Sergeant Joe Harris, who was believed to be the oldest surviving World War II paratrooper, has passed away.
He was 108.
Harris died on March 15 in a Los Angeles hospital, with his family by his side, according to his grandson Ashton Pittman, who spoke with The Associated Press.
Last Saturday, a full military funeral took place to remember his dedication and service. Loved ones, friends and service members came together to celebrate his life with music and dance, creating a heartfelt tribute in his name.
Sgt. Harris began his military service in 1941 at age 24, and volunteered for the all-Black 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, known as the Triple Nickles (the word was intentionally misspelled after their unit name and the three buffalo nickels that made up their symbol), shortly after the unit was established in 1943.
According to Robert L. Bartlett, a retired professor from Eastern Washington University who specializes in the 555th, in 1944 and 1945, the Japanese released thousands of so-called balloon bombs, intended to be transported by the Pacific jet stream to the U.S. mainland, where they would detonate and ignite fires.
Although about 300 bombs made it to the United States, only six people lost their lives in one incident in May 1945. Still, the bombs caused many forest fires, mostly in rural areas of the West Coast.
During World War II, the Army remained strictly segregated, with most Black soldiers assigned to support roles. While serving, they faced blatant racism, including restrictions that prevented them from entering base stores and officer’s clubs unless those areas were specifically designated for Black individuals. The battalion was formed as an early attempt to desegregate the military, but it never engaged in combat overseas.
At that time, President Franklin Roosevelt faced pressure to integrate Black soldiers into combat units. As a result, in 1945, the military enlisted many Black service members, including Harris and the 555th battalion, to be trained and relocated from their base in North Carolina to rural Oregon. This transfer was part of a secret initiative known as Operation Firefly, where they assisted in fighting the fires, according to Bartlett.
To prevent public panic, the U.S. government kept the balloon bombs confidential.
They also did not disclose that Harris and his team of Black servicemen were the first to respond to the fires.
Jumping from C-47 cargo planes, the team wore leather football helmets with wire face masks and carried various firefighting tools, including the Pulaski, which combines an ax and a hoe. They were trained to land near trees to avoid rough and dangerous terrain, while carrying a 50-foot rope to assist in safely descending if they became entangled in branches.
Sgt. Harris carried out 72 jumps to extinguish fires ignited by the bombs and other natural occurrences such as lightning. He received an honorable discharge in late 1945.
In 1948, the Army was desegregated, and the 555th unit became part of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Joe Harris was born on June 19, 1916, to John and Chaney (Wilson) Harris in Westdale, a small town in northwest Louisiana. Before he joined the Army, Joe worked as a truck driver. He married Louise Singleton in 1942. After his time in the Army, he moved to Compton, California, where he worked for the Border Patrol.
He is survived by his son, Joe Harris; his daughters, Michaun Harris and Latanya Pittman; and five grandchildren. His wife passed away in 1981.
Unlike the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, the Triple Nickles remained mostly unknown. But in recent years, veterans groups have started to honor them.
In January, a group of Marine Corps veterans and wildland firefighters visited Mr. Harris at his home in Compton. They gifted him with a paratrooper patch and a Pulaski tool.
“This unit had to fight to be recognized as human beings while training to fight an enemy overseas,” Bartlett said.
“[They also had to] fight in their own country for respect, even within the military.”
