He was 20 when he was killed in Vietnam. Now a bridge in Yardley bears his name
Nearly 55 years after he was killed protecting fellow soldiers in Vietnam, Army Warrant Officer William Warren Breece Jr., 20, of Yardley, was honored by Bucks County.
The county named a bridge in his honor just a short walk from where he grew up. The Letchworth Avenue bridge, known to the county until now as Bridge 313, on the Delaware Canal now bears his name.
Who is William Warren Breece?
Breece, called Warren by family and friends, but known as Bill by his fellow soldiers, was born May 3, 1948 and grew up in Yardley Borough. His parents, Bill and Ruth, owned the Yardley Florist shop on S. Main Street. He, his parents an his younger brother, Jim, lived in the floor above the shop.
He attended Pennsbury schools and was a member of the Pennsbury High School Class of 1966. He loved motorcycles and flying. When he saw an ad in the Trenton Times for Army flight training, he joined and become a chopper pilot.
What happened to William Warren Breece?
Warrant Officer Breece was assigned to fly a Hughes OH-6A light helicopter in support of ground troops. His mission on Dec. 5, 1968 was to draw fire from the enemy as he supported American ground forces in Rach Gia, the capitol city of Kiên Giang province in South Vietnam.
He came under fire, was shot in the arm and shoulder, and even though critically wounded, continued to protect fellow soldiers on the ground.
"Although bleeding profusely and fully realizing the danger involved, he initiated another attack on the enemy emplacement, at which time he was again struck by an enemy round which mortally wounded him," according to his citation for the Silver Star.
He is buried in Newtown Cemetery. He was 20 years old.
Remembering Breece by the bridge in Yardley and in Vietnam
Warrant Officer Breece is survived by his younger brother, Jim, a college professor in Maine, who could not make it to the the bridge dedication.
However, he sent a note that was read. The Letchworth Avenue bridge evokes sentimental memories.
"Both Warren and I often walked and rode our bikes over this bridge to see friends and play along the canal," he wrote. "Recently my wife and I ventured to Vietnam and traveled near to some of the locations where Warren was stationed. This was a bit of a difficult trip for me but in the end, our local tour guide, who was born long after the war, aksed us to please remind our friends at home that 'Vietnam is a country, not a war.'
"I think Warren would agree with that statement."
Why is Bucks County renaming a bridge?
The county commissioners, with the Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Fund, determine which of 136 Bucks County young men who died in Vietnam will have a bridge named for them. Their intention is to name a bridge for each Bucks Countian killed in that war. Warrant Officer Breece is the the sixth local soldier to have a bridge named for him.
Bridge memorial in Levittown Levittown bridge now bears name of Marine killed in Vietnam. His memory lives on in Bucks County
JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Yardley bridge named in honor of Vietnam vet, 20, killed in action
