If it's new on the web site, you'll find it on one of our announcement pages! Different topics will be of interest to you throughout your Marine's career. Chose from the categories of Marine Parents' web sites to the right. The most recent announcements will be at the top.

Be sure to sign up for our twice-monthly newsletter to get additional updates and news. There's a signup box at the bottom of every page of the web site.

MarineParents.com, Inc. is a non-profit organization that relies largely on the time and talent of numerous volunteers – answering phone calls and emails, moderating message boards and chat rooms, from holding fund raisers and soliciting donations to managing various components of outreach programs, Marine Parents Volunteers do it all! This organization truly could not and would not function without the generosity and selfless support of the volunteers.

Many Marine Parents Volunteers have recently received The President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Click here to read more...

Directed by Canaan Brumley. An amazing documentary chronicling 12 weeks of bootcamp; true to life. This is a must-see for recruit parents that want to know what bootcamp is like.
Click here to learn more...

Help Send Care Packages Overseas!
We have 2,000 care packages to send overseas this summer and we need your help!
Click here to learn more...

Premiers on Memorial Day Weekend on PBS.
Fighting for Life is a powerful, sobering and emotional feature documentary portrait of American military medicine interweaving three stories.
Click here for more info...

JetBlue is offering $1 Fares for Actvie Duty Military from select airports during National Military Appreciation Month.
Click here for more info...

Letter from the Commanding Officer, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
With the recent news concerning the H1N1 Flu Outbreak, I want to assure service members, their families and civilian personnel that live and work aboard Camp Pendleton that the Base continues to monitor and prepare for any potential health risks associated with this virus. Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton has ample medications available and the Base is well prepared should a health risk arise.
Click here to read full letter...

May is National Military Appreciation Month. To show your support, buy a pair of the best socks for a Marine from Covert Threads and we'll send them in the care packages on June 6. "The Marines wear the best; let the terrorists wear the rest!"
Click here to read more...

The socks are $8/pair. To purchase online for us to ship to Marines, go to: MarineParentsInc.com/nmam-covert.asp. All major credit cards are accepted.

May is Military Appreciation Month. Please take a moment to consider how you can express your appreciation for all the sacrifices our service members make for us. Can't come up with any ideas? We wanted to share a dozen ideas with you but, we just couldn’t stop ourselves at twelve. Feel free to do a few or do them all!
Click here for Military Appreciation Month ideas...

General James T. Conway announced inaugural Marine Week activities held in partnership with the great city of Chicago from 11-17 May 2009.
Click here to learn more...

Budweiser is honored to salute the men and women of our armed forces and their families. Throughout 2009, members of the military and as many as three direct dependents may enter any one of Anheuser-Busch's SeaWorld, Busch Gardens or Sesame Place parks with a single-day complimentary admission.
Click here to learn more...

Inside a small airport in central Maine, a group of senior citizens are making history by using handshakes and hugs to play a critical role in the Iraq war. The Way We Get By is an inspirational story about how these handshakes can change a person's life.
Click here to learn more...

Headquarters Marine Corps is asking Marines, their spouses, children and extended family members to participate in the web-based survey we announced on January 16. The survey is now online and will run from Feb 23 to Mar 6. The feedback received from these efforts will help the newly restructured family readiness program improve overall communication strategies.
Click for survey link...

The United States Marine Corps encourages all those who resided at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1957-1987 to register at www.marines.mil/clsurvey to receive updated information and notifications regarding the ongoing Water Study.
If you know of any family members or friends who were at Camp Lejeune during this period, please encourage them to register.
Click here to learn more...

eKnowledge Corporation & NFL Players Tackle SAT & ACT Test Prep: Group Extends $20 Million Donation to America's Military Families For a Fourth Year.
Click here to learn more...

FOR PARKING PASS TO THIS EVENT CLICK HERE!

Major General Stone, Commanding Officer of Marine Corps Mobilization and Command (which includes IRR, Individual Ready Reserves) will be speaking in the Atlanta area on Friday, January 30. Marine Corps families are invited to attend the town-hall style meeting with opportunities to ask questions and learn more about the Marine Corps and reserves. The program will run from 1600-1800 (4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) at Southern Polytech.

We'd like to get a count on those interested in attending and perhaps planning a meet-and-greet with parents afterward at a restaurant for dinner. To let us know your interest, please contact Barbara Gemmell at 573-303-5500 extension 109 or via email at barbara@marineparents.com. We look forward to meeting you and sharing time with the General.

