Russ Pittsley At 93, Veteran Honors Others

Life-long Middleboro resident and World War 2 United States Army veteran Russell W. Pittsley, 93, is thought to be one of, if not, the oldest active participating member of a military Honor Guard firing squad in the country, according to Paul Provencher, Adjutant of Middleboro’s Simeon L. Nickerson American Legion Post 64.
“If he isn’t the oldest active member of an honor guard firing squad, I wonder who is,” questioned Provencher.
Born in Middleboro on March 16, 1920, the lanky 6 foot one inch Pittsley, has been a constant presence for many years with Middleboro’s Veterans Council Honor Guard. He is one of two World War 2 veterans who participate in Honor Guard activities. Adrian Haynes, 87, a Navy Veteran, who participated in the landing at Anzio, is also a member of the firing squad.
Pittsley attended Middleboro’s Memorial High School and was in the Class of 1939, but never graduated. He joined the National Guard in March of 1940 and was assigned to an anti-aircraft unit the 211th Coast Artillery Battery H and was first stationed at Camp Hulen in Texas until the day after Pearl Harbor. The outfit was shipped by train on December 8th and shipped to California, where anti-aircraft guns were deployed on rooftops and other areas of Almeida.
“I saw most of California during my time there. I was part of the motor pool and often assigned to drive officers around the countryside,” said the personable ninety-three year-old.
He was shipped to Louisianna for advanced infantry training, where as a Private First Class he earned rifleman, Heavy Machine Gunner and Heavy Mortar crewman status, according to his military documents. “Right after that, we shipped out of Oakland as replacements for the Pacific,” Pittsley said.
Eventually, his unit reached Manila as part of the Phillipines Liberation in 1945. Pittsley told of participating in the Luzon Campaign, which was conducted from January through August 1945. He was sent as a replacement during May of 1945. “The Japanese were up in the hills hiding in caves by that time and we had to roust them out,” reported the Middleboro man.
Following his activities in the Phillipines, Pittsley was shipped to Japan as part of Company M, 158th Infantry Regiment as part of the occupation forces. He was stationed some 70 miles from Tokyo. He was sent home in November 1945 and went through the Panama Canal to New York. He was discharged on January 11, 1946 at Fort Devens.
After the service, Russell earned his living at various jobs until he took up a career as a printing pressman. He met and married Evelyn Smith of Springfield, MA to whom he was married for 57 years until her passing in June of 2005.
The couple have three children, two daughters and a son: Noreen Bessey of Kissimmee, Florida; Geri Ballard of Middleboro; and, Michael of Peabody. There are five grandchildren, Joshua, Bruce, Stephen, Ross and Katherine and two great grandchildren, Alex and Joshua.
Comprised of representatives of the various town veterans’ organizations, The Middleboro Veterans Council provides the Honor Guard for local veteran’s funerals in town and at Bourne National Cemetery. The Honor Guard also participates in parades, wakes, and various flag raising events.
Local veterans from Simeon L. Nickerson American Legion Post 64, John Glass Post 2188 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans of Taunton and the Oak Point Veterans Association volunteer for the Honor Guard. Among those participating are Adrian Haynes, Al Edwards, Al Ortelt, Bill Oliver, Bill Franks, Bob Burke, Brian Reynolds, Bob Lessard and Bruce Wright.
Also, Butch Battles, Don Triner, Jim Cadorette, Jeff Montello, Norman Record, Paul Kreitzberg, Paul Provencher, Tex Washburn, Mary Standish, Walt Campbell, Wayne Packard, Walt Elliot, Ron Hebert, Jack Remedis, Al Eissner, Lou Demers, Bob Jordan, Leon Jones and Dave Singer.
Russell Pittsley, as reported, is a member of the Honor Guard firing squad. His final remark during the interview was: “How come these rifles are getting so heavy?”
(Written/photo By Bob Lessard,Historian, published in Middleboro Gazette, August 1,2013)