Support Our Marines! |
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™ |
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Learning Center:
Operations Security |
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)
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Learning Center:
About Homecoming |
(Tip: While in our store, check in your Marine's unit store for more homecoming shirts!) |
Learning Center:
Bootcamp |
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Unit Chat Nights |
Unit Chat Night Schedule:
Sunday: 1/4 2nd & 4th Sunday: deployed MAWS Monday: 2/5, 2/6 and 26th MEU, 15th MEU Wednesday: 2/1, 3/8, 2/9 Thursday: 1/3, 1st LAR, 1/12 Friday: 1/1, 13th MEU
For additional information about the Chat Room and Unit Chat Nights for your Marine's Unit, please see:
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Local Support Groups in Your Area |
NEWEST SUPPORT
San Diego, CA (San Diego)
Bethel, CT (Fairfield and Putnam)
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:
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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.
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Sign Up for the Newsletter |
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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.
Spring has certainly taken our office mascot Choder, the English Bulldog, by surprise. He noticed (apparently for the first time) that the daffodils had bloomed and it shook him up enough that he reared back, stood ready, and barked at them for a good three or four minutes before realizing the flowers weren't after either of us. I patted his cute and wrinkly head to let him know he did a fine job protecting me. Somehow I was able to raise a brave Marine son but I have not been successful at raising a brave Marine bulldog I'm afraid.
There are two things in this newsletter that are imperative for you to read. First, the book Souls Under Siege has finally arrived. We'll be shipping them out today. Read the book review below. This book will help you and your Marine cope with multiple deployments. Second, we've received a donation to help fund attendance at the PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and Deployment Symposium. If you're in the San Diego area April 18, you can attend the symposium for the cost of lunch, $20, but you've got to register by Sunday, April 12. Read the article below. |
PTSD Symposium Scholarships |
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Donation Helps Offset Cost; Register NOW!
MarineParents.com, one of the largest and most successful civilian-run military-oriented outreach organizations in the world will host a major Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) symposium as part of the group's annual national conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Diego April 18, 2009, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Registration for a limited time is $20 per person. The reduced pricing of the symposium is a result of a donation provided to the organization to help offset cost and encourage attendance and opportunities to learn about PTSD.
Please spread the word and help us to educate friends, families and members of the community about combat recovery for our returning warriors.
Attendance by military personnel, military families, civilians who work with the military, medical personnel interested in learning more about PTSD, and employers hiring combat veterans is recommended.
To register online, go to www.MarineConference.com and click the "Register Online" link or call the corporate office at 573-449-2003 during regular business hours.
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2009 National Conference |
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Captain Dale Dye, Keynote Saturday
Last chance to register for the 5th Marine Parents conference and this will truly be our best ever! We've got a truly amazing lineup this year of speakers and guests. Register now as seating is limited and you won't want to miss our keynote speaker, Captain Dale Dye.
Captain Dye is a retired Marine, author, actor and film consultant. Among his most famous achievements, he is author of the New York Times bestseller Platoon and has played characters in countless films, including Platoon and Saving Private Ryan. As a Marine, his list of achievements and medals are extraordinary, including three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. Captain Dye will be our keynote speaker for the benefit dinner on Saturday, April 18, 2009.
Colonel Richard M. Simcock II will present a Saturday session on the famous Marine Corps Mojave Viper training. This is the session you've been asking for, with footage and explanations of the training your Marine accomplishes prior to deployments. You've heard it from your Marine, and now you'll learn first-hand what it's all about.
Our lineup of speakers and breakout sessions, along with the online registration form, is now available on the web site at www.MarineConference.com/2009
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Eagle Globe and Anchor in Color |
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New and Only at MarineParents.com!
Show your pride and your support when you purchase from MarineParents.com!
Blue, Red, Pink, Green, Orange, and Teal EGAs can be placed on tshirts, coffee mugs and more. Each time you buy from us, your purchase helps fund projects like The Care Package Project™ and Purple Heart Hero Support™. Marine Parents would not exist without you and we THANK YOU for your continued support!
Use Coupon code GATESDEGREE to save $5 on an order of $50 or more through April 14.
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Effects of Multiple Deployments |
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Book: Souls Under Siege
A Review From our Founder, Tracy Della Vecchia:
Souls Under Siege is another fantastic book from Dr. Bridget Cantrell and once again I read from beginning to end in a short amount of time, devouring every word. I highly recommend her new book and it's available NOW from our corporate store.
