WAYNE EGGLESTON, former San Clemente councilmember
In just a few short minutes over Memorial Day weekend, a mob of teenagers destroyed all we have done in this community to honor our military and our Marine neighbors at Camp Pendleton.
Unfortunately, national news reflects upon the negative and not the positive. San Clemente was one of the first, if not the first, to adopt in 1996 a Marine Corps unit, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines.
In 2005, Park Semper Fi was dedicated to all Marines, past, present and future. This small community had two, not one, Memorial Day ceremonies to honor our military.
I have received e-mails from friends and relatives all over the country who saw these terrible videos of these teenagers beating up two Marines at the Pier Bowl. As someone said in a social media site, “Parents need to plant the seed of morals, character and respect when they are young.”
It is obvious this was not done. Hopefully, these teenagers will get the maximum sentence by non-progressive judges who will not pat them on the head and send them home.
So, what can we do now to rebuild the trust San Clemente had to honor and respect our military? It comes from not only individuals, but also our Chamber of Commerce and City Council promoting the respect and honor for our Marines.
For individuals, when you see Marines on our streets, thank them for their service to our great nation. When you see them in a restaurant, pick up the tab.
San Clemente is pro-military, pro-Marine, and we have a history of respecting their service and honoring those who gave their lives in defense of our country. Hopefully, our Spanish Village by the Sea can regain that trust.
