Close Window Archive Copies of Newsletter Print
Marine Parents Logo a Place to Connect and Share 
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
Graduation Announcements
Please Visit Our Sponsors
Dictionary of Military Terms
Benefit Dinner, April 19
Author Patrick O'Donnell
Marine Corps Tour April 18
2008 Conference in Washington, DC
Cpl. Aaron Mankin
Pentagon Bans Google Teams
Depot Mascot Molly Marine
Girl Scout Cookies SHIPPED!
Marines Headed for Afghanistan
$5 Coupon Expires April 14!
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
 
 
 
 
Local Support Groups in Your Area
NEWEST SUPPORT GOUPS:
 
Chicago, IL
(Cook County Area)
 
Souderton, PA
(Montgomery County)
 
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
Graduation Announcements!
Graduation Announcements are now available for your Soon-To-Graduate recruit! Use the coupon at the bottom of the newsletter to save $5!
Marine Corps Bootcamp Graduation Announcements
Visit Our Sponsors
Sign Up for the Newsletter
Join Our Mailing List
April 10, 2008
Dear Marine Family,

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.

This is the last opportunity to register for the 2008 Marine Parents Conference, Marine Corps Tour, and Benefit Dinner in Washington, DC the weekend of April 18-20th, 2008. Registration deadline is Monday, April 14, 2008.
Dictionary of Military Terms
Published by the Department of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff 
 
Dept of Defense Dictionary of Military TermsDoD Dictionary of Military Terms
This is 600-page PDF file published by the Department of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff.
 
We've added a page of references and would like your suggestions for additional USMC online publications.  Let us know what you're finding online to help you learn about the Marine Corps and our military personnel!
Benefit Dinner, April 19
2008 Marine Parents.com Benefit Dinner FlyerSeating Still Available: Tickets $75
The benefit dinner will be held at The Doubletree Hotel--Crystal City at 300 Army Navy Drive in Arlington, VA on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
 
We will have a silent auction, cash bar, and opportunities to meet Marines from around the area.  Proceeds go to support MarineParents.com and the outreach projects to support Marines and their families.
 
The evening will be filled with Marine Corps spirit, fantastic speakers and presentations. Please click the flyer above and share it with your friends, family, groups, and acquaintances that may be in the area. They won't want to miss this true Marine Corps spirit-filled event!
 
Benefit dinner tickets may be purchased separately from Conference Registration; conference registrations include a benefit dinner ticket.
 
Please purchase your tickets by Monday, April 14. Donations are welcome. Call 573-449-2003 for more information, or:
 
 
Author Patrick O'Donnell added to Conference Lineup
We Were One 3/1 Marines in Fallujah November 2004We Were One
Patrick K. O'Donnell is the author of We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines that Took Fallujah, a riveting first-hand account of the fierce battle for Fallujah in 2004 and the Marines who fought there - a story of brotherhood and sacrifice in a platoon of heroes.
 
Patrick O'Donnell has been added to our conference lineup this year as our Friday evening dinner speaker.
 
Marine Corps Tour April 18
2008 Marine Corps ToursMarine Corps Museum, 8th & I Barracks, The Silent Drill Platoon and Iwo Jima 
You won't want to miss this opportunity to tour  unique Marine Corps sites in the Washington, DC area. Even if you can't attend the conference, we encourage you to purchase a ticket for the tours at $75. It's a unique opportunity to spend time with other Marine Corps families, Marines, and former Marines on this unique tour.
 
Chartered bus transportation is included. We depart from The Doubletree Crystal City Hotel at 7:45 a.m. and return to the hotel at 5:00 p.m.  A beautiful catered buffet lunch will be served after touring the museum prior to departure to the Marine Corps 8th & I where we will view the Silent Drill Platoon performing for the first time on their newly constructed parade deck.  From there, we'll stop at the Iwo Jima memorial before returning to the hotel.
 
The president of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, Lieutenant General Ron Christmas will meet with the tour group upon arrival at the museum.
 
Tickets for the tour are not included in conference registration and must be purchased separately.
 
Call the MarineParents.com office to reserve your seating at 573-449-2003 or click below to make your reservatins order online:
 
'08 Marine Parents Conference
Join us in Washington, DC for the 3rd Annual Conference and Benefit Dinner April 18-20! (Pre-Conference April 17-18.)
 
2008 Conference LogoThe 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.
 
FRIDAY TOURS: 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.
 
Patrick O'DonnellFRIDAY EVENING SPEAKER, APRIL 18
Patrick O'Donnel, author of We Were One will be our speaker at the opening dinner on Friday evening. His book was written after his experiences being embedded with Marines in Fallujah, Iraq in November, 2004. The book will be available for sale and signing.
 
Pat Rowe KerrSATURDAY SESSION: VETERAN'S BENEFITS
Veterans' Ombudsman Pat Rowe Kerr will be delivering the morning general session on Veteran's Benefits. Ms. Kerr is a wealth of knowledge that you can put to use with your Marine.
 
Dr. Bridget CantrellSATURDAY SESSION: PTSD & WARRIOR TRANSTIONING
Immediately following, reknowned author and psychologist, Dr. Bridget Cantrell will present a discussion panel on Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSD) and Warrior Transitioning. Her books Downrange to Iraq and Back and Once a Warrior Wired for Life will be available for purchase and signing.
 
