The Crowd: Balboa Island Museum’s fall guest speaker lineup gets underway

The latest speaker event sponsored by Balboa Island Museum welcomed recently retired CWO3 (Gunner) Amatangelo “A.J.” Pasciuti addressing a full house for the museum’s monthly Thursday evening community open house. Pasciuti left the Marines following 20 years of service with enlistment inspired at age 17 by the 9/11 terrorists attacks on America.

Reporting to duty in July 2002, Pasciuti bid his service farewell in July 2023 at an emotional ceremony at Camp Pendelton, where he was lauded by commanding officers for exemplary and distinguished service during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Battle of Fallujah.

Marines Amatangelo Pasciuti and Brendon Coleman at the Balboa Island Museum.

(Ann Chatillon)

Pasciuti, who holds decorations including the Purple Heart (3x), Meritorious Service Metal (7x), Navy and Marine Corps commendation medals (to name only a few), shared with the museum crowd the life and death missions he participated in. One harrowing mission nearly took his life as he was trapped in a transport vehicle that exploded, flipped and caught fire after striking a land mine. Pasciuti bared all, sharing with the local audience the loss of comrades and the mental, psychological and emotional factions at play associated with the duty of a sniper in war.

His overriding message was direct and complex: “As a sniper you are trained to kill the enemy. This is your duty. In doing your sworn duty you come to understand that the enemy is doing the same in line with their beliefs, their purpose. In a real sense, we are the same. We are just people with basic needs of survival: the need to be safe, to belong and to be loved by family.”

Attending the Thursday evening gathering were Kimo and Alison McCormick, Gary and Sharon Grimes, MaraLou Harrington, Clinton Wissel and Christy D’Ambrosia, Susan Schamburg with Balboa Island Museum board member Lorraine Leavitt, Siena, Tracey and Royce Sharf, and museum founder and chair Shirley Pepys with Matt Leonetti.

Doug Devine, Marine veteran, speaks at a community open house at Balboa Island Museum.

(Ann Chatillon)

Also front and center were retired and current members of the Marines including Doug Devine and his wife, Tee Devine. They joined fellow Marine Art Sanchez, who said, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” Also in the crowd was Brendon Coleman, stationed at Camp Pendelton. He stood to be recognized. Five former servicemen from out of town were in Newport for a reunion — Mike Marous, John Jurcyle, Pat Makris, Jay Mueller and John Tanner.

Kimo and Alison McCormick support Balboa Island Museum Guest Speaker Series.

(Ann Chatillon)

Following his address, Pasciuti greeted guests over wine and hors d’oeuvres along with museum Executive Director Tiffany Pepys Hoey and museum staff thanking both Pasciuti and the attendees for supporting the museum.

Sharon and Gary Grimes attend the speaker event at Balboa Island Museum.

(Ann Chatillon)

Up next on the speaker roster, on Oct. 26 the museum will welcome Newport resident Matt Thomas, sharing his life story having suffered a traumatic brain injury following an auto crash as a teen. His website, positive-matters.org, says it all.

Later this fall, Balboa Island Museum invites the community to attend its annual fundraising party “Denim & Diamonds,” set for Nov. 17 at the Balboa Peninsula Fun Zone. The Western-themed night will feature over-the-top country fun from line dancing to games, cocktails, barbecue and even s’mores over firepits. Tickets to the party are $200 per person. All proceeds support the museum, which is totally free to the public year round. For tickets and information, visit BIMDenimAndDiamonds.com.