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Here is a SHORT EXCERPT from the story in the L.A. Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-me-parade16may16,1,2359479.story?coll=la-news-state
LOS ANGELES

Military-Themed Parade Draws Cheering Throng

The crowd, including parents of a Marine in Iraq, shows its support for U.S. troops.
By David Pierson
Times Staff Writer

May 16, 2004

Flanked by thousands of cheering paradegoers on the sidewalk, Lyle Moulton enjoyed a brief respite from the constant worry he has endured since his son left for Iraq in March.

Wearing a T-shirt printed with a picture of Garret, a 23-year-old Marine, Moulton cheered when a pair of F-14 fighter jets boomed overhead, setting off dozens of car alarms.

"Now that my son is over there, this parade is very personal," he said.

Torrance's Armed Forces Day Parade has weathered myriad political climates in its 45 years, from the gloom of the Vietnam War era to the more popular Gulf War in 1991.

But the outpouring of appreciation for the military each year has always helped comfort families with loved ones overseas. That's more so now as the conflict in Iraq continues, said Moulton, whose home faces the parade route on Torrance Boulevard. A banner above his garage door read: "LCpl Garret Moulton/2nd Battalion/1st Marines/Support Our Troops."

"This is one of my favorite days," he said.

Before the marching bands, tanks and dignitaries moved down the two-mile route, the crowd — which police estimated at 60,000 — paused for a moment of silence for Sgt. Brian Wood, a Torrance native who was killed in Tikrit last month....