Parade honors Richland World War II veteran who turns 100 on Armed Forces Day
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It’s fitting that Bryce Billetdeaux turned 100 on Armed Forces Day. It’s also fitting there was a parade to celebrate the milestone.
The World War II U.S. Navy veteran was honored Saturday. With covid-19 restrictions in place, cars lined up at the Richland Township Municipal Building on Dickey Road and continued to St. Barnabas Health System’s assisted living facility Washington Place in Richland where Billetdeaux resides.
The parade was planned by Richland District Justice Tom Swan, who volunteers at St. Barnabas where he met Billetdeaux.
“It is the perfect day to honor Bryce,” Swan said before the event. “He knows there is a parade, and he is one of the featured guests. But he doesn’t know it is for him.”
Swan said he remembered how much his elderly father enjoyed having visitors. That’s one reason he volunteers at St. Barnabas and continues to stay connected to Billetdeaux.
“Bryce loves to tell stories, and I love to listen to his stories,” Swan said. “I haven’t been able to see him since early March because of the coronavirus, but we’ve talked on the phone. He is an amazing man. He deserves to have this day.”
Local police as well as a veteran motorcycle club were expected to participate.
Swan will accompany other dignitaries, including U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, to present Billetdeaux with a crystal plaque on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May which pays tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces.
President Harry S. Truman was instrumental in creating the day.
During World War II, Billetdeaux was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, where one of his responsibilities was unloading ships. He was so revered by the commodore that he invited Billetdeaux to return on a ship with just the two of them and the crew, said his son Ken Billetdeaux. He added his father put family first — he and his brothers Bradley and James as well as their mother. The couple married Dec. 31, 1942.
Billetdeaux, who is from Moon Township, worked 42 years for Dravo Corp. and attended then-Carnegie Institute of Technology at night. It took him 17 years to graduate with a degree in management engineering.
“That’s perseverance,” Ken Billetdeaux said.
Bryce and Rosella Billetdeaux moved to St. Barnabas 18 years ago.
He wanted a place where he and his wife would be cared for in their older years. Swan said Billetdeaux told him he married quickly before going to war so that if something happened to him his wife would receive his pension.
“Turning 100 is a feat,” said Ken Billetdeaux, 72, who lives in Mt. Lebanon. “My dad is still sharp. Not many people reach that age. I am not sure how much he will be able to see of the parade, because we have to keep our distance because of coronavirus. But we appreciate everyone involved in doing this.”