FOR PARKING PASS TO THIS EVENT CLICK HERE!
Click here to learn more...

As Disney Parks ask "What Will You Celebrate?" and invite guests to turn their personal milestones into magical family vacations in 2009, America's military personnel will have one more reason to celebrate: Free multi-day admission to Disney's U.S. theme parks. Lake Buena Vista, Florida and Anaheim, California –
Click here to learn more...

Headquarters Marine Corps is asking Marines, their spouses, children and extended family members to participate in focus groups and a web-based survey that will run from Feb 23 to Mar 6. The feedback received from these efforts will help the newly restructured family readiness program improve overall communication strategies. The link to the survey will be published on the Marine Parents web site beginning February 23. In addition, participants are needed for the focus group that will take place in San Diego on January 26. If you live in the area and are interested in participating, click the link below for contact information.
Click here to learn more...

"The last human being I see with perfect clarity-the last I will ever fully see-does his damndest to kill me." So opens Once a Marine, a new and stunningly personal memoir by Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch. The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced a veritable flood of books-which is something of a surprise given the fact that the wars have yet to end and may not for many years to come. But none of these accounts are quite like Once a Marine.

"Gunny Pop" will be a featured speaker at our 2009 Annual National Conference in San Diego this coming April 17-19, 2009. Details to follow. To learn more about Nick Popaditch, to order his book, or to learn more about this amazing Marine story...
Click to read more...

We're ringing in our 7th year with a new design from Melissa Corrado. Our new bulldog is uniquely Marine Parents. In this pose, he proudly stands atop the US Marine Corps text. Click our new bulldog to see this design on T-Shirts, coffee mugs, hoodies and more. All proceeds go to support the organization, Marine Parents. Through January 20, take $5 off orders of $50 or more. When checking out, enter coupon code BECALMLITER, expires January 20.
Click here to order...

This month, Marine Parents is celebrating its sixth anniversary of supporting Marine families and Marines. The organization started out as a web site to provide information to parents of Marines deploying to Iraq in January of 2003 and has since grown to a national organization with a far reach to Marine and recruit families, recruits, Marines and Marine Corps offices.
Click here to learn more...

The best socks available for our service members in Iraq and Afghanistan are made by Covert Threads. "A Military Sock for Every Clime & Every Place" The company is also a loyal supporter of our Marines and they have recently donated two more cases of Covert Threads socks to Marines in Afghanistan. The socks were shipped to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment in early December and we know the Marines, and their feet, will appreciate them. Thank You Covert Threads! And Merry Christmas to the Marines of 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment.

The impacts of war-related trauma don't reside solely in the Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman or woman. Because humans are wired to connect, the ripples radiate out and affect many, in particular those close to the veteran: including his or her spouse, children, siblings, parents, marital relationship, extended family, and significant others. In this training, two experts on the dynamics of post traumatic stress in military families and their treatment will provide a clear review that will help us understand and treat the impacts on couples and families of PTSD.
Click here to learn more...

Sadly this time of year there are a number of organizations asking for donations or suggesting ways to "Support the Troops" every holiday season. Be sure and do your homework and research the organization before sending a donation or other forms of support.

If you are interested in supporting our troops for the holidays we have three outreach programs that need your support at MarineParents.com

Care Package Project™ www.CarePackageProject.com
Purple Heart Family Support™ www.PurpleHeartFamilies.com
Operation PAL™: Prayers and Letters www.OperationPAL.com

Our outreach programs have been thoughtfullly planned to provide for the real needs of our troops and their families. Please consider supporting one of the three outreach programs this holiday season.
Click here to learn more...

The family and friends of Marine Lcpl Jordan Haerter are proud to announce the upcoming unveiling and dedication of a public memorial with the renaming of the Sag Harbor, North Haven Bridge, to honor the courage & sacrifice of this local hero.
Click here to learn more...

Through Purple Heart Family Support™, volunteers from MarineParents.com held their first west coast dinner for wounded warriors on Monday, November 3.
The crew of volunteers planned meals for 100 military men and women. Actual attendance topped 140 personnel.
Purple Heart Family Support™ has been serving meals to family members at Bethesda Naval Hospital for almost two years, but this was the first venture to the west coast.
"I think we not only fed all these heroes, but were able to bring a touch of home to many" said Joyce Orrell, volunteer and manager of the monthly meal program.
Click here to learn more...

