Author Description

In the winter of 1943-44, in an army that often relegated blacks to menial jobs, a small group of American soldiers succeeded in becoming the nation's first all-black parachute infantry test platoon, company and battalion: the 555th Battalion of the 82nd Airborne -- the Triple Nickles. The high professional standards of the 555th, the men's skill in airborne operations, fearlessness in testing new concepts, and effectiveness in training other personnel mark them as pioneers whose achievement had an impact on society far beyond the army and paved the way for the modern military