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MarineParents.com Newsletter
a Place to Connect & Share 
In This Issue
Deployment Learning Center
Homecoming Learning Center
Bootcamp Learning Center
Marine Corps T-Shirts & Gifts
CPP Packing Day
Survival Skills
Recruits Face the Crucible
Red Friday...It's a Military Thing
Dr. Cantrell...
Power of Attorney
New Travel Coffee Mugs
What is OpSEC?
Poetry From Parents
Once a Warrior Wired for Life
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Support Our Marines!
 
 
Purple Heart Hero Support™ an Outreach Program of Marine Parents.com
 
 
Team Marine Parents, an Outreach Program of Marine Parents.com 
Team Marine Parents™
 
Show your support of our Marines and their families at home! Participate in one of the MarineParents.com Outreach Programs today!  Our Marines need YOU!
Support for You:
a Place to
Connect & Share™
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Learning Center:
Operations Security
Operations Security OPSEC

NOTE: When communicating online, your Marine's privacy is as important as Operations Security. Please respect YOUR Marine's privacy!

Learning Center:
About Deployment
 
 
(from your Marine, with the USMC, and with other families)
 
(tips, tricks and money savers for mailing to YOUR Marine)
 
(bills, taxes, legal issues, injuries, notification from the Marine Corps)
 
 
Learning Center:
About Homecoming
 
 
 
 
 
(Tip: While in our store, check in your Marine's unit store for more homecoming shirts!)
Learning Center:
Bootcamp
 
 
 
 
Unit Chat Nights 

Unit Chat Night Schedule:

2nd Sunday Each Month: 5/11   
Sunday: 3/4, 2/7, 1/9
Monday: 2/5
Tuesday: 24th MEU, 2nd LAR, 1/6, 3/1
Wednesday: 2/24
Thursday: 3/6
Friday: 2/3

For additional information about the Chat Room and Unit Chat Nights for your Marine's Unit, please see:
MarineParents.com Chat Gif 
Local Support Groups in Your Area
NEWEST SUPPORT GOUPS:
 
Kent/Covington/Maple Valley, WA 
 
For a list of all support groups in our database or to find one in your area, see:
 
If you are interested in starting a local support group in your area, please visit the "Support Groups" section of our website:
 
Marine Corps Spirit
T-shirts, Gifts & More
Show your Marine Corps spirit and pride!  Proceeds from sales support MarineParents.com, an IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Marines The Few The Proud
 
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August 27, 2008
Dear Marine Families,
 
If this is the first edition of the MarineParents.com Newsletter you have received, WELCOME! If you are a returning reader we are glad you have joined us.
 
The rich colors of fall are around the corner and once again it's back-to-school time. For many military families, the excitement of this time of year is colored not by the orange and brown hues of the changing leaves, but by the news of yet another deployment. Some may be experiencing the excitement of another homecoming festively outfitted with red, white and blue "Welcome Home" signs. This is a busy time as well for the Marine Corps Recruit Depots as they accept record numbers of recruits into training with the legendary yellow footprints.  
 
Whatever color schemes you're experiencing this fall, you can rest assured knowing that MarineParents.com has got your back from recruit training to deployments to homecomings to warrior transitioning and veteran's benefits. It is an honor to support our Marines and their families and we appreciate you giving us that opportunity.
Packages for Marines
Record Breaking Numbers
 
Aug 2008 pack day
 
Our August 23, 2008 Care Package day was a record breaker! We had 104 volunteers on hand to help us get 975 boxes packed and shipped to our Marines in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. 57 of the volunteers were brand new and had never attended a packing day until then.
 
Volunteers included families from Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois. Missouri families haled from St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Sedalia, Jamestown and Columbia. We finished packing the boxes at 11:30 in the morning.  We also had several Marines in attendance including some recent OIF/OEF veterans as well as military service personnel from the Viet Nam conflict. 
 
Marines Exchange Survival Skills with Brunei Forces
III Marine Expeditionary Force 
bruneiBRUNEI - Sgt. Kamerer's Squad was first for the jungle patrol. They made their way into the jungle armed with small-arms weapons and supplied with two days of food and water. The squad climbed steep hills, crossed streams, and ridgelines.

Kamerer and his squad were among 40 service members from Combat Assault Company, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, who trained with Brunei's 1st Infantry Battalion Land Forces Aug. 3, as a part of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2008, an annual series of bilateral military training exercises between the U.S. and several Southeast Asia nations, designed to increase cooperation and enhance security in the region.

Marines learned jungle survival from the Brunei special forces that included building different types of shelters, setting snares and identifying edible vegetation in the jungle.
Marine Corps Recruits Face the Crucible in Bootcamp
Crucible articleFinal Test and Rite of Passage       
The Crucible is a test every recruit must go through to become a Marine. It tests every recruit physically, mentally and morally and is the defining moment in recruit training.
 
The Crucible takes place over 54-hours and includes food and sleep deprivation and over 45 miles of marching. The entire Crucible event pits teams of recruits against a barrage of day and night events requiring every recruit to work together to solve problems, overcome obstacles and help each other along the way.
 
The obstacles they face range from long marches, combat assault courses, the leadership reaction course, and the team-building warrior stations. Each Warrior Station is named for a Marine hero whose actions epitomize the values the USMC wants recruits to adopt.
 
Red Friday
Wear Red Friday to Support the MilitaryIt's a Military Thing... 
Show your support. Let your friends, neighbors and co-workers know you support the troops by wearing red on Friday. Our T-shirt designs are just the ticket! We have designs for Marine Corps or any branch of the service.
 
