555th Infantry Parachute Bn SSI - Triple Nickles w Br X 300 T-Shirt

The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, nicknamed The Triple Nickles, was an all-black airborne unit of the United States Army during World War II. On 19 December 1943, Headquarters, Army Ground Forces, authorized the activation of the company as an all-black unit with black officers as well as black enlisted men. All unit members were to be volunteers. During the winter of 1944–45, the Japanese sent 9,300 Fu-Go balloon bombs toward North America. It was believed 1,000 succeeded in reaching the United States; 312 balloon bombs have been found The 555th worked on twenty-eight fires during the 1945 season. Of these, fifteen fires were "jumped" or parachuted