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MarineParents.com Newsletter
a Place to Connect & Share™ | |
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Support Our Marines! |
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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 |
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NOTE: When communicating online, your Marine's privacy is as important as Operations Security. Please respect YOUR Marine's privacy! |
| Learning Center:
About Deployment |
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(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 |
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(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 |
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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:
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| Local Support Groups in Your Area |
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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 |
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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.
It seems appropriate that we begin the holiday season by giving thanks and counting our blessings. Many of our families have loved ones deployed this holiday season, others are struggling with combat recovery, and still others are coping with the emotions of holidays after the death of a loved one. Please take a moment this holiday season to reach out to your fellow military families and help one another see all that we have to be thankful for.
On behalf of the volunteers of MarineParents.com, I would like to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful start to this holiday season. May your blessings be many and your hearts be full.
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| One Veteran's Long Road Home |
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| Corporal Aaron Mankin on CNN
 Corporal Aaron Mankin, previously a MarineParents Conference speaker and honored guest, was featured on CNN for Veteran's Day, November 11, 2008. Marine journalist Corporal Mankin was seriously injured when the assault vehicle he was riding in was destroyed by an improvised explosive device (IED). Sixteen Marines were thrown from the vehicle. Six were killed instantly and Cpl. Mankin nearly made unlucky number seven. His entire body had been horribly burned. This young Marine is fortunate to be alive.
"Retaining something in myself that no one else could take away was a victory that I fought for everyday."
-Corporal Aaron Mankin
Corporal Mankin's positive attitude in the face of tragedy and determination throughout his long and challenging recovery is an inspiration for us all and we sincerely thank him for his service and his tremendous sacrifice.
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| Deployment Calling Cards |
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| For Combat Deployed Marines: Which Cards Work Overseas?
 Assurance that your Marine can call home while deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait is a critical component to your peace of mind during combat deployments.
There are two types of calling cards that will work from Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. Your Marine's location will dictate which card to use. We recommend obtaining one of each.
AT&T Global Calling Card
The first is the AT&T Global calling card that can only be purchased through the military AAFES exhanges. We have a link on our web site that you can purchase directly from AAFES without needing a military I.D.
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| 2008 Season Brought to a Close |
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| Marine Corps Marathon / Marine Corps 10K
 The Marine Corps Marathon / Marine Corps 10K on October 26th brought the 2008 Team Marine Parents™ season to a close. Being on the team is about more than just running, it's about connecting, sharing and supporting.
Team Marine Parents™ participated in the 33rd Marine Corps Marathon / 10K. We had a few full marathon runners, several 10K runners, and even hand cyclist LCpl Joe Lopez on our team! Together the team raised over $3,500 to support Marine Parents outreach programs: The Care Package Project™, Operation PAL™ and Purple Heart Hero Support™.
After the event, one TMP member said, "I felt like walking, until a hand cyclist zoomed by me. I realized I was lucky to have these tired legs and just kept going."
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| Traumatic Service Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) Appeals: |
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| Getting the Help You Need
 Not surprisingly, one lesson we've learned in the Global War on Terror is that military families will do anything -- and everything -- to be with their wounded loved ones.
Beginning with the first plane load of wounded troops to Walter Reed, family members travelled from all over the U.S. to welcome their beloved troop and help ease their pain. Some family members quit jobs they couldn't afford to quit; embarked on thousand mile journeys from coast to coast; and incurred costly hotel and dining expenses to remain at Walter Reed, while their soldier recovered.
Realizing the tremendous financial strain on families of the combat wounded, in 2005 Congress passed the Traumatic Service Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) benefit to help wounded troops and their families offset the expenses associated with being traumatically injured. TSGLI provides a one-time, lump sum, cash benefit that ranges from $25,000.00 to $100,000.00 depending on the particular injury.
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| In Memory of... |
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| Remembering Our Fallen Marines
Through the unforgettable words of Thomas Jefferson, the United States of America declared "all men are created equal" and we have certain unalienable rights, among which are "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Since our nation's Declaration of Independence in 1776, over one million men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country and to uphold the principles we hold so dear. Remembering and honoring these heroes is an important part of being a member of the Marine Corps family.
We have added a new section to the Gold Star Family Support™ portion of the web site as a place to recognize numerous Events, Scholarships, Foundations and Memorials created "In Memory of..." our Fallen Heroes. If you know of a scholarship or foundation recently created in memory of a fallen Marine, contact us at goldstar@marineparents.com.
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| Urban Sniper Course |
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| Marines on Okinawa Take a Shot
 CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan - Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force's Special Operations Training Group recently helped reinforce the shooting skills of Marines with 3rd Reconnaissance Bn., 3rd Marine Division, and 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines, out of Hawaii, at the Camp Hansen Rifle Range Oct. 20 - Nov. 7.
Staff Sgt. Owen Mulder, the lead sniper instructor for SOTG, taught 10 Marines specific tactics utilized in urban terrain during the Urban Sniper Course.
The snipers were taught various shooting positions that help them adapt to their surroundings, taking them out of their standard prone shooting position, said Mulder.
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| New Apron Now Available |
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| As Seen at this Year's Conferences
 This is the apron you've seen at our conferences and we're now offering it for sale from our corporate office. Buy it solo or with the Devil Dog Chow Marine Corps Family Cookbook for a great holiday gift. This sturdy red apron with the Eagle Globe and Anchor (EGA) beautifully embroidered in golden yellow on the front offers roomy pockets. The adjustable straps assure every cook will be happy with this unique apron! |
| Recruit Training Battalions |
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| Understanding the Structure
 There are two facilities for recruit training. They are called Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD). They are located in San Diego, California and Parris Island, South Carolina. The acronyms for each are MCRD SD and MCRD PI.
Though there are some exceptions, for the most part, the Mississippi River is the dividing point for which MCRD your son or daughter will attend. Recruits west of the Mississippi River attend MCRD SD. Recruits east of the Mississippi River attend MCRD PI. All female recruits attend MCRD PI (no exceptions).
Each MCRD includes Recruit Training Battalions, or RTB. Each RTB has a color and crest associated with it.
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| My Child: Mothers of War |
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| Critically Acclaimed Documentary
 The critically acclaimed documentary, MY CHILD: MOTHERS OF WAR, was recently acquired by American Public Television and will be screening on Public Television stations throughout the country over the coming months. The film is a groundbreaking documentary that focuses entirely on the mothers of our American Marines and Soldiers serving in Iraq.
"This is an important time for America," director Angeliki Giannakopoulos says. "With so much polarization over the war, it's important to remember that behind every soldier or marine we send overseas, there is a mother waiting at home."
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Support Our Troops: 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 a November, 2008 USMC Photo by Lance Cpl. Michael A. Bianco of a Marine participating in the 15-day long Urban Snipers Course at Camp Hansen. The students, Marines from 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, and 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Hawaii, learned skills such as shooting from helicopters and through automotive windshields. 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 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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