Citing Warrior Care as a top priority and a solemn obligation, Secretary Gates designated November 2008 as "Warrior Care Month" to communicate the Department of Defense's commitment to quality care for our Servicemembers and their families. Warrior Care Month is aimed at increasing awareness of programs and resources available to wounded, ill, and injured Servicemembers, their families, and those who care about them.
As part of this awareness effort, ASYLIVE is dedicating the next four broadcasts to Service warrior care support programs.
Click here to learn more...

Outward Bound Wilderness has scheduled numerous wilderness adventures exclusively for our war veterans and they will fully fund these courses for all participants, to include their roundtrip travel costs between home and the excursion site. Their goals include helping participating veterans build a supportive community with other war veterans; facilitating discussions on readjustment and transition challenges; and re-energizing and reinvigorating our veterans' spirits with adventures and challenges in the beautiful outdoors.
Click here to learn more...

On October 2-4, 2008: We are trying to help a friend and fellow support group coordinator in Michigan get the word out for help for a "Build Brigade" for one of our wounded warriors. The home is being built for Marine Cpl. Joshua who was injured in January 2007, when he was hit by a sniper in Fallujah. He spent 14 months at Walter Reed.
Click here to learn more...
Click for slide show...

On October 25, 2008: The Remembering the Brave Foundation is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to preserving the memories of our brave service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and honoring their families in their time of enormous loss. They will be holding a ceremony for Gold Star family members from all branches of the service on October 25, 2008 in San Diego, California.
Click here to learn more...

We've got a great lineup planned with the Marine Corps Birthday boxes to ship to our Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, and we need your help with collecting 1000 Birthday Cards and $6000 for the items to ship to the Marines.
Click here to learn more...

Do you send greeting cards, or know someone who does? Or do you find yourself wondering what to say in a daily letter to your recruit? What if you could easily send REAL greetings cards anywhere in the world, with the click of your mouse? Do you think you'd send more cards to people you care about?
One of our fundraisers is SendOutCards, an online greeting service featured in the October issue of "Success From Home" magazine, on sale now nationwide, and available at Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Borders, Books-A-Million and Staples.
Click here to read more...

The war I witnessed for more than five years in Iraq is over. In July, there were five American fatalities in Iraq, the lowest since the war began in March 2003. In Mosul recently, I chatted with shopkeepers on the same corner where last January a Humvee was blown apart in front of me. In the Baghdad district of Ghazilia -- where last January snipers controlled streets awash in human waste -- I saw clean streets and soccer games. In Basra, the local British colonel was dining at a restaurant in the center of the bustling city.
Click here to read full article...

In conjunction with the National America Supports You Freedom Walk, MarineParents.com encourages our members to show your American spirit by committing to participating in or organizing a Freedom Walk.
Click here to learn more...

On July 30th, 2008, three-time Purple Heart recipient Lance Corporal John McClellan was in Laura Ingraham's Washington studio as a guest on The Laura Ingraham Show. John's mother Connie, author of My Miracle Marine, also joined the show participating in the interview via phone.
Click here to learn more and listen to the show...

On July 1, 2008 a fire at the outpost of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, Lima Co. in Fallujah Iraq destroyed all the wooden structures and most of the Marines' personal belongings. Concerned members of the Marine family community rallied together to answer calls from family members of 3/6 Lima Marines, to help resupply their destroyed personal items.

A generous outpouring of support has helped to re supply these Marines but now it is time to shift the support elsewhere. Please see an important letter from the Public Affairs Officer at 2nd Marine Division.
http://www.marineparents.com/announcements/threesix-lima-fire.asp

SunNight Solar donated 1000 solar-powered flashlights to be shipped to Marines overseas through The Care Package Project™. We've heard from the Marines and they're using the flashlights. See what they had to say...
http://www.marineparents.com/announcements/sunnight.asp

On Monday morning, June 30th, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008. A new, more generous GI Bill, offering educational benefits similar to that offered to World War II veterans, has been realized.
http://www.marineparents.com/announcements/GI-new.asp

The America Supports You (ASY) Freedom Walk began four years ago in Washington DC and has since become a national tradition drawing participants from across the country.
http://www.marineparents.com/announcements/asy.asp

Kyndra Rotunda, Esquire, Author, and the military law columnist for our twice-monthly newsletter, will appear on "Hannity’s America" Sunday evening, June 29 on Fox News. He'll be talking about her new book, Honor Bound. I just finished the book; it's very intriguing. To learn more, please see:
http://www.marineparents.com/announcements/honor-bound.asp

Our first regional conference will be held in Kansas City, MO on Saturday, August 9, 2008. Our opening session on Saturday morning will include speakers from the Marine Corps office MobCom on the topic of IRR (Independent Ready Reserves) followed by breakout sessions ranging from MREs and scrapbooking to deployment and warrior transitioning. The focus of the conference will be broad and include topics and speakers on a wide-range of Marine Corps issues.

