L - R, Sergeants Clarence Beavers, James Kornegay, Ned Bess, Corporal Elijah Wesby and Sergeant Alvin Moon of the United States Army All African American 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (nicknamed the "Triple Nickles" because of its numerical designation) aim their M3 .45-caliber submachine guns, commonly referred to as the "Grease Gun" during a training exercise at Fort Benning circa February 1944 at Fort Benning, Georgia, United States. These five soldiers were part of the original 17 member selection that succeeded in becoming the first All African American parachute infantry battalion. In early 1945 the battalion were sent to Camp Pendleton in Oregon and assigned to the 9th Services Command, trained by the U.S. Forest Service, and became history's first military airborne firefighting smokejumpers. Credit: INP / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

On October 16, the National Park Service (NPS)announced the latest additions to a growing list of designated World War II Heritage Cities.…