He fought racism and fascism: 108-year-old WWII paratrooper who paved path for Black soldiers dies

Guno צְבִי

We fight, We win, Am Yisrael Chai
Sgt. Joe Harris lived a beautiful life.

He sailed to earth on numerous missions as a member of the U.S. Army's first all-Black paratrooper battalion during World War II, the 555th, aptly nicknamed the "Triple Nickles."

At his funeral service on Saturday, friends, family and uniformed members of the military danced and sang to honor Harris, believed to be the oldest paratrooper veteran when he died March 15.

La Tanya Pittman said her father was skilled as a paratrooper, but wanted to become a pilot while he was in the military.

"They wouldn't let him even try," she said. "But he still went on to serve his country."

"They fought fascism and then fought racism," said Gallagher, who is the founder of the oral history nonprofit Preserving Their Stories.

 
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