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Names On The Wall Project

Volunteer Opportunity Honors Vets

The Torrance Historical Society Board persists in its project to gather and preserve the too-short life story of each of the 146 Torrance military personnel who gave their lives in service to country. Using the scant information from local public records, the Society provided study guides and enlisted the help of the local high schools. During the Spring school semester of 2008, students at North and Torrance High Schools collected information on some of those listed on the Memorial Wall at Torrance Civic Center.

Much remains to be done to achieve the objective. Help is needed. Michael George, Society Board member and Reference Librarian at the Katy Geissert Library, will present two fact finding seminars for volunteer researchers. They will learn techniques for gathering information from yearbooks, newspapers, directories and government records.

Volunteers are urged to contact the Museum at 310.328.5392.

NAMES ON THE WALL
  • Alvarez, Louis
  • Anzak, Joseph Jr.
  • Bailey, Bernard
  • Barkdull, Olin
  • Beranek, Rudolph
  • Bernasconi, Rudolph
  • Bliefernich, Arnold
  • Brightfield, Ralph
  • Brooks, Kenneth
  • Brown, Clent
  • Bruce, Claude
  • Bruhn, Gary
  • Burkholder, Bryson
  • Byrne, James
  • Caraway Archie
  • Carder, Paul
  • Carter, Michael
  • Carter, Thomas
  • Chavez, Dario
  • Coburn, Ernest
  • Coburn, George
  • Cotner, Morrison
  • Craw, Donald
  • Crawford, Douglas
  • Crocker, Ricardo
  • Crossland, Bert
  • Cruize, Raymond
  • Culverhouse, Leon
  • Cunningham, Dan
  • Daniel, James
  • Dietlin, Francis
  • Dilkess, Thomas
  • Dixon, Michael
  • Dodson, Robert
  • Duarte, Miguel
  • Edwards, Bobby
  • Eisenacher, Charles
  • Ernst, Edward
  • Escobar, George
  • Eversull, Anthony
  • Ferrara, Matthew
  • Fess, John Jr.
  • Flores, Nestor
  • Foley, John
  • Foster, John
  • Franklin, Perry
  • Gifford, Micah
  • Grant, Stephen
  • Grubbs, Gary
  • Gutierrez, Jose
  • Hamilton, Chelsea
  • Haslet, Thomas
  • Hatter, Robert
  • Heath, Isaac
  • Herlett, James
  • Hill, Alan
  • Hill, John
  • Hill, Ernest, Jr.
  • Isbell, George
  • Johnson, Jesse
  • Jones, Frank
  • Jones, Herman
  • Judge, James
  • Judge, Mark
  • Kandler, Terreace
  • Kessel, Michael
  • Kindrick, Bryce
  • Kirkpatrick, William
  • Lara, Lupe
  • Lewis Stephen
  • Lugo, Anthony
  • Madore, Louis
  • Markwell, Eugene
  • Martin, Thomas
  • Matayoshi, Wallace
  • McMinn, Danny
  • Merkel, Ruben
  • Mitchell, James
  • Moody, Garlan
  • Mullen, Joseph
  • Munoz, Larry
  • Mutschlek, Forrest
  • Nestor, John
  • Newton, James
  • Noble, Robert
  • Nunn, William
  • O'Brien, Richard
  • Obidine, Vladimir
  • Parker, Arthur
  • Pennington, Raymond
  • Plunkett, Milo
  • Price, Theron
  • Price, Thomas
  • Prowten, James
  • Purcell, Gary
  • Quaggin, Fred
  • Ramsey, Floyd
  • Ratliff, Paul
  • Reynolds, John
  • Richardson, Robert
  • Richhart, Everett
  • Robillard, Larry
  • Roomsburg, Tony
  • Sanderson, Paul
  • Sapp, Warren
  • Scheibler, Clarence
  • Schoolcraft, William
  • Searle, Robert
  • Shaner, Eugene
  • Shimatsu, Akira
  • Simonian, Gregory
  • Sleeth, William
  • Smith, Addison
  • Smith, Christopher
  • Smith, Edgar
  • Snee, Francis
  • Stambook, Robert
  • Stewart, Alex
  • Stewart, William
  • Stone, Gregory
  • Strieker, Eugene
  • Strobridge, Rodney
  • Tamura, Osamu
  • Tanouye, Ted
  • Tanouye, Yukiwo
  • Tarrance, William
  • Thayer, Richard
  • Tidwell, Royce
  • Tiffany, Frederick
  • Tudor, Kenneth
  • Vorhis, Leonard
  • Walker, George
  • Wanbaugh, Ronald
  • Washer, Richard
  • Watson, Earl
  • Webster, Frank
  • Wensel, Norman
  • West, Walter
  • Weymouth, Theodore
  • Wilcox, Ivan
  • Williams, Larry
  • Williams, Thomas
  • Wissel, Walter
  • Wood, Brian
  • Works, Charles
  • Wright, Thomas
146

Veterans Memorial

Charlie Saulinas, Vietnam War Veteran, reading the 146 Names on the Wall in 2020 Remembering Those Who Served and Gave Their Lives.

Normally, that means before COVID crept into our lives, on Memorial Day, the Torrance Historical Society conducts a memorial service for Torrance service personnel who gave their lives in U.S. military actions. The program takes place on the Memorial Plaza at the corner of Torrance Blvd. and Maple Ave., and includes the reading of the 146 Names on the Wall. Those Names include war losses from World War I to those in the Iraq and Afghanistan War.

However, in an abundance of caution, the Torrance Historical Society, adhering to the social distancing rules in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, gathered at the Memorial Wall without an audience for a reading of the names, May 20, 2020. There was one reader, not seven - Charlie Saulinas, a Vietnam Veteran. Michelle Polcari, President, welcomed the virtual crowd, and Jerry Ronan, Coordinator of the event, lead the Flag Salute. It was simple. It was poignant. It was tradition.

The Torrance Historical Society conducts a memorial service for Torrance service personnel who gave their lives in U. S. military actions. The program includes the reading of the 146 Names on the Wall. Those names include war losses from World War I to those in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. This is read on the Monday of Memorial Day each year. Check our Event page each year for exact details in case of changes. Normally the info below is correct.

What: Names on the Wall Remembrance
When: Memorial Day - Monday, 2:00 PM (see location)
Location: City of Torrance Veterans' Memorial Wall at Memorial Plaza, Torrance Blvd. at Maple at 2:00PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
Info: If you have any questions or would like additional information, our event page or call the Museum at (310) 328-5392.

"On Monday, we will be grateful for the gift of those who never came home. We will remember -- every day is Memorial Day. We will pray that we may never add another name to that cold, black wall," noted Jerry Ronan, retired Torrance Historical Society Board Member and WWII Veteran.

We will also remember Jerry Ronan, past Torrance Historical Society Board Member and WWII Veteran who started the Names on the Wall Project. Jerry caught the last train out on December 9th, 2021. He was 95. May he rest in peace.

CitiCABLE aired the Reading on Memorial Day , Monday, May 25, 2020 at 7:00 AM, 4:30 PM, and 7:30 PM PST. See the event on YouTube