CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A resolution has been proposed to the City Council that would designate the new bridge along Spring Creek Parkway as the Elester Garner Chapter of the Triple Nickle Bridge, in honor of the first all-Black airborne troop.
Mayor Joe Pitts submitted the designation application to the City of Clarksville Designations Committee on Jan. 28, and told Clarksville Now the Triple Nickle is historic and an important part of our nation’s history, as well as Clarksville’s.
Pitts said the Elester Garner Chapter in Clarksville, which was established more than 39 years ago, is a fitting namesake for the bridge, which will serve as a linkage between two important parts of the city. “Since it is Black History Month, there is no better time than now to honor the first all-Black Airborne troop. We are a better city because of the Elester Garner Chapter of the Triple Nickle,” Pitts said.
According to city documents, the Black paratroopers of the 555th Parachute Battalion were the first Black soldiers to be integrated into the U.S. Regular Army and 82nd Airborne Division. The test platoon began with 20 enlisted men, and 17 of those men went on to complete jump training and were awarded silver parachute wings in February 1944, becoming the first Black paratroopers in history.
The resolution is set to be voted on at the next City Council meeting on Thursday, Feb. 6.
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