Hunter, Lawrence, and Stephen

March 19

Linda Queen, the Adoption Committee’s out-going President, was recognized for her outstanding leadership by the Yorba Linda City Council, Orange County Supervisor Donald Wagner, and representatives from our state assembly and state senate.

March 19 was also the Committee’s regular meeting night, and Bob Jones, our incoming President, used the opportunity to present Linda with a Past President plaque on behalf of the Committee.

March 22

In the fourth quarter of 2023, members of the 11th MEU Command Element deployed as part of Marine Rotational Force - Southeast Asia (MRF-SEA), and missed the November 10th Marine Corps Birthday Ball. 

To make up for this loss, our amazing 11th MEU liaison (who is also the MEU Deployment Readiness Coordinator) put together a one night, catered event aboard the largest Hornblower vessel in San Diego Harbor where about 100 MEU members and their dates enjoyed dinner, dancing, and entertainment.

The Yorba Linda 11th MEU Adoption Committee, with the generous support from the local community, was excited to sponsor 53 Enlisted personnel to this formal/semi-formal "Dining Out" evening.

We got the big one.

Kyp Hughes and her husband, Master Gunnery Sergeant Sean Hughes.

April

As a change of pace, our DRC arranged an educational field trip to the Mission San Juan Capistrano for 22 dependents. A full lunch and a docent supervised tour of the Mission and a discussion of its history were included in the trip. The children were also supplied with “goodie bags” courtesy of the Yorba Linda Woman’s Club and the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 679. 💙

April 11

Jenn and Betty are always eager to help

Olde Tyme Sack Race

Stand By for Announcements

Bob Jones, the Committee’s President, was there flipping burgers, and Bill was taking pictures.

April 21

On 21 April GSA Troop 7152 made their annual pilgrimage to Camp Del Mar to deliver cases and cases of COOOKEEES for the 11th MEU Command Element. Thank You Scouts!

May 18

nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom

Committee members on the serving line,

Betty & Jenn

Grillers in the Mist

It has been a tradition for the past several years of the Yorba Linda Sunrise Rotary, to invite some Marines from Camp Pendleton to partake in their annual Lobsterfest fundraiser.

Our 11th MEU Command Element was the lucky unit to participate this year. The 40 Marines and Corpsmen were “sponsored” by members of our Committee and the Yorba Linda community.

May 27

June

The Yorba Linda Veterans Memorial Association held their annual Memorial Day Ceremony at YL Veterans Park on Monday, May 27.

The 11th MEU Color Guard was honored to present the Colors for the opening Salute to our nations flag.

Colonel Thomas Siverts, the current 11th MEU Commanding Officer, was one of the featured speakers.

Several members of the Yorba Linda 11th MEU Adoption Committee were also attending.

Every Marine Expeditionary Unit (there are currently seven) is disbanded, then reconstituted with new members approximately every year and a half. There is official USMC protocol for disbanding and reorganizing these units starting with the Change of Command ceremony.

Outgoing CO, Colonel Thomas Siverts (right), hands the 11th MUE’s battle colors to incoming CO, Colonel Caleb Hyatt to mark the beginning of a new 11th MEU.

July

Just like clockwork, July 4 again visited Yorba Linda. The Fair-like atmosphere, food vendors, and live bands set the stage for the evening’s fireworks spectacular.

Col. Siverts, Linda, Dottie, Louise

Colonel Siverts awards the Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal to Kyp Hughes in recognition of her herculean efforts in support of the troops and families of the 11th MEU. The award is presented to Department of the Navy civilians for sustained performance, or specific achievement of a superlative nature and is a rare award.

Taste of Yorba Linda 26 July

The annual Chamber of Commerce fundraiser was very well attended this year, bolstered by the presence of 20 members of the 11th MEU who were sponsored for the evening of food and fun.

And also like clockwork, the 11th MEU Color Guard was standing tall to present the opening salute to our nation’s flag.

Committee members attending: Gail, Hunter, Leisha, Linda, Pam, Tim, and Bill

August

Immediately after the change of command ceremony, a significant number of the 11th MEU Command Element were deployed to a major, multi-national exercise in the Pacific that involved 29 countries. They got home on August 3. Kyp organized their traditional Family Day Picnic for August 9, where members and families got to know each other better in a relaxed, informal setting.

The picnic was at Lake O’Neill again, which is a perfect venue for this large gathering. The Adoption Committee provided food-a-plenty to meet everyone’s expectations and fun activities for all ages: volleyball, kickball, two-hand touch, fishing, horse shoes, corn hole, scavenger hunt, mini golf, and of course, a bounce house.

The committee made a significant contribution for food and fun, and provided timely back-to-school supplies plus games/toys/projects for dependents of all age groups.

Hunter and Colonel Hyatt

ALSO in July and August. some committee members sold snacks at Yorba Linda’s Summer Concerts in the Park at Hurless Barton Park. They also handed out brochures and offered 11th MEU Committee collectables.

Change of Command

June 11, 2024

Front: Jenn, Bill, Betty represented the Yorba Linda 11th MEU Adoption Committee.

Back: Becky Cederholm, Kyp Hughes, Col. Siverts, LtGen Michael Cederholm, SgtMaj DeBarr.

The month of April has been designated as the official Month of the Military Child by the DoD since 1986.

It has been reported that military children can move six to nine times during their K-12 years. This means leaving friends and friendly surroundings more frequently than other children.  Also, the uncertainty and anxiety of having family members transferred or deployed into harm's way can weigh heavily on a young life. 

In April, the Yorba Linda 11th MEU Adoption Committee takes special pride in recognizing and celebrating the sacrifices, courage, and resilience of military dependent children during the Month of the Military Child.

Kyp Hughes always has her thinking cap on, trying to come up with ways to add some variety to the schedule for the MEU, especially for the single members.

On 11 April Kyp pulled off another barbecue for the single Marines and Corpsmen of the Command Element. Members of the Adoption Committee and the Yorba Linda Knights of Columbus made the trip to Camp Pendleton to cook and to serve our heroes.

Marines never turn down food, especially BBQ,

Kyp taking photos for the group’s FB?

Giant Jenga

And a fun day was had by all.

The Taste of Yorba Linda is fast approaching. Please consider sponsoring an 11th MEU Marine.