By JOSE HERRERA INGLEWOOD — Sgt. Joe Harris, who was believed to have been the oldest surviving World War II paratrooper prior to his death last month at age 108, was laid to rest Saturday with a celebration honoring his life and an enduring legacy. This undated photo provided by Tracie Hunter sho ws Sgt. Joe Harris. (Tracie Hunter via AP) This photo provided by Tracie Hunter shows Sgt. Joe Harris with family members in Compton, Calif., on March 1, 2025. (Tracie Hunter via AP) This June 2024 photo provided by Tracie Hunter shows Sgt. Joe Harris at his 108th Birthday party in Compton, Calif. (Tracie Hunter via AP) This April 2024 photo provided by Tracie Hunter shows Sgt. Joe Harris’s original uniform on display in Pendleton, Ore. (Tracie Hunter via AP) Show Caption1 of 4This undated photo provided by Tracie Hunter shows Sgt. Joe Harris. (Tracie Hunter via AP) Expand Family, friends, veterans and military officers filled the Lewis Metropolitan CME Church to give Harris a final farewell. Several speakers, including Harris’ grandson Ashton Pittman, stood above his casket, covered by an American flag, and spoke of a man known by many for his courage, kindness, grace and love. “Together, we come together not only to say goodbye, but to honor and celebrate the life of a truly remarkable man, my grandfather,” Pittman said. “A man, who was not just the patriarch of our family, but the heart and soul of it; a man whose presence filled every room with wisdom, love and unshakable strength.” Harris, a member of the U.S. Army’s first all-Black parachute infantry battalion, died at age 108 on March 15. According to Harris’ family and WWII Beyond the Call, a nonprofit organization that documents veterans’ accounts, he was among the last surviving members of the historic 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, nicknamed the Triple Nickles. The battalion protected the U.S. from deadly Japanese balloon bombs in 1944 and 1945. Those bombs were used to attack the U.S. mainland, explode and start fires. Harris was among hundreds of Black men trained and sent to fight fires on the West Coast. Black Americans faced racial segregation in the military during World War II, often being relegated to support-level jobs. President Franklin Roosevelt, under pressure, later allowed Black Americans in combat units. “He served his country with courage, even when that same country didn’t always serve him in return,” Pittman said. Harris broke barriers and defied limits — completing 72 combat jumps, earning the admiration of his unit, and whose feats were featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, among others, according to his family. “Just as much as Joe Harris was a hero in history, but to us he was simply Papa Joe,” Pittman added. “He was our rock, and the foundation upon which generations have been built. He showed us, time and time again, that true greatness is not just found in the battles you fight, but in the love that your give and in the lives that you touch.” Harris was born on June 19, 1916, in West Dale, Louisiana. At 25, he joined the military in 1941. After WWII, he worked for the U.S. Border Patrol, and spent more than 60 years living in Compton. Harris is survived by his son, Pirate Joe Harris Sr., and two daughters, Michaun Harris and Latanya Pittman, and five grandchildren. His wife, Louise Harris, died in 1981. The Lewis Metropolitan CME Church, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors led by Supervisor Holly Mitchell, state Sen. Laura Richardson, Assemblyman Mike Gipson, the city of Compton and its school district provided the Harris family with certificates honoring the sergeant. Rev. Omar Bradley, who gave the eulogy and previously served as mayor of Compton from 1993 to 2001, asked current Mayor Emma Sharif to entertain a motion, renaming 131 Street in honor of Harris. A request she was “happily” willing to take up with the City Council, Sharif said, which resulted in an eruption of applause. In other honors, retired Sgt. Jordan Bednarz, a representative of Liberty Jump Team and Round Canopy Parachuting Team, presented Pittman with a uniform of his own — and inside one of the pockets a photo of his grandfather. “So my takeaway… this man inspires,” Bednarz said. “I was looking for a reason on why that is, and it didn’t take me long.” “It’s because I know that inside each of you is more than a little Papa Joe. My only prayer is that leaving here today all of us that were fortunate to know Joe, to know you, and for all of those out there that will someday know us — because we are now custodians of this history — is to bring this story forward,” Bednarz added. Bednarz, with assistance from the Harris family, galvanized a movement, known as Operation Perseverance, to honor African American men for their resolve during World War II. During this time, Pittman completed paratrooper training in Texas through the Liberty Jump Team, another organization that works to preserve the memory of veterans. Prior to Harris’ death, they dedicated a landing zone in Tuskegee, Alabama, named Sgt. Joe Harris Dropzone. According to Bednarz, the practice of parachuting in the U.S. military didn’t begin until 1940, and at the time, the concept of smoke jumping — to jump in front of a fire and stop or attempt to change its trajectory — was new technology. “The reason that this thread of history is so important is that at this point in time, African Americans were not given these advanced roles,” Bednarz said with tears forming in his eyes. “They (Triple Nickles) honestly changed the face of the military.” Elton Corvtt, a retired Air Force master sergeant and member of the 555th Parachute Infantry Association, added that Harris paved the way for African Americans. “When I talk to my grandchildren, I can talk to them about various things that I read in history, but now I can talk about something that I experienced in history and the significance of it, and so that gives it new weight and new meaning,” Corvtt said. Following the funeral services, a procession departed with a WWII Willy Jeep escort to Inglewood Park Cemetery, where Harris was placed to rest. Hours later, the Harris family and friends hosted a celebration of life at their home in Compton, located on 131st, which could have a new name in the near future, with WWII Beyond The Call, active-duty military, dignitaries, among others. On-site, his paratrooper uniform was on display and an enlarged photo of Harris smiled down over gatherers. In the afternoon, the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg coordinated a WWII C-47 flyover above the home where Harris raised his family and a generation of neighborhood children who went on become officers, pharmacists, teachers, and even the mayor of Compton, Rev. Bradley said. “As long as we devote not just our words, but our flesh to the purpose of freedom and justice for all, in Joe Harris — his legacy and his commitment and his pride and his points and his dignity will live forever,” Rev. 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