Published on Sunday, February 07, 2010
By LA Daily News Staff Writer
Ask Bill Littlefield why he flies the American flag every day from the porch of his little stucco house in Van Nuys where he's lived for 65 years, and he'll tell you it's because "I owe it."
I'm not so sure it's not the other way around. I know we sure owe him.
"Bill was one of the most courageous war heroes of an era where there were a lot of courageous heroes. Then he went on to become a legend in the criminal justice system," says his friend, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley.
"He was one of the most dogged defenders of poor people I've ever seen in a courtroom," says another friend, retired California Supreme Court Justice Armand Arabian.
High praise from a couple of heavy hitters. The former head of the Public Defender's Office in Los Angeles for 30 years just shrugs it off.
"My job was to help poor people in trouble," says Littlefield, who will soon turn 88. "It's as simple as that."
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