San Clemente embraces its Marines and neighboring Camp Pendleton

Courtney Ledgard came to work at Zebra House Coffee in San Clemente a day after 100 U.S. Marines were sent to provide security at the American embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and her co-workers swarmed her with questions.
“They asked me if I was OK and if my husband was OK,” said Ledgard, 22, who is married to a Marine corporal who serves with the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion at Camp Pendleton. The coffee shop on El Camino Real is a popular stop for Marines who live in town and a destinat