More than a century after they helped break down color barriers by fighting valiantly on the battlefields of World War I, the storied Harlem Hellfighters on Wednesday received the highest civilian award given by the U.S. Congress.

At a ceremony on Capitol Hill, lawmakers officially awarded the unit the Congressional Gold Medal.

“They were brave, bold, and beguiling patriots who loved America, even when America didn’t show the same love to them,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at the afternoon ceremony.

When the U.S. joined World War I, the New York National Guard’s 15th Infantry Regiment (later the 369th Infantry Regiment) was among the first to deploy to Europe.

But, as an all-Black unit, they faced discrimination among the American ranks, and instead ended up under Fren

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