Guests attend the dedication ceremony for the Ramadi Memorial Plaque in Park Semper Fi in San Clemente, Calif., on Saturday, April 6, 2024. The plaque is dedicated to the 33 Marines and one sailor who were killed in the Battle of Ramadi in 2004. (Paula Bradfield, Warrior Reunion Foundation/Facebook)
Battle of Ramadi fallen remembered at San Clemente’s Park Semper Fi on 20th anniversary
Veterans of Camp Pendleton’s 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines gathered Saturday, April 6, at Park Semper Fi in San Clemente to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Ramadi and remember 33 fallen troops.
The event, which was expected to draw hundreds, 33 Gold Star parents and past commanding officers, included an installation of a plaque dedicated to the Marines and sailors who gave their lives in the service of their country during the seven-month battle in the Iraqi city in 2004.
The ceremony included the 1st Marine Division Band Brass Quintet, a greeting by San Clemente Mayor Victor Cabral, the Marine Color Guard, comments from Gold Star mothers Dianne Layfield and Pam Hallal, and a welcome from Wayne Eggleston, a former San Clemente mayor and executive director of Park Semper Fi.
Each of the 33 Marine names on the plaque was read aloud by retired Sgt. Joe Hayes, who also served with the battalion in Ramadi.
Cabral called those who died while deployed in 2004 to the Al Anbar Province during Operation Iraqi Freedom heroes, saying they all “gave the ultimate sacrifice —and many more were wounded in Ramadi in one of the deadliest and critical battles of the war.”
The 2/4 battalion arrived in Ramadi, Iraq, on April 6, 2004. Under attack, they fought in battles throughout the city; 12 Marines were killed the first day. After six more months, 34 Marines and a Navy corpsman were killed.
“To remember them, to speak their names, is to ensure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” said retired Sgt. Matthew Boelhower, who served with Golf Co 2/4. “Our hope is that whoever walks past this plaque will see these names, forever continuing their remembrance. These warriors fought and died beside their brothers. Those who survived them live each day for them, for their sacrifice, and for their memory.”
The plaque joins several military tributes in the park.
“The city of San Clemente is honored to have Park Semper Fi as a resting place,” said Eggleston, who in 1996 created the Heritage of San Clemente Foundation to benefit the battalion of local Marines who were also adopted by the city that year. “Park Semper Fi is sacred and hallowed ground and a place where loved ones can reflect and remember their heroes.”
Eggleston spearheaded creating the park as a permanent reminder of Marines at the Pier Bowl. The grounds overlooking the ocean just north of San Clemente Pier host Marine Corps and Navy celebrations, including Veterans Day events, memorial services, weddings, and reenlistment ceremonies.
A life-sized bronze of a Marine was dedicated at the park on Nov.12, 2005, in commemoration of the Marine Corps’ 230th birthday.
“I hope that every time that we pass this magnificent park we remember the brave men that served our country proudly,” Cabral said, adding the city is “proud to the be home” of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines.
“Your service inspires us to work a little harder,” he said, “and be just a bit more dedicated in our stewardship to make San Clemente worthy of being your home.”
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