Registration for the 1-day event begins today; $100 includes the conference plus the evening dinner and program. You can register for all or part of the events.

The conference will be held at the Hilton Kansas City Airport with rooms available at $89/night for conference attendees. Free shuttle service is provided back and forth to the Kansas City airport.

For additional information and to register online, please visit the web site.
Click to learn more...

In 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the original GI Bill; it was called the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act". The World War II GI Bill covered tuition, fees, and books, and gave veterans a living stipend while they were in school. Eight million combat veterans returning home from Germany and Japan were able to afford an education and a 1988 Congressional study showed that every dollar spent on educational benefits under the original GI Bill added seven dollars to the national economy in terms of productivity, consumer spending, and tax revenue.
Click to learn more...

The post office has raised the prices for shipping flat rate boxes to $9.80 which increases our costs for shipping 1000 packages every 10 weeks significantly. Each summer, we find ourselves short on funds to send the care packages overseas to our Marines in August. Our total cost for shipping in August will be $9800. We need your help today!
Click to learn more...

Operation Cancun Honeymoon has raised over $7000 in less than a month! At the Third Annual National MarineParents.com Conference, Corporal Aaron Mankin was a guest speaker. It was decided at that time to raise the necessary funds to send the Corporal and his wife Diane on their honeymoon!
Click here to read more...

The radio interview with Dr. Bridget Cantrell and Debbie Chavez, talk show radio host, will air on Monday, May 5 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. To listen online during that time, go to:
www.debbiechavez.com. The interview will kept in archives for three months.

This is our fourth year shipping Girl Scout Cookies® to the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this is the biggest shipment ever! We have 1,000 cases of Girl Scout Cookies® (that's 12,000 boxes!) arriving in our warehouse in March. We'll ship these cookies to Marines deployed to Iraq in addition to our regularly scheduled care packages. That means we need to raise 100% of the funds ($10,950) to ship the cookies. We need your help collecting donations.
Click here to learn more...
Click here to donate...

Connie McClellan is a Marine Parent whose son, John McClellan was injured in combat not once, not twice, but three times. John was dubbed "Lucky" by a Stars in Stripes correspondent after his second gunshot wound sustained in Afghanistan. Connie has written a book that tells the story of the journey her family has taken during this incredible time in their lives.
Click here to read more...

The 3rd Annual Marine Parents Conference will be held in the Washington, DC area, April 18-20, 2008 at the beautiful Doubletree Hotel, located across from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The pre-conference will be held April 17-18, 2008.

The Marine Corps is rich in history, and our Nation's Capital is an extraordinary place to celebrate that history. The Pre-Conference All-Day Tour on Friday will take you through years of the Marine Corps, from the amazing National Museum of the Marine Corps, to the famous 8th & I Marine Corps Barracks, Iwo Jima, and an exhibition of our own Marines making history today: the Silent Drill Platoon.

Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, the lead investigator into the looting of Baghdad’s Iraq Museum in 2003, will open a new window of historical perspective for you during the richly illustrated keynote at Saturday's Benefit Dinner. Colonel Bogdanos is a spit-and-polish Marine, a competitive boxer, a classics scholar, and an assistant DA in Manhatton. It is truly an honor to host Colonol Bogdanos as our keynote speaker this year.

General Session topics and speakers on Saturday will include Veterans' Ombudsman Pat Rowe Kerr delivering the morning general session on Veteran's Benefits. Immediately following will be a panel led by Colonel Bryan P. McCoy for the combat deployment session. That afternoon, Dr. Bridget Cantrell will present a discussion panel on Traumatic Stress Injury and Warrior Transitioning.

• Learn more at the web site: MarineConference.com
• Register online: MarineParentsInc.com/Conference.asp
• Make hotel reservations: Doubletree.Hilton.com/CrystalCity

The Gilyeat family from Kansas City, KS has received the surprising news that Ty and the gang will build them a new, renovated home in just seven days in a special two-hour episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service announced today that its Board of Governors approved two new initiatives to grow its shipping business and revenue. A new, larger Priority Mail Flat-Rate Box enables customers to ship 50 percent more than with the current box. It will be offered at a discount to overseas military addresses, a postal first for the armed forces. For full press release from the USPS, see:
USPS Web Site Press Release
Click for PDF Version

A beautiful project to honor our veterans this holiday season. The Wreaths Across America story began over 15 years ago when Worcester Wreath Company started a tradition of placing wreaths on the headstones of our Nation's fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery. Over that period of time, Worcester Wreath has donated 75,000 wreaths which were placed by volunteers in a wreath-laying ceremony each December. Sponsorships are now being accepted for 2008 Christmas wreaths.

