‘He deserves every bit of it.’ Parade held for Battle of the Bulge veteran’s 100th birthday

The crowd cheered Sunday as the motorcade made its way down East Mellen Street in Phoebus.

World War II veteran Leonard Yarrington, in the passenger seat of a Cadillac, waved to the well-wishers who had assembled for his 100th birthday celebration at VFW Post 3219.

“It’s outstanding,” he said while sitting inside with his family as the roughly 200 people who gathered for the event mingled and ate. Yarrington turned 100 on Thursday.

Yarrington served three years and two months in the Army and saw action during the Battle of the Bulge and other engagements as Allied forces pushed the Nazis back into Germany from France and the Low Countries. Yarrington worked on the crew of a 105 mm howitzer with the 79th Infantry Division. He entered active service on Nov. 25, 1942, after being inducted two weeks earlier. He left Europe for home on Dec. 20, 1945.

Other WWII veterans — like Norfolk’s Albert Nelson — attended the party. Nelson, 96, also served in the Army.

He said WWII veterans are like brothers in how they care for each other, and that many never shared stories of what they had seen in battle.

“Many of us never said anything,” said Nelson.

Nelson never told his parents about his near-death experience while serving as an infantryman in Europe, he said.

But as he aged, he was more able to talk about his experiences. Nelson said many veterans have passed without telling their stories.

Yarrington said he can relate.

“I don’t really talk about it a whole lot,” Yarrington said of his service. “I don’t like to because I had nightmares when I came back.”

He had such bad dreams that he would wake up thinking he was fighting, so he and his first wife had to sleep in separate beds.

His second wife, Betty Yarrington, helped him to deal with and reduce the stress.

“She kinda got me away from that darn thing,” he said. Betty died over a decade ago.

Reesey Watson, Leonard Yarrington’s daughter, said the care shown by the community for her father at the Sunday celebration meant a lot to the family.

“He deserves every bit of it,” said Mike Yarrington, Reesey’s twin.

Mike Yarrington, now 68, joined the Army as a 20-year-old in 1973 and fought in Vietnam. He felt he was called to serve in the military as his father had.

“I had to follow him,” he said.

Beth Ford, of Yorktown, was one of the motorcycle riders in the motorcade and is the Post Commander of Post 3219 in Phoebus.

“It could have been a blizzard today, and we were riding for Mr. Yarrington,” said Ford, 53.

As guests came up to shake his hand and give him cards, Yarrington sat surrounded by family, friends and a community of veterans.

“I can’t believe my eyes and what I’ve seen — what they’ve done for me,” Yarrington said.