September 20, 2007

The beat goes on for Marines
Fullerton Rotarians ship new drum set to Fallujah for the troops’ R&R.
By BARBARA GIASONE STAFF WRITER

The rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire against insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq, has diminished while the beats from a drum shipped from Fullerton get louder.

That’s the word from Marine Capt. Jeremiah Davis, a 1993 graduate of Sunny Hills High School, and his 2nd Battalion, 6th Division Marines serving in Iraq.

The battalion is jamming in the desert with old instruments and the new drum set donated by the Rotary Club of Fullerton South with help from local businesses Mo’s Music and The Complete Package.
The gift was in response to the Rotarians’ inquiry of how they could help Marines in the Mideast.

In a thank-you note to Rotary President Stan Henslee, Davis wrote that more than 10 attacks were occurring daily when his battalion arrived.

“The Iraqi people were intimidated and afraid to cooperate with us for fear that the insurgents would execute vengeance upon them,” Davis wrote. “However, for the last month we have been averaging one to two attacks per day, and none of our Marines or sailors have been injured or killed since May 18.”

By dividing the city into 10 gated communities and hiring 200 Iraqis for a neighborhood watch program, Fallujah has been transformed from its war-torn appearance, Davis said.
When their day-to-day duties end, the Marines retreat to a sparsely populated area outside Fallujah where loud music is not a problem, according to Davis’ wife, Leslee, who
also graduated from SHHS (Class of ’95). She remains in North Carolina with the couple’s three children.

“This kind of gift made me feel real good,” Henslee said. “I remember Vietnam and the way people treated our troops. It was a national shame.”

In addition to the Marine project, the local Rotarians support the Boys & Girls Club and the Arboretum, where they have installed a new kitchen.

“But shipping the drum set was one of our best projects,” Henslee decided.