Howard W. Pfeifer of Franklin Park was honored at a Ross Township veterans lunch this week, just days before he turns 103 on September 22. The Merchant Marine veteran, who ran dangerous supply voyages through waters patrolled by enemy submarines during World War II, was surprised with a proclamation recognizing what officials called a lifetime of service to his country and community.
The recognition came together at the Ross Township Municipal Center, where quarterly veterans lunches have drawn attendees from within and outside the township for three years, according to TribLIVE. Pfeifer's family traveled from Franklin Park for the free event, and his wife, Nancy Pfeifer, said the family had no idea the honor was coming. Ross Township Commissioner Pat Mullin, an Army veteran, called Pfeifer an American hero at the gathering, and Becky Boyle, representing state Sen. Lindsey Williams, presented the proclamation. Pfeifer himself said the accolades were really something.
A Teenager's Wartime Voyages
Pfeifer enlisted with the Merchant Marines at 19 in 1943, according to Pittsburgh 55+. That April, he was sent to Sheepshead Bay, New York, for extensive physical training under the U.S. Coast Guard, the outlet notes. He went on to serve for three years, including several Murmansk Runs and Arctic convoys that delivered supplies to the Soviet Union — missions the Merchant Marine undertook amid grave risk from enemy attack.
Pfeifer also sailed on a World War I-era ship carrying a cargo of one-ton bombs bound for England ahead of the 1944 invasion. “We left America on a ship built for WWI with a cargo of one-ton bombs that we transported to England for The Invasion,” Pfeifer told Pittsburgh 55+. After D-Day on June 6, 1944, his ship was sent to Omaha Beach, where scuttled ships known as Gooseberries served as breakwaters, allowing landing craft to safely unload troops and supplies.
From Steel Mills to the Trades
After his service, Pfeifer, who grew up in Mt. Oliver, returned to work at U.S. Steel in Homestead before moving into carpentry. He eventually rose to vice president in the contracting side of the construction industry, per the same Pittsburgh 55+ account. He went on to chair the Carpenter Apprenticeship Program for more than 40 years and taught at Connelly Trade School for 15 years, according to Northern Connection, and he served on the board of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall for over 20 years.
Pfeifer's decades of leadership extended to veterans organizations more broadly, and he remained a fixture of Harley-Davidson culture for 80 years, last riding his trike at age 97. He and Nancy Pfeifer march in Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Fourth of July parades and regularly attend movies, veterans events and Merchant Marine gatherings. Nancy Pfeifer has said she takes Howard everywhere, and the couple continues to live in their own home with help from neighbors.
International Honors for a Dwindling Generation
Pfeifer's wartime record has drawn recognition from both Russia and France. In December 2020, he was awarded Russia's Ushakov medal for his role in the Murmansk Runs, according to Pittsburgh 55+. France awarded him the French Legion of Honor in March 2015 in Washington, D.C., alongside three other western Pennsylvania veterans — Frank M. Gervasi, Clarence H. Brockman and Paul J. Klimovich. Pfeifer is now the only surviving member of that group; Klimovich died just months after receiving the honor, and Gervasi and Brockman both died in November 2015.
Congress passed the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act in 2020, and the medal itself was awarded to World War II merchant mariners in 2022. It is now displayed at the American Merchant Marine Museum in Kings Point, New York, while surviving merchant mariners received bronze replicas of the medal. In 2023, Allegheny County and Franklin Park both issued proclamations declaring September 22 Howard William Pfeifer Day, according to Northern Connection.
A Free Lunch, Local Sponsors
The Ross veterans lunches, held four times a year, are free to attendees thanks to community sponsors. Monte Cello's donated pizza for this week's gathering; the restaurant is owned by Joe Wadlow, a Vietnam-era Marine veteran, per TribLIVE's report. Oakmont Bakery provided Pfeifer's birthday cake for the occasion, rounding out a celebration that brought together local officials, longtime friends and a veteran whose service now spans more than eight decades of American history.
