Marine Base Advises Against Displaying Yellow Ribbons

The patriotic gesture of displaying a yellow ribbon to show support for U.S. troops in the Middle East is being discouraged by Camp Pendleton, where officials are concerned the ribbons could invite crime.

“I’ve seen them on car antennas and on porches. Either way, you’re marking yourself ‘follow me home,’ ” base spokeswoman Capt. Rose-Ann Sgrignoli said Wednesday. “It’s not a good idea.”

Base officials worry that the ribbons might call attention to dependents left alone while their Marine spouses are deployed. At least one crime reported in North County might be linked to showing a yellow ribbon.

Carlsbad police are investigating the Aug. 31 sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman who was attacked at gunpoint as she walked from the Plaza Camino Real shopping center at dusk.

Detective Ray Trujillo said the suspect “made reference to the yellow ribbon on her vehicle.”

But, he cautioned, “there’s nothing to indicate the suspect picked her out because of that.”

In Orange County communities surrounding the Marine Corps bases at El Toro and Tustin, police said there have been no reports of crimes committed against those with yellow ribbons festooning homes or cars. A spokeswoman for the air stations in El Toro and Tustin, sounding surprised by the Pendleton action, said no warning has been issued by the Orange County bases. Nor, she said, have there been reports of break-ins or crimes at locations decorated by yellow ribbons.

Sue Boeka, who has tied a ribbon on the doorstep of her San Clemente home to honor her 27-year-old son in the Persian Gulf, said Wednesday that removing the bows might be smart for some people, like women living alone. But not for everyone.

“In other words, I don’t need to take mine down unless my husband left,” Boeka said.

Ribbons began appearing on sprawling Camp Pendleton and the neighboring community of Oceanside after a large contingent of Marines was hurriedly deployed to the Middle East in early August. The exact number of departed Marines has not been disclosed.

Karina Kingman, director of family programs, said she is aware that the yellow ribbons might identify a Marine dependent living alone, but she noted “we’re still giving them out. They’re for everybody. I have one and my husband’s not (a serviceman). It’s just to show support.”

Times staff writer Nancy Wride contributed to this report.