CAMP PENDLETON WAS NOT JUST A MARINE BASE FEBRUARY 6TH, IT WAS A PARTY ZONE. More than one thousand five hundred marines, fifteen Ferraris, along with eighty-four other specialty vehicles packed the parade grounds to honor the marines that will be heading for Iraq Monday, February 9th. The morning air was filled with the sound of revving Ferrari engines. The McAlisters were one of the first to arrive at the main gate requesting a day pass. "Im sorry, you cant go on base," an MP stated. "Why?" "Your car goes too fast," the MP replied. We were silent; both thinking about the eight hours it would take to get back to the Bay Area. "Just kidding," the MP said with a smile. Relieved, we asked how to get to the parade grounds. "Keep going straight until you see the airplanes going up and down," he replied. Then off we went. By midday, ninety-nine classic cars were positioned in the shape of a horseshoe. The luck of the horseshoe pointing toward the departing marines. Then an endless supply of hot dogs and hamburgers were produced in high efficiency marine style. The soldiers were drawn to the Ferraris and other vehicles like magnates. On top of the McAlisters white Testarossa, also dubbed the Book Mobile, was Cynthia McAlisters paperback, Crisscrossing The Globe. Those that could decipher what the license plate WMS 4RE meant, with the clue on the frame being, Crisscrossing The Globe, WWW.CynthiaMcAlister.com, received a signed copy. Actually, those who could not decipher the license were also given a signed copy. The unmistakable sound of the revving of Ferrari engines at four oclock, signaled the winding down of the days events and the time to make the final preparations for deployment. Many marines thanked us for participating. We were pleased to be able to show our gratitude for their sacrifice. CHECK OUT THE BOOK!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login