For 2007, all wreath-laying ceremonies will be held concurrently on Saturday, December 15th, at 12:00 noon EST. For more information, to sponsor a 2008 wreath, and to find a ceremony near you, see: www.Wreaths-Across-America.org

For $22, you can give the gift of troop support this Christmas season by purchasing a care package sponsorhip for everyone on your gift list!

Through The Care Package Project™, you can sponsor a care package to be sent to a Marine in Iraq on January 5, 2008. Or, purchase a gift sponsorship this holiday season, and we'll send a gift card to your gift recipient letting them know that a care package will be sent on his/her behalf to a Marine in Iraq. Your gift recipient's name will be included in the overseas package.
Purchase a gift sponsor using our secure online interface: MarineParentsInc.com/gift.asp

Christmas is around the corner and it's time to Deck the Halls with Yellow Ribbons in honor of our Troops this holiday season!

The season of giving challenges us to find unique and memorable gifts for our friends and family. MarineParents.com has many gift items available for purchase through several venues and allows your giving to show two-fold generosity: for your loved ones plus giving back to MarineParents.com, Inc. for our many Outreach Programs to support the Marines and their families.

We've provided a selection of the items we offer here on our "Christmas Catalog" page for your shopping ease. You're sure to find gifts to please the Marine Corps enthusiasts on your list!

Thank you for supporting MarineParents.com this holiday season. We appreciate your support! MarineParents.com, Inc. is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity. All proceeds go to MarineParents.com, Inc.
MarineParents.com/shopping/christmas.asp

We have published a page of official and verified information on the San Diego Fires and how that may affect our recruits and Marines at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD San Diego) and Camp Pendleton. It's on the RecruitParents.com website. The link follows: www.RecruitParents.com

SATO and American Airlines have a new program up and running for upcoming homecoming events at Camp Pendleton. The part that helps our families the most is this: "The normal change fee is waived--due to a change in the service members arrival date for as many times as necessary through SatoVacations (if the customer calls AA directly there will be a $15 change fee)."

Other bases may take advantage of this program as well. However, they must provide Nancy Oliviero (contact information in document) with their base and airport information so those airports can be added to the contract. At this point, the following airports are included: San Diego (SAN), John Wayne (SNA) and Los Angeles (LAX).

To take advantage of this offer, call toll free 877-698-2554. Read restrictions and parameters in PDF file link below. Feel free to share this information with everyone immediately!
Click here to download a PDF file with full details...

We've just added YARD SIGNS to our inventory in the online stores. We've got signs to welcome home your Marine, to congratulate your new Marine after graduation, and to announce "The Proud Family of a U.S. Marine". The signs are made of durable vinyl, printed on both sides and come with the metal stakes required to proudly display in your yard! Special introductory price for a limited time. For orders over $50, use coupon code WACKYFENCES to receive $5 off. Coupon expires Oct 13. To order visit our online stores or click here: www.Cafepress.com/MarineParentInc

Twenty-one year old former Marine Neil Schalk is much more than a “hot bachelor” and the subject of attention for many young women. He is a Purple Heart hero from Muscoda, Wisconsin. He and his family are very involved with Team Marine Parents and Purple Heart Family Support. Neil's sister Natalee, has nominated him as Cosmopolitan's Bachelor of the Year, 2007.

Hurry! Voting ends at midnight eastern time October 11. To read more and vote for Wisconsin's Neil Schalk as Cosmopolitan's Bachelor of the Year Click here...

A new book by Dr. Bridget Cantrell and Chuck Dean. Recommended reading for all families and military personnel who have or will experience deployment to a combat zone.
Click to order...

From the Founder, Tracy Della Vecchia
"The book was beyond my expectations. I finally 'get it'. I finally understand that our sons and daughters will all have a tough time returning to civilian life--they don't have to have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or COS (Combat Operational Stress) to have concerns about returning home and adjusting back to a civilian lifestyle. And I understand why now. That knowledge and understanding will help me help other families, and most importantly, help me to help my son."
Click to read more...