The Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group was recently presented with the prestigious “Spirit of Hope” Award for its outstanding support of the Marines, Navy Corpsmen, and families of the 5th Marine Regiment of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Camp Pendleton.

The” Spirit of Hope” Award was established in 1997. It was first granted to entertainer Bob Hope by the United States Congress and is awarded annually in his honor. The basis for the award was to recognize Hope’s commitment to entertaining military service members over many decades, both within and outside of combat zones.

Each division of the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense is invited to nominate an individual or organization who epitomizes the values of Bob Hope: duty, honor, courage, loyalty, commitment, integrity, and selfless dedication, and who significantly enhance the quality of life of Service members and their families serving around the world, and selflessly contribute an extraordinary amount of time, talent, or resources to benefit Service members.

DPSG joins a distinguished list of previous “Spirit of Hope” winners, including Gary Sinise, Walter Cronkite, American Idol finalist, and country music star Kelly Pickler and her husband, Kyle Jacobs, and singer-songwriter Toby Keith. Other organizations recognized have been The Fisher House Foundation, The Soldiers’ Angels, Camp Hope, and The Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund.

Col Rob Weiler, former commanding officer of the Fighting Fifth, nominated DPSG.