Honor parade held for 93-year-old World War II veteran

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – A South Florida resident and an American hero received a very special celebration over the weekend.

He was honored with his very own parade and surprise celebration.

93-year-old Julian Syphax received a show of appreciation from all of his favorite people and favorite food.

Thanks to Honor Flight South Florida, Julian, a World War II Navy veteran & retired firefighter, even received a phone call from one of his favorite Miami Marlins baseball players, Lewis Brinson.

Because of the coronavirus, Julian has been staying home for the last few months, like so many others around the country.

But with the unrest that has been going on, Julian was met with a wave of emotion from the racism he's dealt with for nearly a century.

"I'm hopeful that what I went through will resonate to so many people who are living today and say that all people aren't bad," Julian said.

But in this moment, honored by the West Palm Beach Fire Dept., the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins, Julian felt right at home.

"People have been so very good to me," he said.

The Syphax family has an exhibit at the African American History Museum in Washington D.C. and Julian is in the process of getting his own exhibit at the Lee House in Arlington National Cemetery.


About the Author:

Nicole Perez is the the primary co-anchor of Local 10 News at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. She first joined Local 10 in July 2016 as the morning traffic reporter.