Proceeds from sale of items goes to operating costs of MarineParents.com, and IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity. 
From Where I Come
From Our Columnist, Dr. Bridget Cantrell 
 
Columnist Bridget Cantrell
I've been writing and speaking with many of you for awhile and thought it would be good to re-familiarize you with some of my "backtrail" on working with the troops. Perhaps it will also help those who are new members and readers acquaint themselves with my work.
 
In a May 24, 2004 response to an invitation by the U.S. Army, my co-author, Chuck Dean and I journeyed overseas to meet with the troops of the 173d Airborne Brigade upon their redeployment from northern Iraq. Over the course of a year our relationship with the 173d Airborne Brigade had been formed through an ongoing e-mail exchange with the chaplains on the ground in Iraq. These were the paratroopers of the 173d that made the night combat jump in early 2003 to open up and secure the northern front in Iraq.
 
In mid 2003, we began communicating with key people of the 173d Airborne. Since Chuck had served with the 173d Airborne Brigade during the Vietnam War, it was a special time for him to have this opportunity. Together we had been collaborating on writing and designing a new workbook course called "Turning Your Heart Toward Home" that focuses on helping those returning from the war to reintegrate and rebuild relationships with loved ones at home. As a result of working together on this project this invitation was extended to provide information about the ramifications of the impact of war on the returning combat troops from Iraq. 
Power of Attorney for Marines During Deployment
What is a Power of Attorney and does POAyour Marine need one?
A Power of Attorney (POA) is a document in which you appoint someone else to act on your behalf on matters that you specify. A POA can be made to start immediately, or upon mental incapacity and the authority granted in a POA ceases at the death of the person granting the power.
 
For the average Marine who pays a car payment, cell phone bill, car insurance, etc. each month, s/he is given guidance and an opportunity to get those things lined up with his/her payroll and automatic payments while deployed. Even taxes don't have to be filed during deployment. Cell phone companies generally want a copy of the orders to suspend service, but all of these arrangements can be done prior to deployment.

With that said, a Power of Attorney is not standard for parents or spouses. A POA is rarely a required document and Marines have the right to say, "No, I don't want to give anyone a POA" in order to protect their own interests. A Marine should get his affairs in order prior to deployment and therefore won't need a POA. The exceptions would be for military personnel who have estates, own a business, or have more complex issues with finances.
 
New Travel Coffee Mugs
Travel Coffee MugsCeramic Coffee Mugs Show Your Marine Corps Pride
During the Care Package Event this weekend, I was given an opportunity to test out a new travel coffee mug. I expect amazing things from my coffee mugs.  I get distracted easily on busy days, but I still want my coffee to be hot when I get a chance to get back to it.  
 
This beautiful cermic and stainless steel travel mug stood the test and my coffee was kept at a perfect drinking temperature.  The mug is durable, very attractive, heavy, and best of all, let's me share my Marine Corps sentiments.
 
These fantastic mugs sell in our Cafe Press online store for $20.99 plus shipping.  Buy a travel mug for yourself and your favorite Marine Corps supporter today, and support the MarineParents.com projects at the same time!
What is OpSEC?
OPSEC Operational SecurityYour Marine's Safety 
 
As a family member of the military community, you are a vital player in our success and we could not do our job without your support. You may not know it, but you also play a crucial role in ensuring your loved ones' safety just by what you know of the military's day-to-day operations. You can protect your loved ones by protecting the information that you know. This is known in the military as, "Operations Security", or OPSEC. 
Poetry From Parents
New Section on the Web Site    
Some of our Marine parents have been sharing poems they've written about their Marines on the message boards. As yet another way to honor our Marines and their families, we've created a new section of the web site entitled "Poetry From Parents".
 
If you have a poem to share, email us at mp@marineparents.com.
 
Once a Warrior Wired for Life
Once a Warrior Wired for LifeBy Dr. Bridget Cantrell
Review 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." 

Back To School Sale: Free Shipping!

Check out our new designs in styles and sizes for every Marine Corps family member!
 * Free Economy or Standard shipping for purchases of $60 or more, excluding shipping charges and applicable sales tax. Delivery address must be within the United States. All orders will be Economy shipping unless the order is not eligible for Economy shipping (e.g., order exceeds Economy weight restrictions). Coupon code must be entered at check out. Promotion starts on August 26, 2008, at 12:00 a.m. (PST) and ends on August 28, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or coupons and this offer may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice.

We hope this week's edition of our email newsletter has been useful for you and your family. If there are topics you would like us to address, or if you have other suggestions for the newsletter, please contact us.

The banner used at the top of this newsletter is a July, 2008 USMC Photo by Cpl. George J. Papastrat of Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 gathering their gear to load on convoy vehicles. Marines from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Support Squadron conducted a retrograde of equipment from the replenishment point to Al Asad Air Base. Click here to read additional credits. 
  
MarineParents.com, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity. MarineParents.com, Inc. was founded in January, 2003 in response to parents' needs to find information and to have a Place to Connect & Share™ with one another during deployments. Our free online services and connections have expanded to support and educate Marine moms & dads, spouses, families and friends and we'll be offering the 5th Conference in San Diego in January, 2009. We've helped over 40,000 Marine and recruit families during bootcamp, training, active duty and deployments. We've shipped thousands of care packages overseas to our Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, sent thousands of prayers and letters to injured Marines and served hundreds of lunches to families caring for their Marines at Bethesda Hospital. You've found a Place to Connect & Share™. 

God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
 

Tracy Della Vecchia
Founder and Executive Director
MarineParents.com, Inc.
 
Neither the United States Marine Corps nor any other component of the Department of Defense has approved, endorsed, or authorized this service.
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