Most combat Marines will experience at least two and often three or four deployments. How does this impact your family? What does this mean for your Marine? You need real answers and real help. Souls Under Siege: The effects of multiple troop deployments and how to weather the storm by Dr. Bridget Cantrell holds the answers.
The need to stay sharp and battle-ready doesn't dissipate when your Marine returns home from combat knowing he'll soon be doing another overseas tour. It's tough for them to feel like they're "home" when they need to stay sharp. Your Marine may pile the guilt of wanting to be in one place or the other instead of where he is at the moment on top of the mounting emotions of the deployment cycle. It's a tough world for our Marines and Souls Under Siege can help.
This is not a gloom and doom book; it's filled with real-life examples and tools for making the best of deployment vs. home emotions in this un-ending cycle. There are tools for transitioning back and forth between the civilian world and the deployed world, for you, for your Marine, and for the spouses of married Marines. This book will help you sort out the emotions and understand what YOU can do to help YOUR Marine.
You need to buy two of these books if you can. Buy one to read and pass it around to every member of your family. Buy a second copy for your Marine to read and pass around to his or her brothers in arms. No military family in today's society should be without this book.
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Chat with Expert on Homecoming |
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Warrior Transitioning for Marines and Family
Monday, April 13th, 2009 from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (central time), we invite you to chat online with Dr. Bridget Cantrell, author and expert on homecomings, PTSD, and combat recovery. The chat will be held in the MarineParents.com Chat Room. It is free and open to the public.
Dr. Cantrell is co-author of the critically acclaimed Downrange to Iraq and Back, and Once a Warrior: Wired for Life. Her third book, Souls Under Siege, addresses the impact of multiple deployments on our warriors. All three books can be ordered online through MarineParents.com.
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Marine Week in Chicago |
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MarineParents.com to Participate
General James T. Conway announced inaugural Marine Week activities held in partnership with the great city of Chicago from 11-17 May 2009.
"Established to recognize the contributions of local Marine heroes, their families, and the cities from which they came, Marine Week also showcases the rich history and traditions of our beloved Corps," said General Conway.
Marine Parents will participate in the proclamation ceremony at the beginning of the week and further details of our participation are in the works, more details will be available in the next newsletter. For more information on Marine Week in Chicago or to read General Conway's full statement, Click here... |
Marine Awarded Highest Navy Honor |
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Recognized for Actions in Afghanistan
TWENTYNINE PALMS - Lance Cpl. Brady's parents describe him as "reserved, loyal, stubborn and determined."
This was proven in action July 21, 2008.
His loyalty to his fellow Marines, his stubborn nature when he refused medical treatment and his determination under enemy fire as a machine gunner with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment earned him the Navy Cross, and a place among the ranks of such Marine Corps legends as Lewis 'Chesty' Puller, Daniel 'Dan' Daly and John Basilone.
He received this medal, the highest awarded by the Navy, for his deployment to Afghanistan is support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
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This Week in the Pentagon |
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Keeping Marine Parents Informed
Informing is a crucial part of the mission at MarineParents.com. As declared in our mission statement, we strive to "provide reliable resources for information about the United States Marine Corps."
With this objective in mind we bring you a new page on the web site containing weekly news videos from the Pentagon.
"This Week in the Pentagon" allows you to keep up with reliable news coming straight from the Department of Defense. Check this new informational page weekly!
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Emergencies During Deployment |
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Contacting the American Red Cross
If you have a family emergency during your Marine's deployment and feel you need to contact the Marine, your best course of action is to contact the American Red Cross.
The Red Cross should also be contacted for birth announcements of a Marine's new baby. Please be aware that contact from the Red Cross will alert your Marine to a serious condition at home.
The Red Cross has guidelines they must follow for qualifying emergency notification to your Marine. With improved speed in communication via the Internet and MotoMail, it may be possible for you to deliver unexpected news to your Marine without alerting the Red Cross.
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Attention Recruit Parents! |
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Show Your Pride at Graduation
We've got new designs for Recruit Graduation and when you buy from us, your purchase supports Marine Parents and our many outreach projects!
We hope you enjoy your new Marine's graduation and we THANK YOU for your support!
Click here to shop... |
Proud of Your New Marine? |
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Press Release Template for Recruit Parents
Many Recruit Parents ask for a sample template they could use to send their local papers a press release upon their recruit's graduation from bootcamp. We're here to help and we have a template for you.
For a press release template you can send to your local newspaper along with a photo of your new Marine, Click HERE... | |
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