SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—As a crowd gathered on March 31 at Park Semper Fi next to San Clemente Pier, the First Marine Division Band played “God Bless America” to mark the start of the annual reunion of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, which returned to San Clemente for the first time in 10 years.
“What an honor it is not only to receive this type of recognition publicly, but also to honor and recognize those deserving Marines within the battalion who are serving on active duty, and the importance of seeing the communities they serve and getting to meet some real live Marines serving our country,” Maj. Scott Huesing, a USMC veteran who commanded the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Echo Company in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, said during the ceremony.
The 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Association, proudly known as the “Magnificent Bastards,” celebrates a reunion at a different location every year since 1988—except 2019 due to COVID-19 travel concerns. Dozens of former and current Marines, Navy chaplains, and corpsmen band together for events and activities while sharing wartime stories from Vietnam to Afghanistan.
Huesing said the reunion’s “real” message, aside from seeing old friends and telling stories, is being a part of a network of legendary Marines like Vietnam war veterans General James E. Livingston and Col. Jay R. Vargas, both recipients of the Medal of Honor.
- First Lt. Alexander R. Macki received the Lt. Col. Joseph “Bull” Fisher Leadership Award.
- Staff Sgt. Damien D. Salaman received the Sergeant Major Joseph J. Ellis Leadership Award.
- Sgt. Ivan Zamora received the Sergeant Major “Big John” Malnar Leadership Award.
- Lance Cpl. Tanner W. Gardner received the Foster, Paul, and Barker Leadership Award.
- Hospital Corpsman Second Class Garrett T. Hannon received the HMCS Walter S. “Doc” Gorsage Leadership Award.
“Here are some of the best humans that our battalion has to offer,” Lt. Col. Jared Reddinger said during the ceremony. “They really are tremendous performers. They are leaders within our Battalion, and they are individuals that we look up to—that I look up to, and they represent the lineage and the legacy of this Battalion.”
The awards ceremony marked the opening of the four-day reunion from March 30 to April 3.
The 70-plus members registered for this year’s reunion are attending various events at the nearby Camp Pendleton, including a memorial ceremony at the Memorial Gardens, weapons firing familiarization at Range 300, and a hike up the First Sergeant’s Hill before wrapping up with a barbeque beach party at San Onofre Beach.
“It’s a healing time,” Becky Valdez, co-host of the reunion, told The Epoch Times. “Year after year, the guys get together, and they bond. They see their buddy, and it’s like, ‘OK, he knows, he understands.’ So that they could talk to each other. It’s the most healing thing I’ve ever seen.”
Valdez, wife of Sgt. Frank Valdez—a Bronze Star recipient and radio operator for General James E. Livingston during the Vietnam War—said every reunion leaves her in “awe,” after hearing the veterans share their stories about shrapnel permeating an eye and about reuniting with a fellow soldier they thought had died during the war.
“I see it every year, and it’s my goal to make sure that a reunion happens every year so these guys can heal,” she said.
In attendance at the ceremony were both current members and veterans of the Battalion.
“It’s good for the younger guys to see these heroes standing on their shoulders,” Valdez said. “And it’s good for the older generation to say, ‘Oh my gosh, look, we’re still okay. These young guys have squared away, and they still got what it takes to lead our country.’”
Former San Clemente Mayor Wayne Eggleston and current Mayor Gene James were both at the ceremony thanking the service members for their dedication and commitment.
At the end of the ceremony, the First Marine Band played “Anchors Away” and the “Marines’ Hymn,” telling stories of how the U.S. Marine Corps has been guarding every American citizen’s honor and freedom.
