DETROIT – A local member of the historic "Triple Nickels' paratroopers battalion was honored Friday for a life of service that extended far beyond World War II.
Family and friends gathered to mourn Willie Jay Hall, 86, who died on Feb. 11. Hall served as a member of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, an all-African-American paratrooper division trained to fight 9,000 Japanese balloons sent over the Pacific Northwest during the war to start forest fires.
He was one of about a dozen remaining 555th Battalion members. After the war, Hall returned to Detroit and continued his life of service. He worked as a Detroit police officer and U.S. Housing and Urban Development project leader, was a key member of St. Andrew AME, and volunteer of the year at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
RELATED: You can read more about the "Triple Nickels" here.
RELATED: Watch the video above for comments from Hall's family about his extraordinary life.
RELATED: Historic footage of the 555th Battalion: