Marines’ patron judge resigns

WESTMINSTER — In 1965, a young Steve Bromberg started his college education, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do in life. So he joined the Marines.

He served for four years in a Camp Pendleton communications battalion, then decided to go to law school.

Now he’s a judge, but he never forgot his military experience. So when someone suggested in 2003 that the city of Newport Beach — where Bromberg was mayor at the time and still lives — should adopt a Marine battalion, Bromberg didn’t hesitate.

“I didn’t know what would be involved, but said, ‘My goodness, that’s the least we can do,’ ” Bromberg said at his office in the county’s Westminster court house Thursday. “Ten days later we had 13 people from 1/1 [1st Battalion, 1st Marines] come down and we did the adoption by proclamation.”

It’s been a rough three and 1/2 years, for the battalion, which this summer faces its third deployment to Iraq in two years and lost 11 Marines in combat on the last deployment.

But they know people in Newport Beach are behind them. After adopting the unit, Bromberg and 10 other former servicemen formed a committee that has hosted three “mess night” dinners to honor the battalion, thrown picnics for the Marines and their families, and raised about $387,000 to help them with the necessities of life.

Now Bromberg is stepping down from the committee he helped organize. As a judge, he’s not supposed to participate in fundraising.

So even though he’s allowed to belong to groups that do it, he wants to avoid any appearance of an ethical breach, he said.

He’s pleased with what the 1/1 committee has been able to do these past few years. They’ve helped Marines’ families get cars fixed, hire a baby-sitter and travel to visit sick relatives.

One example is when a 1/1 Marine suffered kidney failure while the unit was helping with tsunami relief in southeast Asia.

He was taken to Singapore for treatment and his prognosis was bad, Bromberg remembered.

“In less than 24 hours we had the family, all three of them, on a plane out of LAX,” he said, and they arranged accommodations, too. “We gave them a phone number [and said] ‘If you need more money, just give us a call.’”

Others in the city have stepped up to help, including a local Republican women’s group that recently offered to donate gift cards for Marine families at the holidays.

“Some guy at the last mess night just stood up and wrote a check for $30,000,” Bromberg said.

City leaders also are planning a memorial to honor the unit and the Marines lost in combat.

Bromberg said he’s leaving the 1/1 committee in good hands, so that makes it easier.

“On the one hand, it’s very hard for me to let go,” he said. “It’s difficult, but at the same time it’s something that I need to do.”

John Rhodes, a committee member and former Marine lieutenant general, said Bromberg took the lead in forming the committee, and it’s had an impact not just on the Marines, but on people in the community.

“We’ve got one of our neighbors who invited two of the Marines over for Thanksgiving,” Rhodes said.

Bromberg said that’s the point — to make life easier for the Marines, and especially their families while they’re deployed. According to what he hears, he said, Newport is a little famous among Marines for its generosity.

“A lot of the Marine units have been adopted, but no adoption comes even close to what Newport Beach has done for their Marines,” he said.