Rick Dawson, Pete Pitzen are co-grand marshals for parade

Rick Dawson will drive his red Mustang convertible with Pete Pitzen, riding in the rear as the two co-grand marshals lead off the Belleville Central Business Community’s first Memorial Day parade on May 27.
Both are members of the local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Polish League of American Veterans. Both also live in the city of Belleville.
Dawson was drafted Nov. 3, 1965 and sent to Fort Knox, KY for basic training.
After that he was sent to Fort Rucker in Dothan, AL where he anticipated becoming a helicopter gunner crew chief.
He was instead chosen to attend air traffic control school at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS. He graduated in June of 1966 and a month later was on his way to South Vietnam, where he spent 13 months as an air traffic controller.
The military gave him the training to be an air traffic controller and he was hired by the FAA once he was discharged from the Army.
Working at a few airports out of state, he eventually was able to transfer to Detroit Metro for the last 29 years of his career, retiring from the FAA in July of 2001.
After retirement, Rick became involved in local politics and various service and community organizations.
He served on the Belleville City Council as Mayor Pro-Tem for four years, and has continued to serve on the city’s Senior Transportation Safety Board.
Dawson is a Life member of VFW Post # 4434, a member of PLAV Post #167 and has served on the Veterans’ Honor Guard for a number of years.
He also is a member of the Belleville Yacht Club.
Peter J. Pitzen
Peter was the ninth of 12 children of Peter and Marie Pitzen. He was born in Fort Wayne, IN, and graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1954.
Upon graduating, he joined the Army, attended Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and then spent 16 weeks at Ft. Knox, KY learning radio repair. He was sent to Bad Hersfeld, Germany, where he was assigned as chief radio repairman for the Hq. Co. 3rd. Battalion 14 A/C,
The 14th A/C was designated as the first opposition to forces crossing the Fulda Gap, border patrol between East and West Germany after World War II.
While stationed at Bad Hersfeld, he attended the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy in Munich.
During his assignment during the Cold War, he was promoted to the rank of E5. After solving a problem de-coding, a message during a critical time frame, he was also given the position as message center chief, supervising all battalion communication and radio operators .
Pitzen returned to the states in 1957, was discharged, put on inactive duty, and resumed civilian life. He shortly met a woman who became his wife and they had three children. Within a month of having his third child he joined the Indiana Air National Guard.
Within weeks, President John Kennedy activated his unit during the Cuban Missile Crisis and they were sent to Chambey, France, where they were to re-activate a closed Air Force base.
Four months later he received word that his wife was divorcing him and leaving him with the children. Finally getting back to the states and being able to be re-assigned to a SAC Base in Indiana, he was able to complete his active-duty time and also care for the children.
After a year on active duty, his unit was relieved of active duty and resumed the status as a Reserve unit. Having to take care of the children, Pitzen was Honorably discharged.
Being back to being a civilian again, he resumed his life working at many, many different trades. The many companies he worked for included: IT&T, Farnsworth, Essex Wire, Ford Motor, Bendix Aerospace (manufacturing electronics that went to the moon).
One of his last jobs was at American General Products, Ypsilanti, a job he intended to stay at for a couple of weeks or a month or so until he found a job he liked. Twenty years later he retired as general manager and vice president, never taking time to look for another position.
He met and married wife #2, Gayle, and they lived happily for 28 years until he recently lost her through cancer.
He currently is the Junior Vice Commander of VFW Post 4434 and also chairman of the VFW Flag committee.
One of the tasks of the Flag Committee is the refurbishing of flags used on veterans’ graves. They refurbish all they can, usually several hundred a year, and then give them out FREE to all who are interested. They also collect any faded, torn, dirty, or otherwise damaged flags for a proper retirement and disposal.
The 10 a.m. parade will be held before the brief, 11 a.m. memorial service at the Veterans Monument on High Street in the city of Belleville.