Huntington Beach honors military in July 4th parade
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Harold Tor looked at a framed collection of medals that hang on the wall of his Huntington Beach home. For the 88-year-old World War II Army veteran, each medal carries a memory.
He says he earned his Bronze Star for saving a general's life. His Purple Heart with a cluster signifies how he was injured two separate times.
This July Fourth, Tor is one of three WWII veterans being honored during the 111th Huntington Beach Parade. He's also serving as the Military Grand Marshall.
"I feel honored. It's an honor," he said.
Tor enlisted in the Army in 1944 when he was just 16, telling recruiters he was a year older. He would become a paratrooper after hearing from others how much extra it paid.
"If we join the paratroopers, we'll make $50 more a month," he said with a smile. "Fifty dollars to jump out of airplanes, so I went through jump school."
Tor was assigned to the 187th Para Glider Infantry of the 11th Airborne Division.
His tour of duty took him to New Guinea and the Philippines, where the Japanese were in control.
"I got wounded, got some shrapnel in my leg and a little piece in my head, I was deemed fit to go back," Tor said.
In May 1945, his squad entered into a fierce fight with the Japanese who refused to surrender.
"Eleven men got killed in front of me and I got my arm blown off and this shoulder got broken when I tumbled down this hill," he recalled.
Tor slowed down the bleeding by tying a belt around the stump of his left forearm. He spent months recovering.
Tor is among more than 200 veterans taking part in the parade, along with 40 active duty military.
"Huntington Beach has always supported our military. The current military serving that are serving now as well as veterans who have served in the past," said Janeen Laudenback, director of Huntington Beach Community Services.
Lien Acevedo and her family will stand beneath her 20-year-old son Christopher Jimmons' street banner that hangs along the parade route on Main Street.
"My son is away in the Navy on the USS Winston Churchill. He's also on his first deployment," Acevedo said. "My husband and I miss him dearly".
Jimmons' father Andy also served in the Navy. Acevedo hopes the patriotism shown on July Fourth lasts beyond the holiday.
"A lot of people have lost sight of what our military does for us," Acevedo said amid tears.
Standing on Main Street where many of the homes are decorated in patriotic colors and flags, she said: "It's for those who serve and fought for us to be free today."
