The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1945-09-15
Negro Paratroopers Fight
Fires In Woods OF
Pacific Northwest
Jump From Douglas ca Troop
Carriers To Fight Biggest
Fires In Sections History.

Pendleton, Oregon-The war is
over, but American paratroopers
are still fighting n enemy in these
Pacific Northwest weeds, a COM
mon, ever-present enemy-FIRE.
For months now, Negro para
troopers of the 555th Parachute In
fantry Battalion have been jump
ing from Douglas CAT Troop Car
rier planes to battle big forest fires
in one of the worst years in this
sections history.
Faced with the manpower short
age, dry season and more fires
than usual, the United States For
estry Service called on the Army
and these paratroopers furnished
the answer
In many ways, these jumps are
just as daring and hazardous and
spectacular, if not more son, than
any of the combat parachute jump
made in Europe. With no protec-
ton except an asbestos helmet and
mask to protect their eyes, the
partroopers bail out 1000 feet or
more into trees ranging from $50
to 200 feet tall.
They use jump techniques per-
fected by the Troop Carrier Com
mand and the Parachute Infantry
School at Fort Benning, Ga, plus
six weeks of fire fighting technique
taught them by the Forestry Ser
vice.
They cover an area of not only
thousands of acres of forests, but
thousands of miles. They fight fires
all the way from the Canadian
border to Mexico. Principal states
are Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Montana and California, but if the
/ need arises, there is no boundary
The Troop Carrier planes receive
their orders, or directions, from a
central fire control tower of the
Forestry Service.
AS soon as the report comes ms--
giving the location of the fire, the
size, wind velocity and other peril
nent data, the Troop Carrier planes
are loaded with fire-fighting Negro
| paratroopers and speded to the
scene of the fire.
Ordinrily, it would take hum
dreds of men to fight a 600-acre
fire. A dozen paratroopers will do
the job. The '.fire-borne" chutists,
S they have been dramatically de-
scribed, land in front of the fire
and then cut it off.
They usually bail out in sticks
of four and five on an exact spot,
the plane making several passes to
jump them all. Axes, picks, shoveIs
and other equipment are dropped
to earth by chutes ordinrily used
to drop food to combat soldiers in
enemy territory.
After landing in the tall trees
they free themselves from the
chute and let themselves out OF
the tree with $50 foot rope which
they carry.
Upon hitting the ground, they
| retrieve the shovelS and set tC
work digging trenches ahead of the
blaze to keep it from speeding
After this has been done they make
an effort, whenever possible, to ex.
tinguish the blaze. But the EN-.
phasis is placed on keeping the
fire from spreading
No chemicals at all are used
ondy their instruments and man.
ual labor
The land is what is probably
some of the worse mountain terrain
in the world-on mile-high, rugged
mountain peaks and in deep, rocky
valleys. Some of the territory /:
so rough that it has taken them a!
long as ten days to get back tt
their home base Some of the tree.
are so tall and trecherous that i
requires several hours for them t.
get out.
| Newsreel men who watched thu
drop declared they were 1.-The mos
spectacular" thing they had evel
seen.
J When given the fire-fighting as
signment, they were keenly disap
pointed but figured it a snap
But they soon found that it wa
really a man-sized job and vital,
| important. Now that the war il
over and there is no chnce fol
coambt, they are proud of thei
job.