NRD Los Angeles Celebrates Armed Forces Day

LOS ANGELES (NNS) -- Navy Recruiting District Los Angeles celebrated the 52nd Annual Armed Forces Weekend in Torrance, Calif., May 20-22.

The parade, which is the highlight of the three-day celebration, is the country's longest continuous Armed Forces Day observance.

Army General Robert W. Cone served as the grand marshal for the two-hour parade that featured equipment and personnel from each of the services, civic groups and local high school marching bands.

Cone, who commands the Army's Training and Doctrine Command in Ft. Monroe, Va., presided over an induction ceremony for each of the service's future recruits, asking the cheering crowd of more than 20,000 to welcome America's newest heroes.

"Ladies and gentleman, these young people are our future, and I welcome them into our profession of arms, and honor their commitment to our country," said Cone.

Navy parade entrants included the Naval Base Ventura County Missile Float, which featured life-sized mock-ups of Harpoon, Phoenix, Sidewinder, Sparrow and Tomahawk missiles, as well as equipment and personnel from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40.

"This city is what America is all about," said Chief Builder Kimberly Gibson, from the Naval Base Ventura County Port Hueneme-based group. "We just returned from an eight-month deployment to Afghanistan, and everyone here really supports us and what we do for our country."

During the three-day celebration, local-area residents toured the exhibition area at the Del Amo Fashion Center which featured armored personnel carriers, tanks, humvees, and helicopters along with the Navy-branded Chevy Tahoe.

The Tahoe featured four LCD flat-panel displays with X-Box 360, Playstation 3, Wii games and accessories.

"The kids really like the games here," said Quartermaster 2nd Class Jeremiah Holden, a recruiter from Carson, Calif. "They like to challenge us on Guitar Hero, and they really enjoy beating us."

Armed Forces Day was created in 1949, after the consolidation of the military services in the Department of Defense. It is celebrated on the third Saturday in May in the United States each year.

"We're proud to host this celebration," said Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto. "We know very well about the sacrifices our men and women in the armed forces make on our behalf, and this [celebration] is our way of saying thank you."

For more news from Navy Recruiting District Los Angeles, visit www.navy.mil/local/nrd-la/.