90-year-old veteran gets surprise birthday drive-by parade in Inglewood

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- "[I'm] very surprised. I want to cry but there's too many people out here," David Woods said.

On Saturday, Sgt. David Woods got a big surprise for his 90th birthday.

"It scared the hell out of me," Woods said about the surprise birthday drive-by parade. "I was wondering where the fire was at. I didn't know what the heck was going on."

Woods is a veteran, a former prisoner of war and a Purple Heart recipient from the Korean war. He said seeing so many come out to celebrate him, including the LA County Fire Department and the Inglewood Police Department, touched his heart.

"It's nice to have good friends," Woods said. "This is a big surprise to me, a very big surprise to me. I feel very happy and wonderful. Nice to know I have friends."

Woods doesn't have any family in town because of the pandemic, but his daughter reached out to see if a parade could be organized like she had seen done in other communities.

"It was an opportunity to reach out to the community," said Stephanie Stone, Chief Deputy of the Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. "No one said no, everybody that could participate did participate."

"It's really great to come out and honor another veteran," said Marine Corps veteran David Austin. "Especially a Purple Heart recipient and someone who's been in the Korean War, an older veteran, is really good."

"To come out here and celebrate this man who's done so much for his country," said Air Force veteran BJ Lange. "And just to give back, it's just, it's beautiful."

"I thank the man upstairs for letting me live as long as I have," Woods said. "And for bringing me through everything I've been through."

Follow Ashley on social media:
Facebook.com/abc7ashley
Twitter.com/abc7ashley
Instagram.com/abc7ashley