thedrifter
07-17-09, 07:58 AM
5th Marines, Dana Point's adopted regiment, changes command
Col. Patrick J. Malay steps down after two years.
BY VIK JOLLY
The Orange County Register
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A new commanding officer took over Dana Point's adopted 5th Marine Regiment during a more than hour-long ceremony at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday.
After two years of leading the regiment, Col. Patrick J. Malay relinquished command to Col. Willard A. Buhl during the event attended by more than 200 guests.
Malay, of Buffalo, NY, was commissioned in 1984, according to a 1st Marine Division public affairs news release. He assumed command of 5th Marines in June 2007 and led Regimental Combat Team 5 in Western Anbar, Iraq, for a year until January.
Buhl, a native of Los Gatos, was commissioned in April 1986. He served in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Future Operations Section during Operation Iraqi Freedom I, in Kuwait and Iraq, the news release said.
In his most recent assignment, Buhl served as a military assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Contact the writer: 949-465-5424 or vjolly@ocregister.com
Ellie
Col. Patrick J. Malay steps down after two years.
BY VIK JOLLY
The Orange County Register
Comments 1 | Recommend 0
A new commanding officer took over Dana Point's adopted 5th Marine Regiment during a more than hour-long ceremony at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday.
After two years of leading the regiment, Col. Patrick J. Malay relinquished command to Col. Willard A. Buhl during the event attended by more than 200 guests.
Malay, of Buffalo, NY, was commissioned in 1984, according to a 1st Marine Division public affairs news release. He assumed command of 5th Marines in June 2007 and led Regimental Combat Team 5 in Western Anbar, Iraq, for a year until January.
Buhl, a native of Los Gatos, was commissioned in April 1986. He served in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Future Operations Section during Operation Iraqi Freedom I, in Kuwait and Iraq, the news release said.
In his most recent assignment, Buhl served as a military assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Contact the writer: 949-465-5424 or vjolly@ocregister.com
Ellie