Henry Parham

Henry Parham (November 15, 1921 – July 4, 2021) was an African American veteran of D-Day invasion and WWII.

Born November 15, 1921, in Greenville, Virginia, Parham was drafted in 1942 to serve in the Second World War. He landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, as part of Operation Overlord. His battalion, the 320th Very Low Altitude Anti-Aircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion, downed 73 planes through the use of barrage balloons. He was to have served in the War in the Pacific after VE Day, but his transport was delayed due to mechanical problems and Japan surrendered before he shipped out.^[1][2] He was awarded the Legion of Honor in 2013.^[3] At the time of his death on July 4, 2021, he was the "last surviving African American combat veteran of D-Day".^[4]

References

1. Jacob Gerszten (September 2, 2009). "Spending time with a World War II veteran". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
2. Paul Guggenheimer (July 3, 2019). "How Wilkinsburg's Henry Parham survived 68 days on Omaha Beach". Trib Live. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
3. Torsten Ove (June 6, 2013). "French thank Pittsburgh D-Day veteran with Legion of Honor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
4. Rebecca Johnson (July 12, 2021). "Henry Parham, last surviving Black combat veteran of D-Day, laid to rest". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 18, 2021.

External links

• I Am the American Legion profile
• New York Times: Henry Parham, Who Fought in a Black Unit on D-Day, Dies at 99