The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Henry Parham, who was one of the last surviving African American D-Day combat veterans, passed away on July 4. His wife of nearly 50 years, Ethel, announced her husband’s passing. He was 99.
He was 21 years old when he was enlisted in the military, served in the 320th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Balloon Barrage Battalion, an all-Black unit trained for the Invasion of Normandy, France, to aid in the Allied liberation of Europe. His unit, the only Black combat unit to take part in the D-Day invasion, was responsible for protecting Omaha Beach, one of five landing areas during the invasion, and the American aircraft responsible for bringing reinforcements and supplies to the troops. They also employed barrage balloons against enemy aircraft. His five-man unit flew from dust until dawn and stayed on the beach for 68 days.
In his retirement, Mr. Parham worked at the Courier as a messenger.
Born on Nov. 15, 1921, Mr. Parham grew up working on a Virginia farm in the segregated Jim Crow South during the 1920s and ‘30s, according to an article in the Tribune-Review. He was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1942 at Camp Tyson, Tennessee, the article said.
Mr. Parham moved to Pittsburgh in 1949, and worked as a machine operator for the Buncher Company.
Mr. Parham lived in East Liberty, and later moved to Wilkinsburg.
On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Mr. Parham was honored for his service during ceremonies at the Heinz History Center and Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. In the Tribune-Review article, Mr. Parham recalled that D-Day was “awful. It was a scary thing, but it was one of the things you had to do because there was no turning back.”
The viewing for Mr. Parham will be held, July 12, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Bernadette Rose Funeral Home, 10900 Frankstown Road, Penn Hills. He will be laid to rest with full military honors on July 13 at 11 a.m.
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