St. Cloud World War II vet turns 100

St. Cloud’s Nick LaVecchia, who turned 100 on Feb. 16 and celebrated with some 80 family and friends on the 18th, has packed a lot of living in that century—thanks in part to the military.

LaVecchia had not even finished high school when he was called up for a military induction physical in 1942. The United States had been in a savage war with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan for less than a year, and the military draft was in full swing. Once he graduated, Nick and 31 other young men from his hometown in northwest Pennsylvania were off to Army basic training in Biloxi, Miss.

“Close to completing that training, I was told I was headed to Kansas to train as an aircraft mechanic, which meant I was going to be assigned to the Army Air Force,” said LaVecchia.

After completing training in 1943, he headed to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. He worked on two-engine bombers like the B-25 and the B-26, and then the four-engine B-17, used to train new pilots and crews. He soon achieved the rank of sergeant, due in part to volunteering for a military training program in high school.

In 1944, LaVecchia was granted a rare leave home, where he was able to get married to his sweetheart Jenny, but that opportunity came at a price. He was transferred to a base in Savannah, Georgia that was receiving the latest bomber aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory, the B-29 Super Fortress, capable of attacking mainland Japan from remote Pacific island bases. Sgt. LaVecchia was soon headed to Alaska with a group of B-29s, without knowing their final destination. Upon arriving in Alaska, in true military fashion, they were diverted to a base in Texas. For a time, they were flying back and forth to the Boeing factory in Seattle, Washington to accept new B-29s.

When the war quickly ended in August 1945, after two B-29s each dropped atomic bombs on Japan, LaVecchia, and others were rapidly transferred to several other bases until he was discharged in February 1946. He came home just in time to settle in before the birth of the first of his three daughters.

“I was able to start working at a plumbing fixture manufacturer, Universal-Rundle, in New Castle, Pennsylvania. I was also able to use my G.I. Bill (education benefits) to learn photography. I was a professional photographer on the side, mainly weddings.” said LaVecchia.

He worked at Universal-Rundle for many years, eventually moving into management, where he traveled frequently across the U.S. and South America. He was also very active with the Knights of Columbus for over 65 years. After retiring from Universal-Rundle, he worked at the local Giant Eagle food store for fifteen years until he turned 95. After his wife Jenny passed away, he eventually moved to St. Cloud to live with his daughter Erma.

“I have been fortunate to meet a lot of good people throughout the years,” LaVecchia said, summarizing his life thus far.