(photo by Tom LaBonge)

The 72nd anniversary of D-Day was observed on June 6, and former Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge joined former U.S. Army Air Corps pilot Bud Rice, 95, in a local commemoration. Rice, a Norton Avenue resident, flew a C-47 Skytrain over Normandy during D-Day in 1946, according to Stars and Stripes. He was with the 37th Troop Carrier Squadron as part of the Allied invasion of occupied Europe. Rice is pictured with firefighters at Los Angeles Fire Department Station 27 in Hollywood. He was one of approximately 160,000 Allied troops who participated in D-Day, including more than 5,000 support ships and 13,000 aircraft.