RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- During Black History Month, ABC11 takes a closer look at the first all-Black airborne unit in U.S. history.

The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion often referred to as the 'Triple Nickles' served during a time of segregation during World War II. They were stationed in North Carolina.

The unit began when the support roles of Black soldiers expanded in 1944 after President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the formation of an all-Black Paratrooper Unit during World War II.

It was a small group of 23 officers and enlisted men who trained at the Army's elite airborne school in Fort Benning, Georgia. The Triple Nickles was then activated at Camp Mackall in North Carolina.

But the unit's significance goes far beyond the battlefield.

"This isn't just Black history. Thes

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