WASHINGTON — Defense officials, congressional leaders and lawmakers honored members of a famed African-American regiment from New York that served during World War I, as part of a ceremony Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

Descendants of those who served in the Harlem Hellfighters were given the Congressional Gold Medal to celebrate the 369th infantry regiment’s bravery in the Great War.

Former President Joe Biden had signed legislation in 2021 to award it to the servicemen. 3

After accepting the medal from House Speaker Mike Johnson, Debra Willett, the granddaughter of Sgt. Leander Willett, said: “My grandfather and the other brave men that fought alongside him never thought that their courage and their exploits would be celebrated in such a revered setting.”

“They sacrificed, and they

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