The Wine Country Marines’ annual “Wine Country Marine Corps Birthday Ball” is set for Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards owned by Fred and Nancy Cline in Sonoma.
This will be the 29th anniversary of this popular patriotic event in the Sonoma Valley.
The guest of honor and keynote speaker will be Marine Corps Gen. Anthony C. Zinni.
He is a retired 4-star general and is one of our nation’s most distinguished and brilliant “soldier statesmen.” His final tour was from 1997 to 2000 as the Commander in Chief, United States Central Commend (CENTCOM), where he was responsible for implementing national security policy and protecting the vital interests of the country in the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia.
He has written four books that draw from his wide range of experiences.
The U.S. Marine Corps was founded in Philadelphia on Nov. 10, 1775. This year marks the 239th birthday of the Corps. Each year on or about this date, Marines all around the world gather tocommemorate the occasion. The California Wine Country is no exception.
“The program includes dinner, traditional Marine Corps birthday ceremonies and dancing to a live band,” said Bob Leonard, a former Marine captain who chaired the event for the past decade and is now the president of the nonprofit organization, which hosts the event. “Our format is fast-moving and we devote much of our time to meeting old friends and sharing that Esprit de Corps.”
The invitations state that the appropriate attire for men is black tie or best uniform. Coat and tie are required. Ladies’ attire should meet similar standards.
In addition to the traditional Marine Corps Birthday ceremonies, the 2014 Wine Country Marines’ Marine Corps Birthday Ball will also be a major fundraiser in support of the “Semper Fi Fund.”
This nonprofit charity was founded in 2004 to provide financial assistance to Marines and other service members attached to Marine units, who are injured or wounded in training and combat. This assistance is in the form of a grant to the service member and their family to help defray the expenses incurred during hospitalization, rehabilitation, and recovery.
During the past seven years, the Wine Country Marine Corps Birthday Ball has raised approximately $300,000 for this charity.
The Wine Country Marines has sponsored the annual Wine Country Marine Corps Birthday Ball since 1985. Marines, friends of the Corps and members of the other U.S. armed forces from all over the Bay Area attend the ball.
Retired Marine Col. Warren Jaycox along with a few other high-profile local Marine veterans formed the Association of Sonoma Marines in 1984 for the main purpose of hosting a Marine Corps Birthday Ball event each November in the California Wine Country.
Their first Birthday Ball took place in Sonoma the following year. One of the co-founders of the organization was the late Bruno Benziger, the patriarch of the Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen who was a proud Marine and a veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Today, the organization is dedicated to helping Marine Corps related charities, such as the Semper Fi Fund, Devil Pups, Inc. and the Toys For Tots Foundation.
The cocktail reception starts at 6:30 p.m. followed by the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Dinner will be served during the dance immediately following the ceremony. The event sells out very fast and reservations are required.
For birthday ball reservations, call 408-210-7870. The ticket price for the birthday ball is $130 a person ($260 a couple).
For more information about the Wine Country Marine Corps Birthday Ball visit WineCountryMarines.org.
For additional information about the Semper Fi Fund visit, SemperFiFund.org.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: