Annual Armed Forces Day Parade on Saturday in Torrance

The 30th annual Armed Forces Day Parade will come Saturday to Torrance, one of the few cities in the country without its own military installation that holds such a celebration.

The parade on the third Saturday of May has been a staple in Torrance since 1960 and it continued even during the Vietnam War years, when the military’s popularity sagged.

“Torrance is a city where the military is not a four-letter word,” said an infantryman who has marched in the parade.

The celebration of military might--this year’s theme is “Keep America Strong”--actually began Thursday and continues today with weapons displays at Del Amo Fashion Center.

Helicopters, tanks, missiles and facsimiles of a field hospital and kitchen are among the displays in the mall parking lot, north of Carson Street.

Saturday’s festivities begin at 8 a.m. with a 5-K and 10-K run, starting in front of the courthouse at 825 Maple Ave. Late registration for the runs will be held from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. The $12 entry fee includes a T-shirt.

The parade will begin at 1 p.m. in Old Downtown Torrance and runs west on Torrance Boulevard for two miles, past a reviewing stand at City Hall to its conclusion at Madrona Avenue.

Marching bands, color guards, weapons and several civilian units will be among the parade’s 107 entries.

Admiral Leon A. Edney, the Navy’s second highest-ranking officer, will preside as grand marshal of the parade.