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The Triple Nickle

By Joseph L. Murchison, National President

An Invitation:

The 555th Parachute Infantry Association, Inc. invites all members of our brother association, the National Smokejumper Association, to become members of our proud association. We further recommend that members of our association who are smokejumpers become members of the National Smokejumper Association, and that our non-smokejumping members become NSA associate members.

Qualified parachutists or others who would qualify for military hazard duty pay may become regular members of the Triple Nickle Association and others who are patriotic Americans may become associate members. There is no race, creed, gender, or ethnicity barrier.

About Us:

The 555th Parachute Infantry Association, Inc. was formed in August 1979 to maintain the legacy of the first and only all "colored" parachute organization in world history, The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion.

It was nicknamed the "Triple Nickles" because of its numerical designation and the selection of 17 of the original 20-member "colored test platoon" from the 92nd Infantry (Buffalo) Division. Hence, the origin of the term Buffalo Nickles; the spelling derives from old English. Three buffalo nickels joined in a triangle or pyramid are our identifying symbol.

Seventeen of the first group of 20 colored troops completed jump training and were awarded the silver wings of parachutists in early 1944 in spite of wagers among white jump instructors, coupled with attempts to make it so, that they would not jump. Their success opened a veritable floodgate of young colored troops who wanted to join the elite ranks of parachutists.

Soon the Triple Nickles were a highly trained reinforced parachute infantry battalion, ready for combat, and stationed at Camp Mackall, North Carolina.

Smokejumpers: In early 1945 as the war in Europe was reaching a climax the Triple Nickle Battalion received secret orders for a permanent change of station. Feeling that they were finally going to engage the Adolph Hitler in Europe or Hirohito in the Pacific, the battalion happily prepared to fight our country's enemies. But that was not to be.

The Triple Nickle was entrained to Pendleton, Oregon, assigned to the 9th Services Command, trained by the U.S Forest Service, and became history's first military smokejumpers.

There were two reasons for this assignment, the first being that major commanders in Europe were leery of having highly trained colored paratroopers coming into contact with racist white elements of the time. Second, the Japanese were at the time floating incendiary devices attached to balloons across the Pacific Ocean, taking advantage of the jet stream's easterly flow, in an attempt to start forest fires in the northwestern United States.

The Forest Service asked the military for help and the Triple Nickle was ready, willing and able. The battalion answered some 36 fire calls with more than 1,200 individual jumps during the summer of 1945, operating from Pendleton and Chico, Calif. The operation covered all of the northwestern states including Montana.

During fire operations the battalion suffered numerous injuries but only one fatality. Malvin L. Brown, a medic assigned to the battaltion's headquarters company, died on Aug.6, 1945 after falling during a letdown from a tree in the Siskiyou National Forest near Roseburg, Ore. His death is, to our knowledge, the first recorded smokejumper fatality during a fire jump.

Conclusions:

Seemingly, both our associations share a commonality in our histories as well as a pioneering spirit that pervades each individual who leaps out of airplanes. We already have cross memberships in our associations including this writer and the president of your association, Carl Gidlund.

Wayne Williams from the Missoula Base is one of our most valued life members. Walter Morris, the first individual assigned to the 555th Parachute Infantry Test Platoon and who answered fire calls from Pendleton, is a long-time NSA member. We should support each other by extending the trend.

The Triple Nickle Association issues plastic membership cards, publishes a newspaper for members, holds annual reunions, and shares a monumental pride and camaraderie. Our annual dues, whether regular or associate, are $25; life membership is a one-time payment of $300. Associate members (non-hazard duty types) cannot vote or hold elected office for two years. All smokejumpers are welcome and accepted.

If interested call (813) 0886-7845; write 555th P. I. A., PO Box 263127, Tampa, FL 33685; Email triplenickle@juno.com, or the555pia@aol.com. An application will immediately be sent to you by snail mail.

Airborne, All The Way, and then some!!

Read more about the Triple Nickle in this Sacramento Bee story titled Black smoke jumpers' bittersweet past from April 2000.

Visit The Triple Nickle's web site here.

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