We've had many parents ask us "What do I do if I get a phone call that my Marine is wounded?". Here are some things to keep in mind.

If the Marine Corps calls you to notify you that your Marine has been wounded, stay calm. You may get the call late at night, or you may just have a hard time concentrating. There are FOUR things to remember while you are on the phone:

1. Listen: Listen to the information
2. Write: Write the information down
3. Repeat: Repeat the information back
4. Ask: Ask for a contact name and phone number

When they have given you as many details as they can, get some contact information from the Marine Corps. Ask:

1. What is the name and phone number for the Family Readiness Officer for my Marine's unit?
2. Will you be calling me when you get updates, or will another office call me?
3. When can I expect to hear from you or another office again?
4. Will my Marine be transported?
5. Will a Marine Corps office contact us to assist with any travel arrangements for the family?

If your Marine calls you from the field, or during transport, he likely will not have all the details, and he may be notifying you BEFORE the rear detachment for his unit has the information. It's possible in this situation that it could take some time before the Marine Corps notifies you officially of the news and seriousness of the injuries.

Remain calm and reassuring to your Marine. Remember these three things:

1. Listen: Listen to the information
2. Write: Write the information down
3. Repeat: Repeat the information back

In this instance, your Marine will NOT have a name or phone number contact for you. Therefor, it's imperative that you know your Marine's unit, company, and platoon prior to his or her deployment. If you do not have that information, you can most generally figure it out from the 2nd line of your Marine's overseas address. If you do not know your Marine's unit or do not have a mailing address, ask him or her.

Your next step is to contact the FRO (Family Readiness Officer) for your Marine's unit. If you do not know the contact information for the FRO, there are a couple ways to find out:

• MarineParents.com Unit Information Database
  This section of our web site is in beta test, but you can quickly enter your Marine's unit to see if you get a return on the database.
  Go to http://www.marineparents.com/units/search2.asp

• MarineParents.com Units Deployed Page
  This section of our web site is updated as often as possible, and includes direct links to a message board community for several of the USMC units.
  Go to http://www.marineparents.com/USMC/back-to-iraq.asp

• MarineParents.com Message Board
  If you do not find your Marine's unit in either of those location, go to the main page of the message board community. The message board is organized by the Marine Divisions. Generally, you can guess the division based on the location your Marine deployed FROM, or the location that is your Marine's "home" base. Once you have that determined, use the message board areas to locate your Marine's unit:
  • 1st Marine Division: West Coast
  • 2nd Marine Division: East Coast
  • 3rd Marine Division: Hawaii/Pacific Islands
  • 4th Marine Division: Marine Reserves
  
  Go to http://www.usmcparents.com

• MarineParents.com Volunteers
  Use the "members" section of the message boards to contact a Marine Parent Volunteer to assist you. We have access to some additional phone numbers and methods of helping you get information. The Volunteers have Gold or Red Stars by their names and a title of Volunteer and/or Moderator. They can help you.
  Go to http://www.usmcparents.com/forum/members.asp

Do you have have a question, request or need help? Use the scroll bar below to select your topic, then click the GO button for an email form. A MarineParents.com, Inc. volunteer will respond in about 24 hours.

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