Resolution 104-1 Name VACBOC after Henry Parham
THE AMERICAN LEGION
DEPARTMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA
104th ANNUAL DEPARTMENT CONVENTION
THE HILTON, HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
JULY 13 – 16, 2023
Resolution No. 104-1
Submitted by: Craig Wilhelm, Department Commander
WHEREAS, PFC Henry Parham was drafted at age 21 by the U.S. Army and assigned to the 320th Anti-Aircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion, and
WHEREAS, PFC Parham’s unit was the only all African American unit to take part in the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944, and
WHEREAS, on that fateful day, the 320th Battalion’s mission was to hoist barrage balloons above Omaha Beach to protect incoming landings of troops and material from aerial strafing runs, and
WHEREAS, PFC Parham and the rest of the 320th Battalion accomplished their mission, with the threat of enemy sniper and rifle fire ever present, securing the air the beachhead and the supply lines which would sustain the Allied war effort and eventual liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation, and
WHEREAS, for two months, PFC Parham and the 320th Barrage Balloon stood watch at Omaha Beach, keeping the pipeline of incoming supplies and Allied troops secure before returning to the United States in September 1944, and
WHEREAS, after his service, Henry Parham moved to Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, where he lived with his wife, Ethel Parham, to whom he was married for 45 years, and
WHEREAS, Henry Parham died on July 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the age of 99, being the last surviving African-American combat veteran who took part in the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Pennsylvania American Legion in regular convention session, at the
Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg, PA, July 13 - 16, 2023, recognize Henry Parham’s historic service and bravery by supporting legislation regarding the outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to be constructed at 421 Mall Circle Drive, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, be designated and known as the PFC Henry Parham Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic or the PFC Henry Parham VA Clinic, and, be it further
RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Pennsylvania Congressional
Delegation for their consideration.
APPROVED__X__ REJECTED___ REFERRED____ CONSOLIDATED____ FILED____
