Walter Morris, an original member of the 555th Infantry Parachute Battalion, the first black airborne unit, hugs Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth during a ceremony Thursday on the grounds of the Buffalo Soldier Monument at Fort Leavenworth. A bust, right, was unveiled that honors the unit.

Fort Leavenworth ? A new sculpture at Fort Leavenworth honors the accomplishments of the black parachute battalion whose members dropped into forests in the Pacific Northwest during World War II.

The bust, which sits prominently near the Buffalo Soldier Monument, honors the black soldiers of the 555th Infantry Parachute Battalion, or “Triple Nickles.”

“These men were physically and mentally tough, troopers of extraordinary determination, quiet pride and exceptional ability,” said David Petraeus, a three-star general and Fort Leavenworth commander, who spoke Thursday during the unveiling of the sculpture of the parachute-clad paratrooper.

In 1942, a War Department committee recommended the formation of an all-black parachute unit. The Army Chief of Staff – General George Marshall – approved an all-volunteer company-sized unit of black paratroopers in 1943.

After several months of training at Fort Benning, Ga., the unit was transferred to North Carolina. It was later expanded to battalion size.

The unit’s test came in 1945 when it was assigned to Oregon to fight a secret battle, Operation Fire Fly.

The men parachuted into the forests of the Pacific Northwest, where they fought blazes the Japanese set by floating incendiary balloons into the jet stream.

“This was obviously a very hazardous, very sensitive mission – jumping as what we now know as ‘smoke jumpers’ on a mission that had to be carried out in utmost secrecy for fear of the panic that might ensue were knowledge of the Japanese actions to leak,” Petraeus said.

Though the battle was classified for several years to avoid causing panic, it has gained attention in recent years.

“It is very impressive,” said Kelvin Crow, a historian at Fort Leavenworth. “It’s not island hopping in the Pacific. It’s not the Battle of the Bulge or the Normandy landing, but it’s a significant battle in the Second World War. It’s just not as widely known.”