The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (PIB), formed in 1944, also known as the Triple Nickels and The Smoke Jumpers, received recognition throughout the armed forces because they were: the first African-American parachute unit to actually use parachutes in the military; the first to become smoke jumpers fighting forest fires; and the first African-American battalion to integrate the armed forces just months before President Truman officially directed the integration of the United States military. In addition, the Triple Nickels were participants in Operation Fire Fly, a mission to locate and dispose of balloon bombs dropped by the Japanese over parts of the Midwestern United States at the start of World War II.
From the description of 555th Parachute Infantry Association collection, 1949-1998 (bulk 1998) (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 568456452
