Palm Desert adopts 7th Marine Regiment

Photo By Cpl. Julio McGraw | Lt. Col. Jared Spurlock, executive officer, 7th Marine Regiment, accepts a certificate announcing the adoption of 7th Marine Regiment by the city of Palm Desert from Van Tanner, former mayor, City of Palm Desert, and Palm Desert council members, Jan Harnik and Sabby Jonathan, during the city’s tour of the Combat Center, Jan. 28, 2015. (Official Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Julio McGraw/Released)  

TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, UNITED STATES

01.28.2015

Story by Lance Cpl. Julio McGraw 

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - City officials from Palm Desert, Calif., toured facilities aboard the Combat Center in conjunction with the city's adoption of 7th Marine Regiment, Jan. 28, 2015.

The city adopted the unit through the Adopt-a-Unit program in order to support Marines and sailors of 7th Marine Regiment, who are forward deployed and stationed locally. They intend to help the regiment coordinate events, such as family days, with support from city leadership, various organizations and individuals throughout the community.

"We want to create a strong relationship with the Marines [and sailors] of the regiment,” said Jan Harnik, council member, City of Palm Desert. “We want to serve the ones that serve us.”

The council members toured facilities and viewed equipment used to train aboard the Combat Center like: The Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer, convoy simulator, static display of weapons used by U.S. forces and their advisories, along with a live-fire demonstration using M4 service rifles.

Marines from the regiments training cadre showed the council members the different pieces of equipment Marines use, along with supervising the ISMT and live-fire portion of the tour, where council members were given the opportunity to fire M4 service rifles.

“We all learned a lot on this trip,” Harnik said. “The [Combat Center] is just up the road from the city but the tour showed us what [service members] do on a day-to-day basis and it is truly remarkable.”

According to Harnik and Lt. Col. Jared Spurlock, executive officer, 7th Marine Regiment, both the city and the regiment are looking forward to planning numerous engagement opportunities that will benefit both the local community and the military service members and their families.

At the end of the tour, the city officials met with Marines, sailors and family members of the regiment to introduce themselves. Former Mayor Van Tanner, City of Palm Desert, on behalf of the city, presented Spurlock with a framed certificate officially adopting the unit.

“The City of Palm Desert now has a better opportunity to facilitate and channel community support for military personnel and their families. The Marines and sailors now also have more opportunities to engage in local community activities and projects,” Spurlock said. “Being adopted by the City of Palm Desert is a great way to create a bond between our local community, which will support the morale of 7th Marine Regiment.”

• Date Taken: 01.28.2015
• Date Posted: 02.11.2015 17:36
• Story ID: 154244
• Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US