Services Begin to Mark Closing of Marine Bases

Services marking the closing of El Toro and Tustin Marine Corps bases got underway Thursday with parades and short ceremonies in several Orange County cities.

Those ceremonies--carried out by detachments of Marines, armored vehicles and members of fraternal organizations--will continue this afternoon in five South County cities. The ceremonies will be held at noon in Lake Forest, 1 p.m. in Mission Viejo, 3 p.m. in Laguna Niguel, 4 p.m. in Dana Point and 5 p.m. in San Clemente.

The first order of business today, however, will be formal base closing ceremonies at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Events begin with a 9:30 a.m. concert by the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band, followed by a series of speakers that will include Gen. Terrence Dake, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. A three-platoon parade, capped by a fly-by by two F/A-18 Hornets and a World War II-era F4U Corsair, will end the morning ceremony.

The ceremony, which also marks closure of the nearby Tustin Marine Corps Air Facility, is open to the public. Spectators should enter the El Toro main gate at the end of Trabuco Road and follow directions to the ceremony site.