On Saturday, Torrance held their 54th Annual Armed Forces Day Parade, the longest running military parade sponsored by any city in the United States. Prior to the event I was reading about how much smaller the parade would be this year due to budget constraints as a result of the sequester. This was my third time attending the parade in the last few years, and while there were slight changes this year, I cannot say that there were not similar cutbacks prior to the sequester. Either way, it was a fun event for the entire family and Torrance Boulevard was packed with spectators for the entire length of the parade route.
In addition to a few flyovers by World War I and II military planes, there were a couple special events. One was recognition given to the Montford Point Marine Association, which were the first African Americans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps; putting up with racial discrimination in order to serve our country. In addition, there was a mass swearing-in ceremony of about 500 young adults to various branches of the military. 14 year old, Adam Wolf, who is wheelchair bound was also sworn in as an honorary member of the US Military. Adam’s wish was made possible through the Make a Wish Foundation.
There are a lot of photos, so you might find it easier to utilize the slideshow function to go through them all.
