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MarineParents.com Newsletter
a Place to Connect & Share 
In This Issue
Deployment Learning Center
Homecoming Learning Center
Marine Corps T-Shirts & Gifts
One Team - One Fight - One Name
Modern Day and True to Life
Gratitude from a Wounded Marine
A Voice to Afghan Women
Calling All Veterans!
Pvt Geo Auxiliary Shows Support
New! It's a Marine Thing
Save the Date
$5 Coupon Hurry, Expires September 16!
Support for You:
a Place to
Connect & Share™
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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!
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
 
 
 
 
 
 
Learning Center:
About Homecoming
 
 
 
 
 
(Tip: While in our store, check in your Marine's unit store for more homecoming shirts!)
Unit Chat Nights 

Unit Chat Night Schedule:

Sunday: 1/8, 3/9 
Monday: 1/7, 2nd LAR, 2/8
Wednesday: 2/1, 5/10
Thursday: 1/5, 2/3
Friday: 1/1, 13th MEU

For additional information about the Chat Room and Unit Chat Nights for your Marine's Unit, please see:
MarineParents.com Chat Gif 
Marine Corps Spirit
T-shirts, Gifts & More
Show your Marine Corps spirit and pride!  Proceeds support Marine Parents.
 
 
 
 
 
Marines The Few The Proud
 
From Founder Tracy Della Vecchia on The Gift of Valor and Jason Dunham:
If you've not yet had an opportunity to read this amazing story, I encourage you to do so.  This is more than courage; it exemplifies the morale and character of the Marine Corps. 
Mike Phillips Gift of Valor Medal of Honor Jason Dunham
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Interested in learning about recruit training? Don't forget to sign up for the Recruit Parents Newsletter as well!
 
September 10, 2009
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.
 
It's been 8 years since the 9/11 attacks.  As with most Americans, I remember exactly where I was and how that morning unfolded for me.  My now former Marine son had been in bootcamp for two weeks.  The desk in my home office was in my living room and I fell to my knees in front of the television, spending most of the day there, weeping with my husband and praying for God's intervention.  And I knew my son would go to war.

I knew that on every September 11th for the rest of my life, I would remember this earth shattering experience.  And I knew then that I would cry each time I remembered the full impact of that day.  I hope families reading this newsletter today will remember those who gave their life on that day and those who have fallen since. Please encourage those around you to share in a moment of silence.  God Bless America, and God Bless our Marines.
One Team - One Fight - One Name 
Join the Efforts - Write Your Senator
 
One Team One Fight One NameMarine Corps families are known for getting the job done and we've got a job to do. I'm asking for your support in passing H.R. 24 to change "Department of the Navy" to "Department of the Navy and Marine Corps."
 
After research and discussion with Congressman Jones, we will be supporting H.R. 24. Colonel Oliver North responded showing support of MarineParents.com efforts to pass the bill. 
 
 "Please support MarineParents.com in their support of Congressman Walter Jones' bill to re-designate the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. It's a measure that is long long past due and a recognition of the extraordinary contribution and sacrifices made by generations of Marines to the freedoms we hold dear."
-Oliver L. North, LtCol, USMC (Ret.)
 
How can you join our efforts and show your support?
 
Modern Day and True to Life
Col Bogdanos Surpasses Indiana Jones  
 
Thieves of Baghdad by Col Matthew Bogdanos"Stolen priceless artifacts, cobwebbed hidden tunnels, an irresistible mystery, and an unstoppable hero. Best of all? It really happened."
 
New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer describes "Thieves of Baghdad."
 
Author Matthew Bogdanos is a Marine Colonel, a competitive boxer, a classics scholar, and an assistant DA in Manhattan. His book is a true story of one Marine's passion for ancient civilizations and the journey to recover the world's greatest stolen treasures.
 
Signed by Col. Matthew Bogdanos!
 
 
Note: There are only two hardcover copies left; the remaining copies are paperback. Act fast if you'd like a hardcover copy.
Gratitude from a Wounded Marine
Operation Prayers and Letters™ 
 
Gratitude from a Wounded MarineHis left hand still works so that's what Sergeant Eddie uses to express thanks for kind words of encouragement sent via Operation PAL™.
 
You can read so much about his character through the hand-written note: His determination to use what abilities he has to communicate what he needs to say, for example.
 
Or his compassion for others in that he wants to make sure you know your prayers and cards are appreciated.
 
Eddie's injuries are severe. Three years ago, he was shot twice in the head in Iraq and he has been battling to regain functionality ever since.
 
