Gen. Leeney gets the gold, even if only for a day

Two-time Olympic Gold medalist Rachel Fattal, left, and Gen. Michael Leeney, right, Commander of the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Rachel Fattal let the Commander of the Joint Forces Training Base, Gen. Michael Leeney, briefly wear her gold medals Tuesday.
Fattal, of Seal Beach, is a former Los Al High School water polo standout, who won her second Olympic gold medal as part of the USA water polo team in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

According to public affairs spokesman Col. Richard Lalor, Fattal attended the Regional Military Affairs Committee meeting Tuesday, where she let base commander Gen. Leeney try on both of her gold medals (2016) and (2020) on for size.

The regional group of military, law enforcement and homeland security officials meets monthly on the base.

Rachel spoke to a very large crowd attending the meeting and also shared her medals with the audience, said Lalor.

For years, military officials at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos have allowed the USA Women’s Water Polo team to train on the base, he said.

“The Joint Forces Training Base has been the official training site for the USA Women’s Water Polo team for many years and we consider these athletes our very own ‘home team,’” said Col. Lalor.