Dunbar: Local Bridge Named to Honor WWII Hero
NORTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP – PA House Republican Caucus Chairman Rep. George Dunbar (R-Westmoreland), joined members of the community today to posthumously honor U.S. Army veteran Warren "Bizz" Watson by naming a local bridge after him.
“After learning of Bizz’s heroic and selfless acts, I felt that our community and our Commonwealth needed to honor his memory,” said Dunbar. “His story is one of valor, including helping to liberate the Dachau Concentration Camp. Honoring Bizz this way will remind folks of who he was and what he did.”
The bridge selected carries traffic on Leger Road (State Route 4019) over the Norfolk Southern Railway in the village of Ardara, North Huntingdon Township. The bridge has recently been renovated. Signs in either direction now title the structure “WWII Veteran Warren ‘Bizz’ Watson Memorial Bridge.” Dunbar proposed the official name through legislation, which was part of Act 140 of 2022.
Watson was born and raised in the village of Ardara in 1925. Shortly after being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943, he served in the European Theater of Operations with the 180th Infantry Regiment.
Trained to operate tanks and to man machine guns from foxholes, he reached the rank of Technician Fifth Grade. In addition to participating in the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp, Watson was part of Operation Dragoon, a successful Allied operation that occurred in southern France in 1944. He was awarded four Bronze Stars and one Bronze Arrowhead.
Upon returning home, Watson worked at Westinghouse Electric for 37 years and was an active member of both Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 781 and American Legion Post 359, both of Irwin. He also taught Sunday school, served as an assistant Scoutmaster, coached baseball and was a volunteer at Rescue 8 North Huntingdon. He passed away in 2015.
“Our country’s ‘Greatest Generation’ earned that title for a reason and Bizz’s contributions are among the many that we should all take time to remember,” said Dunbar. “Permanently naming a bridge that leads to his home community is a way to make certain his memory is never forgotten.”
Representative George Dunbar
56th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives