A toast to returning 1/1 Marines

Marines and their loved ones gathered Wednesday at a dinner hosted by the Arches restaurant on West Coast Highway. The dinner pays tribute to the key volunteers of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Newport Beach’s adopted Marine battalion, who recently returned from Iraq.

Because the 1/1 recently returned from Iraq, this year’s dinner is special, said Arches owner Dan Marcheano. Even better, they can enjoy the night with their wives and husbands.

“When the Marines were in Iraq for the last two years, if one of the Marine wives had a serious problem or just needed someone to talk to, these volunteers all gather around like a support group,” Marcheano said. “And this time the 1/1 lost 11 of their comrades over there, so the KV [key volunteer] job obviously became really hard so we’ve put together a great menu for them.”

The Marines have also recently been treated to a harbor cruise, dinner and dancing sponsored by the American Legion Post 291 in Newport Beach, and dessert at the Arches.

A memorial ceremony for the 11 Marines who died in Iraq from the adopted battalion will be at Camp Pendleton today.