Located in north Long Beach, the mural faces the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Houghton Park. It has also been the starting and finishing point for the annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade since it was unveiled on Veterans Day in 2006.
Designed by former Long Beach resident and artist Art Mortimer, the mural depicts images of military men and women from all branches of military, from the Civil War to the present. The Long Beach mural program, which is part of the Parks, Recreation & Marine Department, commissioned Mortimer to complete the mural.
“After I got input from the community, I looked for photographs and images that related to the subject,” said Mortimer. “I went to the historical society, got people’s personal photographs and talked to veterans. I always look for pictures that I have some connection to.
” The mural displays all six logos of the armed forces, and a large flag serves as the backdrop for the mural. Starting from the far left, there is an image from 1940 of two Civil War veterans and two army officers saluting. In the center of the mural, there is a group of Civil War veterans standing with a drum that reads “Long Beach Calif. G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) Martial Band.”
To the right of the Civil War veterans, there are three men celebrating the end of WWI. The man in the center holding the flag and the sailor on the right have switched hats. At top center there are two female pilots. The female pilot on the left is Loretta Foy, who served in the Women Airforce Service Pilots in WWII. To the right of Foy is a family picture of Paul Bice, who served in the South Pacific and the Middle East, and his mother.
Next to the female pilots are two armed servicemen on their base in Korea during the Korean War. They are surrounded by the medals that were awarded to servicemen during Vietnam. Below the female pilots there is an image of Cliff Chaffee, a career Navy man, posing with his biplane in 1937. In 2006, 91-year-old Chaffee served as Honorary Grand Marshall of the Veterans Day Parade.
Next to Chaffee is a group of veterans at the dedication of the Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial. To the right of the group of veterans is former city councilmember Jerry Shultz, a Vietnam veteran and the driving force behind the Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“It’s such an honor to have my picture on the mural, especially when you have kids. It’s always nice to be recognized for your service, especially as a Vietnam vet,” said Shultz. “We didn’t exactly have a welcoming party when we returned. I served my country, I did my time and I was lucky that I returned.”
To the right of Shultz sits the USS Long Beach, a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser that reminds us of Long Beach’s once strong naval base. Tuskegee Airman Aaron Herrington is next to the USS Long Beach. The Tuskegee Airmen were America’s first black military airmen. Herrington graduated from the U.S. Army Corps as a second Lieutenant. After the war, he and his wife Maycie settled in Long Beach.
The last image is of PFC George Torres, the first Long Beach marine to die in Iraq. He and his parents lived only a block from the mural.
“One of my favorite images was the picture of PFC George Torres,” Mortimer said. “That was really special because he was related to Dora Cortes, one of the ladies from the redevelopment agency. She took me to her cousin George’s house to meet his parents. His parents were from Mexico, and this had been such a blow to them. The Marines had sent back his belongings, and his parents hadn’t opened the box yet. But they opened it for me. It was very emotional for them. His Purple Heart medal was in there.”
Cortes was delighted to find out that George was one of the veterans selected to be in the mural.
“It’s an awesome feeling to know that my cousin is in the mural and has affected so many people,” Cortes said. “When I walk by with somebody, I get to say, ‘Hey, that’s my cousin.’ It makes me a proud American and makes me proud of my family and my culture.”
