On Saturday, April 5, as thousands took to the streets to protest the draconian policies of Trump, several family members and military personnel assembled to pay tribute to Sgt. Joe Harris, who died on March 15 in Los Angeles. Harris was believed to be the oldest surviving World War II paratrooper and a member of the U.S. Army’s first all-Black parachute infantry battalion. He was 108.
At his funeral services in Inglewood, California at the Lewis Metropolitan CME Church, Harris’ grandson, Ashton Pittman, reminded attendees of his grandfather’s courage, kindness, grace and love. “Together, we come together not only to say goodbye, but to honor and celebrate the life of a truly remarkable man … a man, who was not just the patriarch of our family, but the heart and soul of it; a man whose presence filled every room with wisdom, love and unshakable strength.”
Many of these qualities were evident during his tenure as a member of the racially segregated unit, the historic 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, nicknamed the “Triple Nickles.” The battalion was essentially dispatched to protect the U.S. from deadly Japanese balloon bombs during the war, bombs that would explode and start massive fires. “He served his country with courage, even when the same country didn’t always serve him in return,” his grandson added. Among his daring feats were 72 combat jumps, earning him recognition in military publications and mainstream media.
Born Joseph Harris on June 19, 1916 in Westdale, Louisiana, he was 25 when he joined the military in 1941. He completed paratrooper training in Texas and according to Professor Robert L. Bartlett, now retired from Eastern Washington University and who specializes in the 555th, in 1944 and 1945, the Japanese launched thousands of balloons to be carried by the Pacific jet stream to the U.S. mainland to explode and start fires. Such attacks prompted the U.S. to recruit Harris and hundreds of other Black men, train them and send them into blazes on the West Coast, where they fought fires, Bartlett said.
Like so many African Americans in the military during WWII, Harris experienced an extensive barrier of racist restrictions, including being barred from going to the base commissary and using officer’s clubs unless they were designed for Black people. “This unit had to fight to be recognized as human beings while training to fight an enemy overseas, fight in their own country for respect even within the military,” Bartlett said.
During the funeral services, Sgt. Jordan Bednarz, a representative of Liberty Jump Team and Round Canopy Parachuting Team, presented Pittman with a uniform of his own — and inside one of the pockets a photo of his grandfather, according to the AP report. “So my takeaway … this man inspires,” Bednarz said. “I was looking for a reason on why that is, and it didn’t take me long. It’s because I know that inside each of you is more than a little Papa Joe. My only prayer is that leaving here today all of us that were fortunate to know Joe, to know you, and for all of those out there that will someday know us — because we are now custodians of this history — is to bring this story forward,” Bednarz added.
With assistance from the Harris family, Bednarz galvanized a movement, known as Operation Perseverance, to honor African American men for their resolve during World War II. And prior to Harris’ death, they dedicated a landing zone in Tuskegee, Alabama, named “Sgt. Joe Harris Dropzone.” At the end of his military career, Harris worked for the U.S. Border Patrol, and spent more than 60 years living in Compton.
Following the funeral services, a procession departed with a WWII Willy Jeep escort to Inglewood Park Cemetery, where Harris was placed to rest. Hours later, it was reported that the Harris family and friends hosted a celebration of life at their home in Compton, located on 131st Street, which could be renamed in his honor. On site, his paratrooper uniform was on display and an enlarged photo of Harris smiled down over gatherers. In the afternoon, the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg coordinated a WWII C-47 flyover above the home where Harris raised his family and a generation of neighborhood children who went on to become officers, pharmacists, teachers, and even the mayor of Compton, said Rev. Omar Bradley, who delivered the eulogy.
“As long as we devote not just our words, but our flesh to the purpose of freedom and justice for all, in Joe Harris — his legacy and his commitment and his pride and his points and his dignity will live forever,” Rev. Bradley said. “And that shall never die.”
Harris is survived by his son, Pirate Joe Harris Sr., and two daughters, Michaun Harris and Latanya Pittman, and five grandchildren. His wife, Louise Harris, died in 1981.