submitted by Julie (Sanville) Mossa

Jean (Paul) Berthiaume was born on November 12, 1920, in Westfield, Vermont, and was the son of Thomas Azarius Berthiaume and Agathe Louise Quintal.  Along with Jean Paul, Thomas and Agathe also had nine other children, Thomas Louis Phillip Berthiaume, Juliette Marie Reina Berthiaume, Joseph Victor (Roland) Berthiaume, Marie Bella (Lucille) Berthiaume, Juliette (Marie) Reine Berthiaume, Charles (Charlie) Leon Berthiaume, Rita Lucille Berthiaume, Marie Vironique (Veronica) Dorothe Berthiaume, Mary (Rachel) Berthiaume and Joseph (Louis) Victor Berthiaume.

Jean Paul served in the Pacific during World War II and was killed in action while saving Father S. J. Meany’s life.  Jean Paul was acknowledged with a medal of valor and a purple heart.  As stated in a newspaper article, “The time, November 20, 1943, Rev. S. J. Meany, Catholic chaplain of ‘The Fighting 69^th’ had fallen gravely wounded from a Jap’s sniper’s bullet.  As he lay on the battlefield, bathed in his own blood, a Vermont soldier struggled toward him to render aid and he in turn was mortally wounded.  Then, in a scene perhaps without parallel in all the history of warfare, the dying soldier knelt before the prone father to receive absolution.”  Also in recognition of Jean Paul, the Council named the Knights of Columbus in Troy, Vermont, after Father Meany. 

Father Meany wrote a book “Father Meany and the Fighting 69^th” where he described Private Jean Paul Berthiaume’s courage during his service in Chapter IV, “The Boy”.  The book was written and illustrated by Burris Jenkins, Jr.  

 Left to Right

Top Row:  (Cousin-Unidentified), Arthur Berthiaume, Homer Longevin,

Leontine (Quintal) Longevin and (Cousin-Unidentified)

 Middle Row: Irene (Quintal) Maclure, Arthur Berthiaume’s daughter, 

Eva Langevin and Leonnel Vallencourt

 Front Row: Thomas Azarius Berthiaume, Father Meany and Agathe (Quintal) Berthiaume

 Left to Right

Top Row:  Roland Berthiaume, Robert Robitaille, Rita (Berthiaume) Robitaille,

Charlie Berthiaume, Lucille (Berthiaume) Bouchard and Raymond Bouchard

Middle Row:  Rachel Berthiaume, John Nesky, Marie Nesky,

Gabrielle Berthiaume and Thomas P. Berthiaume

Front Row:  Thomas Azarius Berthiaume, Father Meany,

Agathe (Quintal) Berthiaume and Louis Berthiaume