The 555th Parachute Infantry Company was dedicated to the first Black parachute infantry, known as the Original Seventeen. Walter Morris was the first assigned and selected, and Calvin R. Beal was the first to take a qualification jump. Sixteen qualified on 08 Feb 1944, and Carstell O. Stewart, on emergency leave, qualified one week later. The unit was placed on Army rolls on 25 Feb 1943, authorized as the 555th PI Company on 19 Dec 1943 at Ft. Benning, Ga., activated as the 555th PI Battalion on 25 Nov 1944 at Camp Mackall, N.C., redesignated as the 3rd Battalion, 505th Abn Infantry Regiment and integrated into the 82nd Abn Division on 09 Dec 1947, inactivated on 15 Dec 1947, and removed from Army rolls on 22 Aug 1950. Its first training jump was on 10 Sep 1944, its first death was PFC. Malvin L. Brown, and its first battalion commander was CPT. James H. Porter. The first Black officers assigned and qualified were 1st Lt. Jasper E. Ross, 2nd Lt. Clifford Allen, 2nd Lt. Edward Baker, 2nd Lt. Bradley Biggs, 2nd Lt. Warren C. Cornelius, and 2nd Lt. Edwin H. Wills. During the secret mission called the Fire-Fly Project from May to Oct 1945, the unit made its first fire jump on 14 Jul 1945 and its last fire jump on 10 Oct 1945, fought 36 fires, made 1200 individual jumps, and made no combat jumps.