Marines reinforce car wash

The 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines normally serve on the battlefield, but this weekend they lent a hand to wash cars in the city that has adopted them.

Not only did two car washes at First Christian Church and SeaCliff Village Shopping Center raise money, but they introduced some newer service members to the city as well, organizers said.

Marines washed cars for whatever residents were willing to pay Saturday. Altogether, the Huntington Beach 3/1 Marines Foundation appears to have raked in nearly $10,000, the group’s executive director, Cindy Cross, said.

A bake sale run by military wives blew away expectations too, earning $853 rather than a couple hundred, she added.

“I guess there were some sweet tooths out there,” she said.

The event was a chance to show the battalion, which has recently taken on new members, the city’s support for its adopted Marines, Cross said.

“Most of the guys had never been to Huntington Beach, so this was a big first for them,” she said. “We have a lot of new people now, so they had no clue what it was like to be adopted by the city.”

The response was phenomenal, said Gunnery Sgt. Paul Walters, the battalion’s liaison to the foundation.

“The reaction of the community on Saturday was outstanding,” Walters said.

“From donations of water and food that day to the donations of money that’s come in, the camaraderie and support of the people coming through was just unbelievable.”

The money will help replenish funds after a major welcome back bash at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort on Nov. 30, Cross said.

The foundation also supports Marines and their spouses with care packages, emergency financial assistance, family days and morale-boosting efforts, she said.

Walters, who is relatively new to the battalion, said he had heard nothing but positive stories about the city’s support.

One sergeant told him he was flabbergasted by local generosity at a party the foundation threw.

“He said he’s never ever been catered to and treated in the way Huntington Beach treated Marines that day,” he said.