Riley’s Salesmanship Brought Meeting of Heroes to County

It was two years ago that county Supervisor Thomas F. Riley and a small contingent of businessmen flew to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to pitch Orange County as the next location for the biennial meeting of the Medal of Honor Society.

The group accepted the invitation, and it will meet beginning Thursday at the Irvine Hilton. It’s the first time the society has met in Orange County.

A group of 34 county business, government and civic leaders was formed to serve as the official host committee for the war heroes.

Officers of the host committee are:

Riley, a retired Marine Corps brigadier general, chairman; Carl Bureman, vice chairman; James G. Gilleran, treasurer; Courtney C. Wiercioch, secretary; Calvin P. Schmidt, program chairman; Frank Michelena, finance chairman, and William E. Barber, retired Marine Corps colonel, Congressional Medal of Honor Society liaison.

Barber, a Medal of Honor recipient himself, said an estimated 150 Medal of Honor holders are expected to attend the meeting. He called that a good turnout because many of the medal holders who served in World War I are old and in some cases frail.

Other members on the host committee are Virginia Knott Bender; Richard Bertea; W. A. Bloomer, retired Marine Corps brigadier general; John J. Cronin; Frank C. Faye; J. Robert Fluor II; Phyllis L. Green; Bud Heilig; William D. Lusk; William Lyon, retired Air Force major general; Michael L. Manahan; Ron Melendez; Maj. Gen. D. E. P. Miller, Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro; Anthony Moiso; Thomas Nielsen; Richard Nunis; Anne Nutt; Robert Peterson; Ronald K. Ressler; James Roosevelt; Nathan Shapell; Frank L. Smith; Ron Soderling; Seals B. Trammell; Lucien D. Truhill; B. P. Westall, and Thomas Wilck.