Los Angeles, Ca
Southern California veteran honored by president on 80th Anniversary of D-Day in France
A veteran from Inglewood who served in World War II was honored by President Biden in France on the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Louis Brown, 98, took a trip to the shores of Normandy Beach where he was honored alongside other veterans who served during the war in the 1940s.
Brown, originally from Mississippi, was drafted into the Army when he was a teenager in 1944.
“Being a little young fellow in there, we didn’t know [anything],” Brown said of joining the Army. “You know, we were kind of excited to be over there. I didn’t know I was making a part of history or anything like that.”
At such a young age, he said he didn’t realize what he was stepping into and his eyes were opened to the world during a time of incredible strife and the threat of Adolf Hitler’s Nazis in Europe.
Brown eventually became a corporal in the 4036th Quartermaster, a convoy unit that was known to operate 24 hours a day, at times under enemy fire, to deliver urgent supplies to the frontlines.
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Louis Brown sharing photos of his time in the Army during World War II with KTLA’s John Fenoglio. (KTLA) -
Louis Brown joined the Army in 1944 and served during World War II where he became a corporal and later, a staff sergeant. (Brown Family) -
Louis Brown joined the Army in 1944 and served during World War II where he became a corporal and later, a staff sergeant. (Brown Family) -
Louis Brown and a fellow veteran reminisce on the 80th Anniversary of D-Day where he was honored in a ceremony with President Joe Biden in France. (Brown Family) -
On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Louis Brown, 98, visited France for a ceremony where he was honored alongside other veterans who served during World War II. (Brown Family) -
On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Louis Brown, 98, visited the shores of Normandy Beach in France where he was honored alongside other veterans who served during World War II. (Brown Family) -
On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Louis Brown, 98, visited France for a ceremony where he was honored alongside other veterans who served during World War II. (Brown Family) -
Louis Brown seen at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at a D-Day Anniversary ceremony held at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. in June 2024. (Brown Family) -
Louis Brown and other veterans make their way down a parade path in France as locals cheered them on in June 2024. (Brown Family) -
On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Louis Brown, 98, visited France for a ceremony where he was honored alongside other veterans who served during World War II. (Brown Family) -
Louis Brown visited France on the 80th Anniversay of D-Day in June 2024. (Brown Family) -
Louis Brown relaxing outside of his home in Inglewood, California. (KTLA) -
On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Louis Brown, 98, visited France for a ceremony where he was honored alongside other veterans who served during World War II. (Brown Family) -
Plane ticket to France for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. (Brown Family)
Just days after the D-Day Invasion in June 1944, Brown arrived on Omaha Beach, one of the five landing areas of the Normandy Invasion.
“When we got there, the ocean was still bloody,” Brown said. “The ground was all blood. That’s where they killed killed everybody. There was a lot of blood.”
Brown also participated in the Battle of the Rhine and the Battle of Germany. In 1945, his unit was sent to Southern Germany to help liberate the Dachau Concentration Camp where tens of thousands of Jewish and other minority prisoners were held captive.
Brown said it was a horrific experience that he will never forget.
“It was hard for me to believe that a man could survive that and live,” Brown said of the concentration camp. “There were bones sticking out of [the prisoners]. It was terrible. That’s the only thing I can say.”
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden honored Brown and dozens of other WWII veterans at a ceremony in France, honoring their service and remembering the over 4,400 Allied troops who were killed on D-Day.
Video from loved ones showed Brown participating in a parade where French locals cheered him on. He later returned to the shores of Utah and Omaha beaches to honor his fallen comrades during a time that forever changed the course of history.
“To me, I was no hero,” Brown said. “But it’s an honor to serve your country, particularly if you love your country.”
Brown was discharged as a staff sergeant from the Army in 1946. He married in 1950 and had two daughters.
He settled down in Southern California and worked as an equipment operator for the city of Los Angeles for 33 years.
Tens of thousands of residents in the western Los Angeles area remain under mandatory evacuation orders Wednesday morning after a wind-driven wildfire exploded in size Tuesday and swept through communities in the Pacific Palisades.
The Palisades Fire was first reported around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive. By evening, the fire had exploded to more than 2,900 acres with no containment and was expected to keep spreading amid hurricane-force Santa Ana winds.
The latest CalFire updates can be found here.
There was no initial estimate for the number of structures damaged or destroyed. However, news footage showed dozens of homes and other structures ablaze.
