Making mess for Marines

Deep in the heart of the military base dotted with artillery ranges

and helicopter landing pads, an unlikely scene unfolded Saturday.

Young parents lounged and looked on as men in camouflage served

cotton candy and cups of flavored ice to their children. A magician

performed on a nearby stage. Somebody carried off a bicycle won in a

raffle.

It was a festive scene made possible by a group of former Marines

from Newport Beach. In fact, the city in December 2003 “adopted” the

1st Battalion, 1st Marines, and a committee of local military

veterans -- including City Manager Homer Bludau, former Mayor Steve

Bromberg and Arches restaurateur Dan Marcheano -- has held several

events and raised thousands of dollars to help the Marines and their

families.

Saturday’s event was the first time the entire battalion and their

families were able to socialize together since the Marines returned

in June from a six-month deployment that made a stop in Iraq.

Newport’s former leathernecks gathered about $17,000 worth of raffle

prizes and food for the Marines and their loved ones. Marcheano even

brought 500 tamales from his restaurant.

The Marines’ salaries aren’t high, and their families often don’t

have the money to fix their cars or pay for other emergencies,

Bromberg said. But Newporters have been generous.

“We want to make it as easy as we can for them because we have the

means to do it,” he said. “We do not go out and fundraise. That money

just comes in.”

And the Marines are grateful for the gesture. At other events,

members of the battalion have had to stand over a hot grill, cooking

hamburgers for everyone, so having the food catered gave them a

break, said Capt. Dan Rosenberg.

“With the resources that we get from the Marine Corps, we wouldn’t

be able to put anything of this scale on,” he said.

Cpl. James Graham, one of the battalion’s 800 Marines, was

enjoying himself at the picnic, partly because he was glad to be back

from overseas.

“It was just a sigh of relief mostly, just trying to make it back

in one piece,” he said. “All I could think of was family.”

Though Saturday’s event was all about family, Brooke Orsen had

something else on her mind. While her husband -- who is in the

battalion -- and their two-year-old son enjoyed the San Diego

Chargers cheerleaders, who were brought in for the event, she sat

with a handful of raffle tickets hoping to win an Apple iPod.

She’s gotten used to her husband’s deployments, though he missed

their son’s birthdays and the last two Christmases. But she said

she’s glad he’s in the military, and she thought Saturday’s picnic

surpassed other events they’ve been to at the base.

“This is the best,” she said. “The ones we’ve been to before, we

had to eat military food.”

The battalion will be deployed again in the spring, but its

Newport Beach supporters will get to show their gratitude for the

Marines’ service first. A “mess night” event like the one held last

fall is scheduled for Sept. 29. Bromberg said about $96,000 was

raised to help the Marines at the 2004 mess night.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

[email protected].