Leaping Into the Sky

Wars are a tragedy. Death and destruction define them. War also provides opportunities in a time of change. This was true for America's black soldiers in World War II, who were relegated to menial tasks and denied combat roles. That is, until the U.S. Army conducted a highly secret experiment in 1944-1945 by creating the all-black 555th Airborne. Unknown by the general public, "men of color," participated in this classified effort, sacrificing everything to prove their competency and patriotism in their struggle for racial tolerance. They did so by leaping out of airplanes, not over wartime Japan or Nazi Germany, but rather California and the Northwest. There they fought the world's first intercontinental weapon, Japan's "balloon bombs," carrying with them the threat of fire, blast, and biological warfare. In doing so, these young men became the Army's first fully certified "smokejumpers" and contributed to winning the war. This is their story, neglected in our history books, to gain racial acceptance at a time when prejudice was all too common in America.