City of Torrance

History Of The City

The City of Torrance has a long history of honoring the men and women serving in the armed forces. Early in 2001, the City Council expressed interest in the establishment of a veteran's memorial to honor the men and women of the City of Torrance who have died in the service of their country while serving in the military. Currently, there are several locations in the City of Torrance that display small tributes to fallen military personnel but while these are important, they are not very prominent and scattered around the city.

On June 13, 2001 the City Council ad hoc Veteran's Memorial Committee met to discuss locations, funding, and type of memorial that would best serve the community. Selecting the corner of Maple Avenue and Torrance Boulevard, construction began in late January 2002. The project was completed in March of 2003 and on March 19, 2005, the City dedicated the monument in a moving ceremony with the public, City employees, and many veterans in attendance.

From the beginning, this project was warmly received by both City employee  and the community. The wall stands 5 feet high and is 12 feet in length. There are currently 142 names on the monument including the name of Ted Tanouye recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Since the dedicatio  of the memorial, three new names have been added of soldiers who have lost their lives in the first gulf war and in Iraq.

While we are saddened that anyone has to lose their life in armed conflict, the City has engraved a quote on the wall that expresses our deep respect and appreciation of those who served and gave all for their country.