Joe Harris, 108, Dies; Thought to Be the Oldest World War II Paratrooper

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Joe Harris, 108, Dies; Thought to Be the Oldest World War II Paratrooper
He was a member of a segregated unit in the Pacific Northwest that fought forest fires set off by Japanese balloon bombs.


Joe Harris was a sergeant with an all-Black infantry unit during World War II. The unit was intended to be an early step toward the military’s eventual desegregation. Tracie Hunter, via Associated Press

By Clay Risen
Published March 30, 2025
Updated March 31, 2025

Joe Harris, who as a sergeant with an all-Black infantry unit during World War II parachuted into forest fires across the Pacific Northwest set off by bomb-laden Japanese balloons, and who was believed to be the oldest surviving U.S. paratrooper, died on March 15 in Los Angeles. He was 108. … His death, in a hospital, was confirmed by a representative of his family.

Mr. Harris was a member of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, nicknamed the Triple Nickles (the word was deliberately misspelled) after their unit designation and the three buffalo nickels that formed their insignia.

He enlisted in the Army in 1941 and volunteered to join the 555th soon after it was formed in 1943. The Army was still rigidly segregated, and most Black service members served in support roles; the battalion was formed as an early step toward the military’s eventual desegregation.

It never served overseas. Instead, in 1945 it was transferred from its base in North Carolina to rural Oregon as part of a confidential program known as Operation Firefly.

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Mr. Harris earlier this month when he was visited by members of his family at his home in Compton, Calif. Tracie Hunter, via Associated Press

Mr. Harris and his unit became the front line in fighting the blazes. Jumping from C-47 cargo planes, they wore leather football helmets with wire-mesh face masks and carried a brace of firefighting tools, including the Pulaski, a specialized tool that combines an ax and an adze. … They were trained to aim for trees, to avoid landing in dangerously rugged territory. Among their gear was a 50-foot rope that they would use to drop to the ground after getting snared in branches.

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A correction was made on March 31, 2025: An earlier version of this obituary misstated the year the U.S. Army was desegregated. It was 1948, not 1947.

When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at [e-mail] more

Clay Risen is a Times reporter on the Obituaries desk. More about Clay Risen

A version of this article appears in print on March 31, 2025, Section A, Page 21 of the New York edition with the headline: Joe Harris, 108, Oldest Surviving World War II Paratrooper. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

How Black paratroopers saved the US from Japan’s WWII firebombs

By Sabrina Clay, CNN
6 minute read
Published 6:00 AM EDT, Sat April 5, 2025


Paratroopers of the 555th Parachute Infantry lineup their "jumpsuit" before leaving on a mission in 1945. Behind them is a C-47 of Troop Carrier Command that will fly them to their destination. US National Archives

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[sinkingfeeling]

1. R.I.P.

[marybourg]

2. Thank you for fighting fascism. You left big boots to fill.

[Deuxcents]

3. Forever grateful 💐