Paul Garcia of Newport Beach was part of a group that got a private tour of the new USS John L. Canley on Friday; in 1968 he served along side the sergeant major for whom the new expeditionary sea base has been named.
Canley, who died in 2022, has been recognized for his actions during the battle of Hue City, including with a 2018 Medal of Honor. He, along with Garcia, served in the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines’ Alpha Co. while in Vietnam, Canley was the gunnery sergeant.
For Garcia, touring the ship that will be commissioned Saturday, Feb. 17, in San Diego Bay, with a dozen of his fellow Marines from Alpha Co. was personal; they knew of Canley’s heroics firsthand.
“He earned the respect of every member of our unit because of his selflessness during combat,” Garcia said. “During major battles, he’d go out into the open and save Marines after they were shot. I just feel honored I served with him.”
Garcia is now a director of Newport Beach’s 1/1 Foundation, a group that for 20 years has supported the Camp Pendleton-based battalion of which he is a veteran.
The tour on Friday included meeting Navy Capt. Thomas Mays, the ship’s commanding officer, and visits to the captain’s stateroom, areas where the Marines’ Amphibious Combat Vehicles and aircraft will be kept, and the ship’s decks.
The ship joins the USS Lewis B. Puller, USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, USS Miguel Keith in supporting a variety of maritime-based missions, including Special Operations Forces and Airborne Mine Counter Measures. The sea base ships have a four-spot flight deck, mission deck and hangar.
“It’s a beautiful ship named after a very brave man,” Garcia said, following his tour. “It’s going to support Marines and Navy SEALs and aircraft. The decks will support Osprey and helicopters landing and taking off. It will afford the Marine Corps the ability to be prepared in any location to attack in an amphibious landing.”
Garcia said he and the others in…
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