Local Supporters Dine Wounded Troops, Families


HOME \| ABOUT \| SITE MAP \| CONTACT \| FAQ

Local Supporters Dine Wounded Troops, Families

By Cpl. Jess Levens / MCRD San Diego

Sgt. Doug Hayenga and his wife Dinora won a five-liter bottle of wine in a raffle Monday at the We Thank Our Troops appreciation dinner at Casa Guadalajara in San Diego's Old Town. Photo by Cpl. Jess Levens

SAN DIEGO, July 1, 2005 - About 40 Marines and two Navy corpsmen from Medical Holding Platoon, Naval Medical Center San Diego, attended an appreciation dinner Monday night at Casa Guadalajara Mexican restaurant in San Diego's Old Town.

We Thank Our Troops, a fledgling nonprofit organization, hosted its debut event with the help of several other groups and businesses.

"We put this dinner together because it is our duty as Americans to support our armed forces," said Bob Zimmerman, We Thank Our Troops president. "I want to make sure that the sour welcome our troops in the past received stays in the past."

Everything was on the house, and Zimmerman raffled off several prizes donated by sponsors including free portrait sittings, hair salon treatments, round-trip flights, stays at resorts and bottles of wine. A unique gift was a five-liter bottle of red wine, given to Sgt. Doug Hayenga and his wife Dinora.

After the prizes were raffled - every Marine got something - Zimmerman said, "Let's eat!" The Marines promptly lined up for a Mexican fajita buffet and commenced to chow down.

"This is really great," said Cpl. Brad Collier in between bites of chicken. "It's really nice to see how appreciated we really are. It makes you feel good, and it lets you know people still care."

Zimmerman said, "It took about a month to set this up, but it's well worth the time. The people are out there to support the troops. You just have to search them out."

Zimmerman took a seat next to Collier and started exchanging stories with the troops over dinner.