Page 1 - Ft. Irwin High Desert Warrior 6-3-16

June 3, 2016
Torrance Celebrates Armed Forces DaysVolume12,Number6
Published in the interest of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin community • www.irwin.army.mil
General Robert “Abe” Abrams, commanding general US Army Forces Command (inset) administers the oath of enlistment to 416 new enlistees into the US Armed Forces during the
Torrance Armed Forces Day Parade.
by Kenneth Drylie
Torrance, CA -- e City of Torrance paid tribute to the
ve branches of the military during the 57th Annual Torrance the Japanese after being adrift for 47 days in World War II. Commanding General of US Army Forces Command,
Armed Forces Days Celebration, May 20-22. is year the
honored service was the U.S. Army.
e 2016 parade Grand Marshal was General Robert
“Abe” Abrams, commanding general U.S. Army Forces
Command.
Abrams’ command is the largest United States Army
command and provides expeditionary, regionally engaged,
campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders.
FORSCOM units boast more than 750,000 Active Army,
U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National Guard soldiers
stationed worldwide.
Actor, Director and Producer, Joe Mantegna served as the
Honorary Grand Marshal. Mantegna has over 200 appear-
ances in lms and television. He is best known for his role
as Joey Zasa in the Godfather Part III.
New this year was the Louis “Louie” Zamperini 5k Memo-
rial Run, which started the Saturday activities.
e run was held in honor of Zamperini, an Olympic
Athlete known as the Torrance Tornado, who competed in
the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin. Zamperini would later
Photo Credit: Kenneth Drylie
be commissioned in the U.S. Army Air Forces and serve Photo Credit: Kenneth Drylie
as a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator. He was captured by
His plane su ered dual engine failure and went down over General Robert “Abe” Abrams, runs in the Inaugural
the ocean. e story of his life is the subject of a book and Louis Zamperini Memorial Run during Torrance Armed
2014 Movie “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Forces Days.
Resilience, and Redemption.”
e highlight of the celebration is the Armed Forces Day
Parade which is the longest continuously running Armed
Forces Day Parade in the United States and the largest mili-
tary parade West of the Mississippi.
is year’s parade featured a performance from the U.S.
Army Drill Team, part of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division
the “Old Guard.”
e City of Torrance is designated by the U.S. Depart-
ment of Defense to host an Armed Forces Day celebration
with the Torrance Armed Forces Day Parade as a highlight.
e celebration began on May 20 with the opening of
displays from various branches of Military Services at the
Del Amo Fashion Plaza.
e 2017 celebration will take place May 19-21. e
honored service will be the U.S. Air Force.
More photos on pages 12-13