The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners honored two U.S. World War II veterans during its regular meeting Tuesday, May 5: William “Bill” West and George Ceccanese. Both men have reached 100 years of age.
The festivities included a ceremonial escort by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office organized by retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bill Dudley, as well as a reception in the administration rotunda.
Cadets, including a group from Nease High School NJROTC, participated.
Ceccanese thanked everyone for attending and expressed surprise at the sizable crowd that turned out. He said not everyone believes he is 100 years old but that he enjoys it.
He began his military service with the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944. After his discharge a year later, he went on to accept a commission with the U.S. Navy, serving in the reserves for 14 years.
In 1988, he retired to St. Augustine where he has been involved in his community, including serving as executive director and president of Habitat for Humanity.
West enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18 during the war and was deployed to the Pacific Theater. He served with the 780th Amphibious Tank Battalion and later as a military police officer in the Philippines.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and several other medals.
According to the National WWII Museum, there were only 45,418 World War II veterans still living as of 2025, out of a total 16.4 million who served. That number is expected to decrease to about 20,000 by next year.
In Florida, only about 3,700 remain alive.
