BARRINGTON, R.I. (WPRI) — William Barbeau will be celebrating a major milestone this Saint Patrick’s Day.
Barbeau, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II, is turning 100 years old.
His secret to living a long life is simple.
Barbeau told NewsNation affiliate WPRI that he doesn’t drink or smoke and keeps himself active. He has also been playing the clarinet since he was 12 years old.
“I’ve been through a lot of them,” the longtime Barrington resident said, referring to his clarinets over the years. “It’s a very delicate instrument and you have to treat it right.”
Barbeau used to regularly play the clarinet for anyone who would listen at the Atria Bay Spring Village.
But now, he only plays it for others from time to time.
“My repertoire, if you will, is about a dozen 60-year-old songs,” Barbeau explained. “It got boring for the audience.”
“I still play it every day, but my songs don’t change,” he continued. “I really just entertain myself.”
Barbeau told WPRI he enlisted in the U.S. Navy right after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was sent to Hilo, Hawaii for two years as an aircraft instruments mechanic.
“I learned how to repair airplanes,” he said. “The Navy was always good to me.”
His daughter Laura Choinieri told WPRI that her dad can sometimes be apprehensive about sharing his recollection of serving in World War II.
“I’ve always noticed that when he’s thanked for his service, he is shy to take credit for what he did,” she said.
Choinieri thinks it’s because her dad is “well aware” of the thousands of men and women who didn’t return home.
“I guess we would call that survivor’s guilt,” she said.
For Choinieri, her father will always be her hero.
“I am so proud of him,” she said. “I love his spirit of adventure, his energy, his heart and his compassion.”
Barbeau told WPRI he’s looking forward to his 100th birthday, but he wasn’t sure exactly how he’d be celebrating.
WPRI asked whether Barbeau would be interested in hopping on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
“That sounds wonderful,” he said after learning what it entailed and candidly asking who would be paying for it.
World War II, Vietnam and Korean war veterans who visit the nation’s capital on an Honor Flight do not have to pay for anything and can bring a guardian with them on the trip.
WPRI was there when George Farrell, chairman of the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub, surprised Barbeau and offered to take him and his daughter on an upcoming trip.
“If you want to go we want to take you,” Farrell told Barbeau.
Barbeau was surprised by the kind gesture and was quick to accept Farrell’s invitation.
“It sounds like fun,” Barbeau said.
“We’re going to take you and give you, hopefully, one of the best days of your life,” Farrell continued, joking with Barbeau that if it doesn’t live up to his expectations, he will be “completely refunded” for the trip. “On that day, we like to treat you like the hero that you are.”
There are roughly 66,000 World War II veterans who are still alive, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
It’s a statistic that’s not lost on Farrell, whose father also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
“Having the opportunity to take a World War II veteran on an Honor Flight is really special,” Farrell said.
Barbeau will be joining other veterans on Honor Flight Charlie, which will take off on March 30 from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport.