fighting off a raiding party. The tell is testimonial: a named First World War soldier is held up as 'an inspiration to our fighting men today', with the claims supplied by the sheet's own captions.
Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Office of War Information (cartoon artwork; artist Charles Alston)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- War and the military, Race and ethnicity
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 208, Artworks and Mockups for Cartoons Promoting the War Effort (NAID 535594), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Office of War Information. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 208, 208-COM-197 (NAID 535680).
Text on the object
Sergeant HENRY JOHNSON AMERICAN HERO-WORLD WAR I AN INSPIRATION TO OUR FIGHTING MEN TODAY HENRY JOHNSON AND NEEDHAM ROBERTS WERE THE FIRST AMERICAN SOLDIERS TO RECEIVE THE COVETED CROIX DE GUERRE! LATER, THEIR ENTIRE REGIMENT WAS DECORATED! BEFORE THE WAR, JOHNSON WAS A PEACEFUL REDCAP IN ALBANY, N.Y.!! "The BATTLE of HENRY JOHNSON" WHEN A RAIDING PARTY ATTEMPTED TO DRAG ROBERTS, HIS SEVERELY WOUNDED BUDDY, AWAY AS A PRISONER, LITTLE HENRY WENT TO WORK WITH HIS DEADLY FRENCH BOLO KNIFE. BETWEEN THEM, ROBERTS HURLING GRENADES, AND JOHNSON WIELDING HIS WICKED BOLO, THEY KILLED FOUR OF THE RAIDERS, AND WOUNDED OR ROUTED AT LEAST TWENTY FOUR MORE!! [Signed:] Alston OWI
