[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1136 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1136

   Honoring and expressing gratitude to the 555th Parachute Infantry 
       Battalion (``Triple Nickles'') of the United States Army.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 2008

 Mr. Johnson of Georgia submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Honoring and expressing gratitude to the 555th Parachute Infantry 
       Battalion (``Triple Nickles'') of the United States Army.

Whereas in December 1942, the Advisory Committee on Negro Troop Policies 
        recommended the establishment of an African-American parachute 
        battalion;
Whereas on February 25, 1943, Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall 
        directed that the 555th Parachute Infantry Company be constituted;
Whereas on December 19, 1943, the headquarters of Army Ground Forces authorized 
        the activation of the company as an all-black unit with black officers 
        as well as black enlisted men;
Whereas all members of the unit were to be volunteers, with an enlisted cadre to 
        be selected from personnel of the 92d Infantry Division;
Whereas the company was officially activated on December 30, 1943, at Fort 
        Benning, Georgia;
Whereas, after several months of training, the unit moved to Camp Mackall, North 
        Carolina, where it was reorganized and redesignated on November 25, 
        1944, as Company A of the newly-activated 555th Parachute Infantry 
        Battalion;
Whereas in May 1945, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was sent to the west 
        coast of the United States to combat forest fires ignited by Japanese 
        balloons carrying incendiary bombs;
Whereas, while stationed at Pendleton Field, Oregon, with a detachment in Chico, 
        California, unit members courageously participated in dangerous fire-
        fighting missions throughout the Pacific Northwest during the summer and 
        fall of 1945, earning the nickname ``Smoke Jumpers'' in addition to 
        ``Triple Nickles'';
Whereas, after nearly five years of honorable service to the United States, the 
        555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was disbanded on December 9, 1947, 
        and became the 3rd Battalion, 505 Airborne Infantry, 82nd Airborne 
        Division; and
Whereas the United States will be forever indebted to the soldiers of the first 
        all African-American Parachute Infantry Battalion and their families for 
        their sacrifices and their contributions to the United States: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors and expresses 
gratitude for the service and sacrifices of the members of the 555th 
Parachute Infantry Battalion and their families upon the 65th 
anniversary of the unit's activation.
                                 <all>