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Covered in blankets against the cold, Joseph Wilbon, a World War II veteran who turned 104 on April 11, looks on as members of the city of Pittsburgh Police Motorcycle Unit ride by with lights flashing during his birthday tribute.
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InFocus | A look behind the scenes: Honoring a 104-year-old veteran

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

InFocus | A look behind the scenes: Honoring a 104-year-old veteran

Joseph Wilbon sat perfectly still in a second-floor bedroom while his son bent over and carefully straightened the collar of Joseph’s crisp, blue uniform. Once he was satisfied with the look, Kevin stood up and said to his father, “You about ready to go downstairs and meet some people?”

A crowd had gathered outside Joe’s Larimer home on a narrow, one-block street called Llewellyn Place. They’d come to celebrate the beginning of Joseph’s 104th year of life. A block away, a color guard and other men and women wearing uniforms organized themselves for a parade.


The honor guard from the 911th Airlift Wing base march along Llewellyn Place during the tribute.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Covered in blankets to keep warm, Joe took a seat in a wheelchair on his front porch. A steady rain fell as the procession began. A color guard snapped to attention as the national anthem sounded out over speakers. Veterans stepped up on the porch to greet Joseph.

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Joseph Wilbon was born April 11, 1918, in the small town of Shingler, Ga. Armies in Europe were bloodying each other in what would be known as World War I. Woodrow Wilson occupied the White House.


Kevin Wilbon helps his dad with his shirt and tie before the tribute.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Joseph grew up on a 100-acre farm in the Georgia town of Bronwood (population 500 or so). Much of Europe was again at war when he turned 23 in 1941. That June, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He served his four years stateside and achieved the rank of corporal in the 907th Quartermaster Company.

After the war, he moved from Georgia to Aliquippa, where his brother had previously moved.


Larimer resident Samaria Bey tapes balloons to the railing along Mr. Wilbon’s front porch. The balloons are in the shape of a one, a zero and a four — commemorating Mr. Wilbon’s 104th birthday.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“There was money up here,” Kevin said. “He came for that.”

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Joseph took a job at the nearby Jones and Laughlin Steel Co. mill and worked there for 32 years, commuting from Larimer after buying his home in the early 1960s. He retired at age 62 and then worked as a jitney driver.


The honor guard from the 911th Airlift Wing base pres­ent col­ors during the tribute.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Joseph and his wife, Saundra Marie, raised three children. Daughter Charnedda remembers trips once or twice a year to visit relatives in Bronwood. He wanted his kids to know their kin. And he loved to attend church. He went every day during those Georgia visits. There always seemed to be a revival meeting, Charnedda said. In Pittsburgh, Joseph was a regular at Christian Tabernacle Church in the Hill District, where until a few years ago he cut the grass, swept the sidewalk and helped set up tables for events.

On his most recent birthday, he sat on his porch, surrounded by family and friends, and enjoyed the moment.

“I wanted him to be honored while he was alive,” Charnedda said.


Joseph’s son, Kevin, hands him a rose that was presented by Vietnam Veterans IncPittsburgh Post-Gazette

First Published: April 17, 2022, 12:00 p.m.

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Covered in blankets against the cold, Joseph Wilbon, a World War II veteran who turned 104 on April 11, looks on as members of the city of Pittsburgh Police Motorcycle Unit ride by with lights flashing during his birthday tribute.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
The honor guard from the 911th Airlift Wing base march along Llewellyn Place during the tribute.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Kevin Wilbon helps his dad with his shirt and tie before the tribute.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Larimer resident Samaria Bey tapes balloons to the railing along Mr. Wilbon’s front porch. The balloons are in the shape of a one, a zero and a four — commemorating Mr. Wilbon’s 104th birthday.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
The honor guard from the 911th Airlift Wing base pres­ent col­ors during the tribute.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Joseph’s son, Kevin, hands him a rose that was presented by Vietnam Veterans Inc.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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