 
Recoveries such as this one take years and encouragement is needed every step of the way. We currently have 40+ names of Wounded Warriors whose families have requested support.

Learn how you can get involved, Click here...
A Voice to Afghan Women
Female Engagement Teams Reaching Out 
 
A Voice to Afghan WomenAs Operation Eastern Resolve II continues in southern Afghanistan, some of the key players are the ones who aren't clearing houses or dropping rounds on enemy forces.
 
A Marine reporter tells us about a team of women who are working to reach out to Afghanistan's silenced demographic in this incredible video.
 
To watch the video, click the image or Click here...
Calling All Veterans!
Ensure the Voice of Veterans is Heard
 
Calling All Veterans!The Missouri Veterans Commission along with AMVETS, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans and Marine Parents will hold 21 Listening Posts across Missouri from September 24 through October 28.
 
This is a joint effort aimed at assessing the needs of Veterans. Questions will be asked via note cards to assure confidentiality and subject matter experts will be available.
 
All Veterans. All Branches. All Eras.
 
If you're a veteran living in Missouri or one of the surrounding states, or if you know someone in the area who could attend for you and speak on your behalf, please make every effort to attend a Listening Post and ensure the voice of veterans is heard. Family members welcome. 
 
Express the issues veterans are facing so others are well-equipped to advocate on behalf of all veterans, from all branches and every era. 
 
Pvt Geo Auxiliary Shows Support
Family and Friends Spotlight 
 
Support for Care Package ProjectMembers of the Marine Corps League Auxiliary, Private George Phillips Unit volunteered with The Care Package Project™. We later received a letter and donation from the Auxiliary expressing their support for the outreach program.
 
Programs like The Care Package Project™ are only possible through the generosity and dedication of Marine families and friends. As a direct result of supporters like the members of the Pvt George Phillips Auxiliary, over 21,000 care packages have been sent to Marines in combat zones since the program began in December of 2004.
 
President Jamie S. Brooks writes, "[Our members] have seen you in action and are of the mind that the money will be better spent in your hands than if we tried to "reinvent the wheel"."
 
Such praise speaks volumes of all involved with The Care Package Project™. Thank YOU for your support and let's keep up the great work!
 
New! It's a Marine Thing
Exclusively from Marine Parents

New! Yellow Footprints Design

Yellow footprints are unique to Marine Corps bootcamp.
 
Share the pride and share the uniqueness of the Corps with this new design. It's sure to make a former Marine smile.
 
It's a Marine Thing! 
 
Use Coupon code SUNDRYWORLD to save $5 on an order of $50 or more through September 16.
Save the Date September 23rd
Chat with Expert on Homecoming 
 
Dr. Bridget Cantrell Expert on PTSDDr. Bridget Cantrell, author and expert on homecomings, PTSD, and combat recovery, will hold her next online chat on September 23rd, from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (central time).
 
Dr. Cantrell offers a wealth of knowledge and experience. Mark your calendar now and take advantage of this amazing opportunity to learn how YOU can spot the symptoms of PTSD in your Marine. 
 
Service Flags
Proudly Display in Your Window 
 
Service FlagsFamily members of any military person, on active duty or in the reserves, can display the Service Flag in their windows.
 
Purchase yours from Marine Parents today. Proceeds support outreach programs like The Care Package Project™ and Operation PAL™, featured in articles above.
 
Support Our Troops: Wear Red on Friday
Wear Red on Friday
 
Join the "Wear Red Friday" campaign to show your support of our troops!  We've opened up a brand new line in our online store--you get the quality and service you've come to expect, and you can help encourage those in your community to "Support Our Troops: Wear Red on Friday!"  We've got yard signs and red t-shirts for every family member and everyone in your office! Check it out today:
 
 
 
We've added a new design. Red shirts with white letters on the front:
"Red Friday...it's a military thing"
 
Remember, all proceeds from sale of products in our stores go to support the organization MarineParents.com, Inc. and our outreach projects. MarineParents.com is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) Public Charity.

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 an August, 2009 USMC Photo by Cpl. Theodore W. Ritchie. A CH-53E Super Stallion from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced), 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, lands at Udairi Army Airfield, Kuwait, for an airlift training evolution. 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 our 6th Conference in New Orleans in April, 2010. 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.
Marines Establish 1775$5 Off Coupon
Receive $5 off any order of $50 or more.  Enter coupon code SUNDRYWORLD
 
HURRY! Offer expires September 16!
 
NOTE: All proceeds are used in support of MarineParents.com, Inc., an IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity.
New "Marines Est 1775" Design! Check these out!