A new historical marker is being unveiled to honor a World War II paratrooper unit.
An elite all-black paratrooper unit, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, or the Triple Nickels, jumped their way into Oregon history in 1945 during a secret mission known as “Operation Firefly.” Their mission was to parachute near forest fires caused by Japanese balloon bombs, disarm them, and destroy any remaining explosives.
Annie von Domitz, Heritage Program and Community Assets Manager with the Historical Marker Committee, says the Triple Nickels weren’t really trained in smoke jumping. They had some training with the forestry service, but was deployed into open fields during training. They were parachuted in with no face masks, only had 50-foot let down ropes, but were landing in the tops of 150-foot trees, so they had to get really creative. The Triple Nickels developed a lot of techniques still used today.
And that wasn’t their only obstacle. They also faced segregation and racism. Von Domitz says in Pendleton, they were only allowed to go into two bars out of the many that were there. Even the German war prisoners had more rights to go places then the Triple Nickels.
Private First Class Marvin L. Brown lost his life during a jump, and the new marker also honors his sacrifice.
The Oregon Black Pioneers will be part of the dedication.
The all-day event is at the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum, located at 30904 Redwood Hwy in Cave Junction. The commemoration starts at 11 am.
For more information on the Triple Nickels and their new marker, call 1-800-574-9397.