FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2003
Contact: Diane Thomas
714.834.6203
Maddox and Silva
to Dedicate Wall of Honor
(Santa Ana, CA) - Assemblyman
Ken Maddox (R-Costa Mesa) and Supervisor Jim Silva (Second
District) will thank Orange County’s men and women
in the military as they dedicate a Wall of Honor May 16
in the lobby of the County’s Hall of Administration,
10 Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana. The ceremony will
take place at 9:30.
The display will feature nearly 40 photos of Orange County
residents who are serving their country around the world.
One of those photos is of Navy reservist Francisco Alonso
who recently returned from Kuwait. Alonso, a civil engineer,
is Manager of Building Inspection for the South County
section of the County’s Planning Department. He
is also a Commander with the Navy’s Amphibious Construction
Battalion based in Coronado near San Diego.
Alonso’s battalion was in charge of building Camp
Patriot on the coast of Kuwait. The camp was a full-service
area that based troops and served as a port to offload
supplies from arriving ships.
Another face on the Wall of Honor will be that of Major
Carla Marcinek who is a reservist serving with the Aero
Medical Evacuation Unit. The Major’s unit was responsible
for the care of troops being flown from Iraq to hospitals
in Germany and other regions. Marcinek was one of the
nurses who accompanied the seven, freed American POWs
on their flight out of Iraq.
Marcinek is a Supervising Public Health Nurse for the
County’s Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health program.
She is still serving overseas.
“It’s an honor to recognize these selfless
men and women who leave their Orange County homes to ensure
the security of those of us who remain,” said Silva.
“I’m proud to join Assemblyman Maddox in this
celebration of service, and I look forward to shaking
the hands of those who have returned from overseas and
will be present. I hope that each Orange County resident
who enters the Hall of Administration will pause to look
at the photographs of these dedicated young people.”
“Many of the Orange County residents we will honor
on Friday have not yet returned home,” said Maddox.
“Many are still in Iraq, elsewhere in that region
or in other areas of service around the globe. Wherever
they are, each of them plays a part in the security of
this great country. My pride in this group is immeasurable.”
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