Thousands of people lined the streets in the Pocket area for the 30th annual Fourth of July Parade.Floats, marching bands, children, politicians and veterans took part in the parade.For the first time, a new participant, World War II veteran Ken Mar, took part in the parade.”We are honored to have Ken Mar, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, here today,” said the parade announcer.Mar rode in the parade with members of the Gung Ho American Legion, representing Asian American veterans.”That’s one of the reasons we’re out here today to let people in general and let them know there are Asian-American veterans who served,” said Wilkie Liang, a Vietnam, Desert Shield, Desert Storm Air Force veteran. Mar, a Chinese-American, was drafted in 1943 while living as a teenager in Sacramento.”I was an 18-year-old kid. I think of it as an adventure,” he said. “I didn’t know I would get involved in all that combat over there.”On this holiday, he is celebrating the freedom he humbly helped preserve.”I still think about those people who couldn’t make it back,” Mar said. “I seen a lot of people die.”Last month, Mar traveled to Normandy, France, with his daughters for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion. He arrived in the days after the historic attack. “When we got off the bus, they all saluted us and escorted us to the cemetery,” Mar said. “They all appreciated us, it was awesome.”The second infantry Army veteran returned to the beaches he helped defend and eventually liberate France from the Nazis.”The beach was blown up. There were so many mines, ” he said.At the commemoration, Mar was struck by all the photographs of the men who sacrificed their lives.”White crosses, white crosses for miles and miles, white crosses, they are still there,” he said.Mar said it was an honor to be among the surviving World War II veterans and witness the commemoration.”The French still remember the sacrifice,” he said. That wasn’t the end of his service. Six months later, Mar fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and then the Germans captured him and he spent two months as a prisoner of war.”They are not going to take us prisoner, they are going to kill us, but they didn’t and I don’t know why,” Mar said.The World War II hero is here today to remind us why we celebrate our freedom on Independence Day.”There’s no better way to thank him than to recognize him,” Liang said.France honored Mar with the Legion of Honor award.He also received the Congressional Gold Medal, which recognizes Chinese Americans who contributed to America’s role in the war. He also has a bronze star.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

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