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Flames rise as the Palisades Fire advances on homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
Will Adams watches as flames from the Palisades Fire close in on his property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
Water is dropped on the advancing Palisades Fire by helicopter in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
Plumes of smoke are seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. (Getty Images) -
Plumes of smoke are seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades as seen from Santa Monica, California on January 7, 2025. (Getty Images) -
View of the Palisades Fire from LAX on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA) -
A palm tree is seen burning during the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA) -
An ALERTCalifornia camera view of a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles County. Jan. 7, 2024. (ALERTCalifornia) -
A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire as it damages a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo) -
Firefighters work to extinguish flames engulfing a home as a brush fire rages in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 7, 2025. (Getty Images) -
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
A firefighter jumps over a fence while fighting the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Evacuations were ordered for the entire Palisades community down to the Pacific Ocean, according to CalFire. During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, officials said more than 10,000 homes in Pacific Palisades and Malibu were affected by the evacuation order. Evacuation warnings also extended into areas of Santa Monica and Calabasas.
An evacuation shelter for people and pets was established at the Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 S. Sepulveda Boulevard.
Dozens of Los Angeles County schools will be closed Wednesday due to the fire. A comprehensive list of closures can be found here.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Pacific Palisades is located about 10 miles from Malibu, where the Franklin Fire burned more than 4,000 acres and burned several homes after erupting during similar windy conditions in December.
Palisades Fire Resources: LAFD Alerts | CALFIRE Incident Page | LAFD on X
As the more than 2,900-acre Palisades Fire rages, a Southern California cultural touchstone – the Getty Villa along Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades – is threatened.
In a statement, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust Katherine E. Fleming said the villa was swiftly closed Tuesday morning to non-emergency staff and irrigation was deployed throughout the grounds.
Fleming added that extensive measures to clear brush from the surrounding areas had taken place earlier in the year as part of the villa’s fire mitigation efforts, though some trees and vegetation on the grounds have burned.
“Museum galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by state-of-the-art air handling systems,” the statement noted and added that the double-walled construction of the galleries provides significant protection to the priceless collections housed in the museum.
Villa officials extended their gratitude for the tireless efforts of first responders.
“We, of course, are very concerned for our neighbors in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and the surrounding areas,” the statement adds.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. officials announce preparedness measures ahead of ‘most significant windstorm in more than a decade’
Wild weather – including rain, snow, high winds and dangerous fire conditions – is how Southern California is starting 2025, and officials in the L.A. are taking no chances ahead of the adverse conditions.
The National Weather Service has described the windstorm hitting SoCal as “life-threatening,” “extreme” and “destructive,” and snow flurries were seen Tuesday morning in mountain communities; further inland, rain showers caused slick roadways.
In L.A., Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday morning that the city has activated its Emergency Operations Center to a Level 2 to ensure the safety of all Angelenos.
“Parts of the Los Angeles region will potentially face one of the most significant windstorms in more than a decade, and I urge Angelenos to continue monitoring the storm and stay vigilant and safe,” Mayor Bass said in a statement. “Power outages as a result of downed power lines, increased fire risk and falling trees and debris should be expected during this time and the impacts and dangers of a windstorm should be taken seriously.”
The mayor’s office released a list of resources and helpful information for residents to use during the windstorm:
- Reporting and tracking power outages: Visit www.ladwp.com/outages or call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397)
- Reporting blocked roadways: Service can be requested through www.lacity.gov/myla311 or by calling 311; Angelenos are also encouraged to download the MyLA311 mobile app
- Red Flag Warning updates: Check www.lafd.org/redflag for the latest updates; Red Flag parking restrictions have been in place since 8 a.m. Tuesday and are set to last until further notice
- Outage updates: LADWP will regularly update their X page to inform residents of power outages
- Weather updates: Click here for the hyperlocal forecast for your community, or visit the National Weather Service for the regional forecast
- In case of emergency: Dial 911
In addition to downing trees and causing power outages throughout the region early Tuesday morning, the dangerously high winds are already fueling brush fires in the area, including one that erupted and was later contained in the Santa Ana Riverbed in Colton around 5 a.m.
A much larger and more rapidly spreading vegetation fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in L.A.’s upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood. By noon, area residents were being told to prepare to evacuate as it spread to over 200 acres in about an hour.
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Photos: Pacific Palisades Wildfire Engulfs Homes in an L.A. Neighborhood
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