A local Korean War veteran’s elation was only beginning to subside two days after attending the 2015 State of the Union address, with him proudly pulling his gold-tinged ticket out an envelope.
“We’ve been walking on air,” Maurice Thornton said the morning of Friday, Jan. 23, after sipping a cup of coffee in his Delmar home. “I’m still coming down to earth.”
Rep. Paul Tonko invited Thornton, a retired University at Albany professor, to be his guest at President Barack Obama’s address held Wednesday, Jan. 21, in the House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol. Thornton’s wife, Elizabeth, joined him on the trip and watched the address in Tonko’s Office.
Thornton said he was “overwhelmed” to receive Tonko’s invitation to the speech.
“It was something almost beyond my dreams that I would be invited to hear and see the president’s State of the Union address, and especially Barack Obama,” said Thornton. “The view was just outstanding. I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house.”
Tonko, D-Amsterdam, officially announced the veteran as his guest Thursday, Jan. 15, at a site holding great meaning to Thornton — the Henry Johnson Memorial in Albany. For several years, Thornton has been fighting for the Albany-native to receive the Medal of Honor. This effort was part of the reason Tonko selected him.
Thornton is a member of the 369th Veteran’s Association, which is dedicated to preserving and sharing the story of the all African-American 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Harlem Hellfighters.” Thornton has been a member of the group since moving to Bethlehem in 1982 from Ohio.
Tonko pushed for legislation allowing the president to posthumously award Johnson the Medal of Honor, with U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer lobbying his respective legislative body.
Johnson died penniless more than 85 years ago, without the U.S. officially honoring his valor. France, however, awarded Johnson the Croix de Guerre with Gold Palm, one of its highest military honors, shortly after he was discharged.
In 1996, Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. In 2003, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second highest award.
Johnson served in an all-black New York National Guard unit and fought alongside French military units. The U.S. Army was segregated until 1950.
During the early morning hours of May 15, 1918, Johnson, along with Needham Roberts, were at a listening outpost in “No Man’s Land” when a German raider party attacked the pair. Robert’s was quickly injured and unable to fight, but Johnson did not relent.
“Despite sustaining numerous gunshot wounds, he fought off (more than) 20 Germans, rescued his fellow soldier from certain capture, and acquired a large cache of enemy weapons,” Schumer said in his October 2011 online petition for Johnson to receive the Medal of honor. “If not for Johnson’s bravery, with total disregard for his own life, his fellow soldier would have been captured … and valuable intelligence would have gone to the enemy.”
Johnson’s discharge papers did not mention any injuries and he never received any military benefits, according to the New York State Museum. His injuries left him disabled, and he died at 38 years old.
Thornton met Henry Johnson’s son, Herman, who was a Tuskegee Airmen, at Arlington National Cemetery after Henry was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. While Thornton gazed at Johnson’s tombstone, he looked out and saw the Pentagon, which had not been fully repaired from the attack on 9/11.
“The sun was shinning on it and I said to myself, ‘Henry Johnson is still fighting for us,’” Thornton reminisced.
On Dec. 12, the U.S. Senate provided the final approval needed before the president could consider awarding Johnson the Medal of Honor, which traditionally must occur within five years after being discharged.
Thornton is hopeful the president will award the medal.
“I saw busses remove those signs (directing) blacks to sit at the back. And I saw water fountains become water fountains rather than for colored and white,” he said. “I’ve seen a great number of things in my lifetime where policies and laws have been changed for the betterment of the country, so I have no doubt” Johnson will receive the medal.
