Marines Coming Home Today : Welcome: Twenty returnees are expected to land this afternoon at the El Toro base. San Clemente plans a celebration.

The first Marines from a force of more than 8,000 sent to the Persian Gulf from Orange County’s two air bases are scheduled to return home today to the cheers of their families and the admiration of the community.

Twenty members of Marine Air Group 11, whose job is aerial refueling, are expected to touch down in a C-130 transport at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station at 3 p.m. At about the same time, hundreds of other Marines from the Southland will arrive at March Air Force Base near Riverside, where they will be bused to Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms.

“I just can’t tell you how good people feel. The excitement and enthusiasm has reached everyone,” said County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, a retired Marine Corps brigadier general. “The troops were given a job and they did it exceptionally well.”

Although many local military families are anxiously waiting the return of their loved ones, the Marine Corps has not planned an elaborate homecoming for the initial contingent of troops, and the general public will not be allowed on the base.

“We’re not planning anything special because we’re not getting much notice on the returns,” said Capt. Betsy Sweatt at the El Toro base. “From our information, we believe only about 20 Marines will be on that flight.”

But there were other plans on tap for today. About 500 people in San Clemente, including residents, and Marine families from neighboring Camp Pendleton, plan on celebrating. At a noon rally, the San Clemente High School band is scheduled to march down flag-lined Avenida del Mar near Ola Vista, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. A local pop singer is supposed to sing the national anthem.

“This is a military town turned ghost town after the Marines left,” said Teri Todd, 27, a local mortgage company president who is organizing the San Clemente event. “When they come back, they are going to remove this emptiness we all feel.”

Marines from El Toro and Tustin shipped out for the Middle East, beginning last August. By December, their numbers reached 8,000. The force included F/A-18 pilots and their crews along with those who fly CH-46 and CH-53 helicopters and a large support group to maintain the aircraft.

Not one local Marine from El Toro or Tustin was killed although they flew thousands of combat missions and were there with their helicopters and jet fighters when the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions from Camp Pendleton marched through enemy lines on their way to Kuwait city.

To honor the Marines, a parade sponsored by the county and the military is scheduled for next month. It will also pay respect to the thousands of Orange County military reservists who served in the Persian Gulf War. According to officials, it will be held near the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. Thousands are expected to watch the parade. County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez, said he was “immensely proud” of the job the military did in the Gulf. “They have been courageous on the battlefield and the families have been courageous at home. They are part of history now, some of our best history,” he said.

“Of course, we want to give them a hero’s welcome that they’ll never forget,” said Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach). Noting that he is sponsoring legislation that will provide for some of the biggest homecoming parades since World War II, Cox said he has been working to have Patriot missiles on display when Orange County has its big homecoming parade next month to honor all the local servicemen.

Operation Orange Shield, a “welcome home” celebration being put together by a local public relations firm, will treat military members and their families to a show, possibly at Anaheim Stadium or at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley.

A date has not been set yet for the event, according to Monica Prado, a senior account executive with the firm of Nelson/Ralston/Robb Communications. But she said many large corporations in the county have expressed interest in sponsoring the celebration.

As preparations are being made for community parades and shows, the military said it expects about 1,200 Marines from Twentynine Palms and Camp Pendleton to arrive at March Air Force Base over the weekend. The first flight is scheduled to land about 11:30 a.m. today. A Boeing 747 is expected at 4:15 p.m. with 428 Marines aboard. Another 630 Marines are expected to arrive there on Sunday.

Clamorous Welcome: Two county families fly to Carolina to greet their GIs.A1