New Art Installation in Downtown GP Honors 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
To kick off First Friday in downtown Grants Pass, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce at a new historic art piece at the corner of 5th and H streets late yesterday.
The new installation sits at the northeast sidewalk corner and it commemorates one of Oregon's most significant World War II stories.
The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was a segregated unit of African American recruits who were given the opportunity to work as airborne soldiers. They were dispatched to Oregon to work as smokejumpers, fighting fires started by balloon bombs that were sent over the state by Japan.
Because of the role this battalion played in World War II, the 555th was one of the first military units to be integrated.
Members of the Smokejumper Museum were at the dedication ceremony to share stories and artifacts about this important part of our community's history.
Posted on 11/4/23 5:10AM by Sam Marsh
