Flag Day parade is on for returning Marines
The 1st Marine Division is coming to San Clemente with 500 troops from the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment to march down Avenida Del Mar on Flag Day, June 14.
The City Council this week approved a route, a staging area, temporary street closures and other logistics for a parade honoring the return to Camp Pendleton of San Clemente's "adopted" 2/4 from deployment in Afghanistan.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at a staging area on Avenida Cabrillo, then march uphill onto El Camino Real, then down Avenida Del Mar to Park Semper Fi on a knoll overlooking the San Clemente Pier. Joining the Marines in the parade will be members of the 2/4 Association riding in classic cars, a city staff report said.
At Park Semper Fi, a ceremony will salute the Marines as they stand near the park's Marine Monument. Following the ceremony, about 150 members of the 2/4 Association will hold a barbecue on the beach north of the pier.
The city, the Chamber of Commerce and The Heritage of San Clemente Foundation are planning a similar barbecue a week earlier, June 8, at San Onofre State Beach, said Wayne Eggleston, founder of The Heritage of San Clemente Foundation.
The city is waiving police-service costs for traffic control and safety for the June 14 event. Members of the Retired Senior Volunteers Program and Police Explorers will help with traffic control, the city staff report said.
Contact the writer: Fswegles@ocregister.com or 949-492-5127
