US EditionJoe Harris, believed to be the oldest surviving WWII paratrooper, has died
- Joe Harris, a 108-year-old member of the U.S. Army's first all-Black parachute infantry battalion, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion nicknamed the Triple Nickles, died on March 15 in a Los Angeles hospital, surrounded by family, and will be honored with a full military funeral on April 5.
- Harris, born on June 19, 1916, in West Dale, Louisiana, was believed to be the oldest surviving World War II paratrooper and was among the last surviving members of the historic 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion.
- During World War II, Harris and hundreds of other Black men were recruited and sent by the military to fight fires on the West Coast, protecting the U.S. From deadly Japanese balloon bombs launched in 1944 and 1945, facing overt racism and segregation within the military.
- According to his grandson, Ashton Pittman, who told The Associated Press about Harris's death, Harris, who spent over 60 years in Compton, California, was the neighborhood patriarch, and his grandfather would sometimes ask him if he would ever jump out of a plane.
- Shortly before his death, a landing zone was dedicated in Joe Harris's name in Tuskegee, Alabama, and his grandson, Ashton Pittman, who trained with the Liberty Jump Team in Corsicana, Texas, plans to be the first person to jump there, feeling like he is doing what his grandfather did, while honoring his grandfather's wish to be celebrated, not mourned.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Army Times
Marine Corps TimesJoe Harris, believed to be oldest surviving WWII paratrooper, has died
Sgt. Joe Harris, believed to be the oldest surviving World War II paratrooper and a member of the U.S. Army’s first all-Black parachute infantry battalion, has died. He was 108.Harris died March 15 in a hospital in Los Angeles surrounded by family, grandson Ashton Pittman told The Associated Press. He will be honored with a full military funeral on April 5.“He was a very loving, loving, loving man,” said Pittman. “That was one of the things that…
theirishchannel.com
military-stuff.orgJohn Hemingway: Last Surviving Battle of Britain Pilot Dies Aged 105
John Hemingway: Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies aged 105 John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, has passed away at the remarkable age of 105. The Royal Air Force (RAF) confirmed his peaceful passing on Monday, marking the end of an era in British aviation history. Hemingway was one of the revered ‘Few’—the elite group of pilots who defended the United Kingdom against the German Luftwaffe…
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