Veterans’ memorials at the beach
Veteran’s Park, Redondo Beach
Herb Masi believes that there are few things as important as honoring the men and women who have served in our military, no matter their role
“People always think about combat veterans, but it takes people to support them. Any person who has been in those support roles is a one-hundred percent, dyed-in-the-wool veteran to me,” Masi said.
The retired Army Special Forces Captain has taken part in Redondo Beach’s Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day celebrations at the city’s Veteran’s Park Memorial since its groundbreaking ceremony in 2010. Again this year, the 74-year-old plans to greet every person in attendance.
“We’ve got great support from the city and the residents,” Masi said, noting that the ceremony attracts upwards of 650 people, from all branches of the military and the general public, who come to participate and watch as veterans from each of the military’s five branches — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard — lay down their wreaths.
“We’re not as big as a lot of other days in other locations, but this is all hometown stuff. You’ll see how excited a lot of people are and how much they enjoy it — how much the memorial means to them.”
Lieutenant Colonel Norman Lawrence, Commanding Officer of the Los Angeles Army Recruiting Battalion, will be the keynote speaker of the ceremony. Congressman Ted Lieu, Congresswoman Janet Hahn and State Senator Ben Allen are scheduled to be in attendance, alongside Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel members of the Redondo Beach City Council. Music will be provided by the Redondo Union High School Wind Ensemble and the Los Angeles Police Emerald Society Pipes and Drums Band. The ceremony will be concluded with a performance of Taps, played by Eagle Scout David Snowiss, of Boy Scout Troop 378.
The Veteran’s Park Memorial Day services will be followed by a barbecue sponsored by the Redondo Beach Elks Club. 1 to 2 p.m. 308 Esplanade, Redondo Beach.
Hermosa Memorial Day honoree sunk German U Boat assault
Hermosa Beach resident Robert Payne, 95, will be honored on Memorial Day for his work in developing the “acoustic torpedo,” which sank the German U Boats’ efforts to prevent the U.S. from coming to its European allies aid.
The recognition will be made Saturday at noon on Pier Plaza during the Inaugural Fiesta Hermosa Memorial Day Service by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Major General Robert D. McMurry, Jr., of the Los Angeles Air Force Base will be the keynote speaker.
Payne was part of a top-secret, five-member, wartime team that built the “acoustic torpedo” at Harvard University. The torpedo could be dropped from a plane along shipping routes and “simply [steering] itself into the noise” of a U-boat with the aid of two hydrophonic receivers, according to a 2006 Easy Reader story.
After the war, Payne worked on more efficient ways to refine uranium for atomic bombs.
Payne moved to Hermosa Beach in the late 1960s to manage test flights of the Thor, Titan and Atlas missile systems, before retiring in 1979. B
Torrance hosts 56th Annual Armed Forces Day
For its 56th annual observance of Armed Forces Day, the City of Torrance will honor its veterans with a three-day celebration, from Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17.
On Friday, the Air Force Band of the Golden West will perform at Torrance’s James R. Armstrong Theatre, at 3330 Civic Center Drive. The 44-member Concert Band is the Air Force’s largest. Tickets are free and will be distributed on a first-come. To request tickets, call the theater box office at (310) 781-7171.
This year parade honoree is the United States Coast Guard. The parade, on Saturday, May 16, begins at 1:30 p.m. at Crenshaw and Torrance Boulevards and ends at Madrona Avenue, Actor Ted Lange will be the Honorary Grand Marshall.
Military exhibits of vehicles, aircraft and support equipment will be on display at the Del Amo Fashion Center parking lot, 3525 W. Carson St., from Friday through Sunday.
Torranceca.gov. B
