Skip to Content

97-year-old WWII Veteran celebrated with drive-by parade in Santa Barbara

image1 (4)
Courtney Meznarich
Santa Barbara firefighters showed up to wish a local World War II vet a happy 97th birthday.
image0 (23)
Courtney Meznarich
image0 (22)
Courtney Meznarich

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Sofia "Rusty" Meznarich celebrated her 97th birthday on Sunday, but not in the way she expected.

Meznarich is a World War II Veteran who served in the US Marines and was stationed in Santa Barbara.

To honor her legacy and achievements, Meznarich's family organized a surprise drive-by parade.

Veteran's groups, Santa Barbara police, firefighters, local bike groups, service organizations and more attended to wish Rusty a very happy birthday.

The event took place Sunday afternoon at the Santa Barbara Cabrillo Arts Pavillion.

Article Topic Follows: Community

Jump to comments ↓

Author Profile Photo

Jessica Brest

Jessica Brest is a digital journalist and assignment editor for NewsChannel 3-12. To learn more about Jessica, click here.

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

News Channel 3-12 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content