Three-year-old Zach English of Oceanside pretends to drive a C-track or small excavation equipment tractor that was on display during the 6th annual Operation Appreciation held at the Oceanside Pier Saturday.
JAMIE SCOTT LYTLE Staff Photographer
Oceanside event honors military, their families
By: SCOTT MARSHALL - Staff Writer
OCEANSIDE — Clad in his mask and cape, Batman attended a special event Saturday near the Oceanside Municipal Pier, but it was his father who was among the real heroes being honored.
Batman’s alter ego — 2-year-old Austin Morgan — joined his brother Nathan, 4, and their parents Laura Morgan, 22, and Marine Sgt. Daniel Morgan, 24, at the sixth annual Operation Appreciation, an event to thank the military and their families for their service to their country.
“I love it,” Daniel Morgan said, as his sons enjoyed one of the many free carnival-style rides. “It lets us know people out there actually do care about what we do.”
Launched by the Armed Services YMCA, the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce and the North County Times, Operation Appreciation included live music at the amphitheater near the pier and free food for military service members and their families. A children’s area offered free rides ranging from an inflatable slide shaped like a wave called “The Tsunami” to dragons on wheels riding in circles called “The Dragon Adventure.”
Tammi Harper, 37, of Carlsbad said she explained to her daughters, Mandy, 5, and Megan, 4, that Saturday’s festivities were “a thank you for Daddy being gone.” Harper’s husband, Lt. Cmdr. Mike Harper, 32, an 11-year Navy veteran, is aboard the USS Nimitz that deployed April 2.
“I think it’s important, especially in the Southern California area,” Tammi Harper said of Saturday’s event. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”
The first sight to grab the attention and interest of Lt. Col. Matt Hess’s two sons were military vehicles parked on the beach near the pier, Hess said.
“My kids are really enjoying climbing around the equipment,” Hess, 37, said.
On the amphitheater stage, flanked by dignitaries including some City Council members from Oceanside and Vista and Marine Corps officials, Mayor Jim Wood said he is proud of what “our neighbors to the north” on Camp Pendleton are doing.
“I can’t think of better people — good neighbors, good friends — than the people we honor every day for what they do for us,” Wood said of the Marines.
Brig. Gen. David Reist of the 1st Marine Logistics Group then told the audience that attending the event was a “special privilege.”
“We couldn’t do our jobs without the support we have from you — friends and family,” Reist said. “We thank you very much, and we look forward to today.”
Last year’s event attracted about 8,000 Marines, sailors and their families. Briana Wagner, event coordinator for the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, said it was hard to tell how Saturday’s crowd compared with those of previous years because the event was spread over a wide area and people were waiting in long lines for food.
“It looks like there are a lot of military and their families, and that is what we focus on,” Wagner said.
— Contact staff writer Scott Marshall at (760) 631-6623 or smarshall@nctimes.com.
Three-year-old Zach English of Oceanside pretends to drive a C-track or small excavation equipment tractor that was on display during the 6th annual Operation Appreciation held at the Oceanside Pier Saturday.
JAMIE SCOTT LYTLE Staff Photographer