thedrifter
02-28-08, 01:09 PM
Marines honored
By Michael Miller
NEWPORT BEACH — They may be small donations to people who live in affluent Orange County — a bar of soap here, a dry snack here, a few spare CDs or DVDs.
But when Lt. Col. Jeff Conner addressed two Newport Beach Rotary Clubs at a special dinner for the Marines on Wednesday, he wanted to make one thing clear: Those donations can mean the world to troops sweltering through another day of duty in Iraq.
Conner, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton, was honored along with five men from his unit in the Tee Room at the Newport Beach Golf Course. With members of two Rotary Clubs present, Conner paid his own tribute to the people who support the troops on the home front.
“We truly are the most spoiled battalion in all the Marine Corps,” he said, getting a round of applause from the audience. “For those of us who were deployed, on a consistent basis, we were inundated with packages of donated goods.”
Conner’s battalion went to Iraq for its most recent deployment last summer and returned this month. While the troops maintained a base in Habbaniyah, a city near Fallujah in central Iraq, members of the Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa sent them packages of Christmas decorations, food and more and assisted their families financially.
Former Mayor Steve Bromberg, who adopted the battalion during his tenure, said the City Council’s intention at the time was to provide exceptional treatment for the Marines and their spouses and children. The city adopted the battalion in December 2003, just months after U.S. forces entered Iraq.
“When Newport Beach adopted a Marine unit, the goal was to completely make it count,” he said.
After Mayor Ed Selich presented Conner with a proclamation, the commanding officer gave a gift of his own, handing Bob Silver, the president of the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa, an American flag that flew over the camp in Habbaniyah.
Conner also bestowed praise on several of the Marines’ wives, including his own, who coordinate a number of volunteer efforts while their husbands are overseas.
“We could not deploy and do what we do if not for the ladies here tonight,” he said.
Ellie
By Michael Miller
NEWPORT BEACH — They may be small donations to people who live in affluent Orange County — a bar of soap here, a dry snack here, a few spare CDs or DVDs.
But when Lt. Col. Jeff Conner addressed two Newport Beach Rotary Clubs at a special dinner for the Marines on Wednesday, he wanted to make one thing clear: Those donations can mean the world to troops sweltering through another day of duty in Iraq.
Conner, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton, was honored along with five men from his unit in the Tee Room at the Newport Beach Golf Course. With members of two Rotary Clubs present, Conner paid his own tribute to the people who support the troops on the home front.
“We truly are the most spoiled battalion in all the Marine Corps,” he said, getting a round of applause from the audience. “For those of us who were deployed, on a consistent basis, we were inundated with packages of donated goods.”
Conner’s battalion went to Iraq for its most recent deployment last summer and returned this month. While the troops maintained a base in Habbaniyah, a city near Fallujah in central Iraq, members of the Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa sent them packages of Christmas decorations, food and more and assisted their families financially.
Former Mayor Steve Bromberg, who adopted the battalion during his tenure, said the City Council’s intention at the time was to provide exceptional treatment for the Marines and their spouses and children. The city adopted the battalion in December 2003, just months after U.S. forces entered Iraq.
“When Newport Beach adopted a Marine unit, the goal was to completely make it count,” he said.
After Mayor Ed Selich presented Conner with a proclamation, the commanding officer gave a gift of his own, handing Bob Silver, the president of the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa, an American flag that flew over the camp in Habbaniyah.
Conner also bestowed praise on several of the Marines’ wives, including his own, who coordinate a number of volunteer efforts while their husbands are overseas.
“We could not deploy and do what we do if not for the ladies here tonight,” he said.
Ellie