Names on the Wall - Torrance Historical Society

Next date: Monday, May 25, 2026 | 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM

Veterans Memorial Wall with engraved names honoring fallen service members in Torrance

Names on the Wall – Monday, May 25, 2026

Torrance, CA: On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th, at 2:00 PM, the Torrance Historical Society will conduct a memorial service for Torrance service personnel who gave their lives in U. S. military actions. The program will take place on the Memorial Plaza at the corner of Torrance Blvd. and Maple Ave., and will include the reading of the 152 Names on the Wall. The Names comprise war losses from World War I to those in the Iraq and Afghanistan War. Logan Gorsuch will play “Going Home” and “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes and Steve Collins will play “Taps” on the bugle to conclude the service.

With the help of a handful of volunteers, the Torrance Historical Society is continuing to gather and preserve the too-short life story of each of the Torrance military war causalities. To date, the organization is halfway to their goal of putting a face on each name. This project was initiated by former Board Member and WWII Veteran, Jerry Ronan. Since Jerry’s passing, two dedicated volunteers, Kurt Weideman and Dennis Piotrowski, have taken over the project.

Based on many months of research by Kurt and Dennis for the Names on the Wall Project, yet another Torrance hero was identified whose name was not on the Veterans Memorial Wall – Jack Hormell. With the City’s approval, on April 20, 2026, the additional name was added, now bringing the total Names on the Wall to 152.

On Memorial Day, we will be grateful for the gift of those who never came home. We will remember -- every day is Memorial Day.

The Memorial Service is free, and open to the public.