125-Mile Procession From LA to San Diego Held for Beloved WWII Veteran

Family and friends of one of the United States' last WWII veterans said goodbye to the 102-year-old San Diego resident, Sidney Walton, who died Saturday in Santa Monica surrounded by loved ones.

A procession was held Thursday to honor the late servicemember. The public was invited to join the 125-mile motorcade from Los Angeles to San Diego that carried Walton to El Camino Memorial Park, where loved ones and the public had the opportunity to pay their respects.

Following an open casket public visitation, a private service and burial were held as Walton’s closest family and friends laid the veteran to rest next to his late wife, Rena.

Walton, a longtime resident of America’s Finest City, was born Feb. 11, 1919 in New York and enlisted in the U.S. military at 22 to “join the Army to fight Hitler,” he said. Walton was trained for chemical warfare and graduated with a chemical engineering degree before he was sent overseas to combat, according to his obituary.

Following the war, Walton lived in New England for some time before he and his family moved to San Diego in 1960.

In 2018, the veteran embarked on his “No Regrets Tour,” in which he set out to visit all 50 states and meet all 50 governors to raise awareness of the diminishing number of WWII veterans and the sacrifices they made. On Sept. 28, Walton visited Oklahoma and met with Gov. Kevin Stitt as his 40^th state visit before his passing.