Clarence Beavers

{{about|the United States Army soldier|the hockey team founded as the Clarence Beavers|Carleton Place Jr. Canadians}}

{{Infobox military person

| name = Clarence Hylan Beavers

| image = Chb-portrait.jpg

| caption = Sergeant Clarence H. Beavers

| rank = 20px Sergeant

| unit = 20px 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion

| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|06|12|mf=yes}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|12|04|1921|06|12|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = New York City, U.S.

| death_place = Huntington, New York, U.S.

| placeofburial=Calverton National Cemetery

| placeofburial_label= Place of burial

| allegiance = {{USA}}

| branch = File:United States Department of the Army Seal.svg United States Army

| serviceyears = 1941–1945

| battles = World War II

• Operation Firefly

}}

Clarence Hylan Beavers (June 12, 1921 – December 4, 2017) was an American United States Army sergeant and paratrooper who served with the first all-black airborne unit, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, during World War II. He was part of the groundbreaking group of black paratroopers assigned to the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion also known as the "Triple Nickles"{{cite web | url=https://history.army.mil/News/2014/140200a_tripleNickel/ | title=555th Parachute Infantry Battalion }} and later "Smoke Jumpers" at Fort Benning in Georgia.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/13/obituaries/clarence-beavers-last-of-a-black-paratroop-unit-dies-at-96.html|title=Clarence Beavers, Last of a Black Paratroop Unit, Dies at 96|first=Sam|last=Roberts|newspaper=The New York Times |date=13 December 2017|publisher=}}

During the 1940s, army posts in the south were largely segregated. Beavers later told stories about how members of the unit were not allowed to use the post exchange or mess hall, a privilege even Italian and German prisoners of war being held there were allowed.{{cite book | title=Men in German Uniform: POWs in America during World War II | publisher=University of Tennessee Press | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JV2o5VPHX_8C | author=Thompson, Antonio | year=2010 | isbn=978-1572337282}}{{rp|52–53}}

{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/walter-morris-original-member-of-all-black-555th-army-parachute-battalion-dies-at-92/2013/10/21/f32a500e-3a69-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html|title=Walter Morris, original member of all-black 555th Army Parachute Battalion, dies at 92|last= Hogan|first= Samantha|date=2013-10-21|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2018-02-18|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}

{{Cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/history/2017/12/clarence_beavers_last_of_the_o.html|title=Clarence Beavers, last of the original Triple Nickles, dies|last= Killen|first= John|date=2017-12-29|work=Oregonian/OregonLive|access-date=2018-02-18|language=en-US|issn=8750-1317}}

The unit served stateside, mostly on the West Coast, protecting against Japanese fire balloons, which were described as the world’s first intercontinental-range airborne weapons — giant bomb-laden balloons launched from Japan and aimed at North America.

Beavers died on December 4, 2017, at his home in Huntington, Long Island of a coronary related illness.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-beavers-pioneering-black-paratrooper-and-smoke-jumper-dies-at-96/2017/12/11/ebf3e3da-de85-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html|title=Clarence Beavers, pioneering black paratrooper and smoke jumper, dies at 96|last=Smith|first=Harrison|date=2017-12-11|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2017-12-12|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}} He was 96 and interred at Calverton National Cemetery.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/wwii-black-paratrooper-dies-1.15406703|title=Clarence H. Beavers, last of WWII paratrooper pioneers, dies|last= Eidler|first= Scott|date=2017-12-10|work=Newsday|access-date=2018-02-18|language=en-US|issn=0278-5587}}