Colonel Bryan P McCoySATURDAY SESSION: DEPLOYMENT AND MARINE TRAINING
Colonel Bryan P. McCoy, USMC, Commanding Officer of the 7th Marine Regiment and former commander of 3/4 with two tours of Iraq in 2003 and 2004, will present a fact-filled session on deployment and Marine training.
 
Colonel Matthew BogdanosKEYNOTE SATURDAY, APRIL 19
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. His book Thieves of Baghdad will be available for purchase and signing.
 
Robert NewmanMASTER OF CEREMONIES: ROBERT NEWMAN
Gunnery Sergeant Bob Newman USMC (Ret) is the host of the top-rated "Gunny Bob Show" on Newsradio 850 KOA in Denver and is a frequent guest analyst and commentator on national security matters for FOX News Channel, MSNBC, the BBC and other networks.
 
Learn more about the conference, make your hotel reservations, and register online at the conference web site:
Cpl. Aaron Mankin added to the  conference lineup
"If you don't have time to do it right when will you ever have time to do it over?"
Aaron MankinThat was the theme 14 year-old Aaron Mankin delivered to his 1997 graduating class of  Elmwood Jr. High in Rogers, Arkansas.  Mankin went on to continually follow that advice he received earlier from his grandfather, a Navy veteran of WWII. 
Born in 1982 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, 
 
After joining the Marine Corps and upon completion of training in Public Affairs, Mankin's writings were frequently published in Marine Corps periodicals.  In February, 2005 he was deployed to Iraq with the II Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Fallujah.  There he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a Combat Correspondent.
 
In May, 2005 Cpl Mankin was assigned to Operation Matador, an eleven-day mission in Northern Iraq along the Syrian border intended to intervene and interrupt the flow of militant insurgents.  On the seventh day of the campaign Cpl Mankin was severely wounded near Ubadi in the Al Qaim province when an IED destroyed his 26-ton AAV fatally wounding six Marines.  
 
Cpl. Mankin will share his incredible story from injury to recovery with his "take time to do it right" philosophy. We're honored to host Cpl. Mankin as a guest speaker at the 2008 Conference on Saturday evening during the benefit dinner.
 
Pentagon Bans Google Teams
Panoramic views inside military facilities deemed too sensitive 
 
Google Earth SoftwareWASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc has complied with a request by the Pentagon to remove some online images from its street-level map service because they pose a security threat to U.S. military bases, military and company officials said on Thursday.

Gen. Gene Renuart, head of the military command responsible for homeland defense, said the Pentagon had talked to Google about the risks and expected the company to cooperate in removing selected images from its Street View service.

Depot Mascot: Cpl. Molly Marine
Caregiver for a Fellow Devil Dog 
 
MCRD Mascot Molly the English BulldogMARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (March 7, 2008) -- "Sit! Stay! Roll over! Salute!" These are all commands that I never thought would be given to any Marine when I arrived here at my first duty station, but that was before I met Cpl. Molly Marine, the depot's mascot.
 
Soon after I started working at the public affairs office, I learned that the mascot's caretaker was being reassigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and I was next in line for the duty of watching over my "fellow
devil dog."

My task was unexpected and unwanted at first, but would eventually turn into a rewarding experience.
 

12,000 Boxes of Girl Scout Cookies Have Been Shipped!

 

Girl Scout Cookies shipping to Iraq

We shipped $42,000 in girl scout cookies to Marines in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa on April 5, 2008! 

Marines in Iraq receiving girl scout cookiesThis is our fourth year shipping Girl Scout CookiesŪ to the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this is the biggest shipment ever!

You helped us raise the $10,950 necessary to ship the cookies to Iraq and on April 5, 35 volunteers came to the Marine Parents.com corporate office to pack them into the new USPS Flat Rate Priority box.  The postal service discounted each box to $10.95 because they shipped to APO/FPO addresses.

We anticipate hearing from our Marines ANY DAY about receiving the cookies. We'll share their thank you notes and messages with you as we get them.

Thank you for your help in making this project a success for our Marines in combat zones overseas.
 
To learn more and see some great motivational videos, sound files, photos and thank-you notes from Marines, visit the web site and share this page with your friends, co-workers, and neighbors:
 

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:
 
 
 
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 a March 6, 2008 USMC Photo by Cpl. Ray Lewis. The photo shows Corporal James P. Flores, 22, acting squad leader with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, from Thousand Oaks, Calif., taking direction from a range moderator Mar. 6 during Mojave Viper at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. Flores and other Marines with 2/7 conducted a platoon hasty attack to prepare for challenges they might face on their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. Click here to read accompanying story.

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 3rd Annual National Conference in Washington DC, 2008. 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.
$5 Off Coupon
Receive $5 off any order of $50 or more. Enter coupon code GATEDANCE at checkout. Restrictions apply. Limited time only. Visit the web site for more details.
 
HURRY! Offer expires April 14!
 
NOTE: All proceeds are used in support of MarineParents.com, Inc., an IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity.
New "Heart USMC" Design! Check these out!