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MarineParents.com Newsletter
a Place to Connect & Share 
In This Issue
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Social Media Information
Poolee Night Information
Black History Month
Adaptive Clothing for Injured Heroes
Purple Heart Dinners
Team Marine Parents™ 2012
Military Speak
Gunny Grilling!
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Show Some Green...
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in style this year!
 
 


Sporty steins...


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New Logos

With the start of a new year, and the celebration of our 9th anniversary, we are getting a new look!

 

We look forward to continuing the good works of supporting families and Marines through the many outreach programs of Marine Parents for years to come!

 

Click here to read the story of our new logos!
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February 22, 2012
 Greetings Marine Families!

If this is the first edition of the Marine Parents newsletter you have received, WELCOME! If you are a returning reader we are glad you have joined us and thankful for your support.

In This Issue

We'll ask for your help supporting Poolee parents and their sons and daughters on their journey, as well as wonderful updates on our Purple Heart Hero Support™ outreach program.

You'll get to read about a few "spotlight" friends, like Gunny Pop and Team Marine Parents™ participant, Ann. We love getting to share stories and encouragement with you!

Also included is more information on an important Marine tradition and the rich history of our black military men and women. 

God bless and Semper Fi!
Poolee Night Information 

 

Share Your Knowledge and Experience

 

The poolee and parent event is an 

important phase before

the soon-to-be recruit ships off to boot camp. Its just as important for the parents who are often nervous and unsure of what to expect and the next steps along the way. This is a fantastic opportunity to bring in parents of recent graduates and parents whose sons and daughters are currently in bootcamp, to lend support and share information with the newest group of recruit parents.


We would like to encourage you to contact your son or daughter's recruiter to see if they would like you to share some words about the help and fellowship you've experienced through MarineParents.com outreach programs such as RecruitParents.com, Recruit Chat Night and Marine Family Network. If you're not too keene on speaking in front of others, perhaps you can offer to sit at an exhibit table with brochures and information to help lead the way to MarineParents.com, a source of support in this journey.

To help facilitate this sharing of information, we've put together the "Corps Kit: Poolee Party" which includes brochures and information about Marine Parents and our outreach programs that can be used as a display for parents attending poolee night, eager to learn how they too can find a Place to Connect and Share®.

 

Click here to help...

Honoring Black History Month

 

Be Inspired by the Rich History of Heroes...

 

Have you had a chance to read one of the wonderful books about African American Marines from the EGA Store yet? We have four new books that will help you learn the rich history, from the Revolutionary War to present day, of black military men and women. 

 

One of the books, American Patriots: The Story of Blacks in the Military from the Revolution to Desert Storm, tells the story of the black servicemen and women who defended American ideals on the battlefield, even as they faced racism in the ranks and segregation on the home front.

Through hundreds of original interviews with veterans of every war since World War I, historic accounts, and photographs, Gail Buckley brings these heroes and their struggles to life.

 

Click here to learn more...

Adaptive Clothes for Injured Heroes 

 

Local Volunteers Help Recovery Process 

 


Purple Heart Hero Support™ has received a special request to help make adapted clothing for the wounded heroes at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Part of the recovery process from severe injuries is becoming self-sufficient again in tasks we may take for granted; feeding themselves, brushing teeth, bathing, and dressing. The sooner our heroes can become independent again, the sooner they can begin the internal and emotional healing process and learn to live in their new "normal".  


To help provide that independence, our wounded heroes need clothing that has been adapted for ease in dressing and undressing. We've found an incredibly special lady to help us with this. Dee Bauer, whose husband is a former Marine who served during World War II, is putting her skills as a seamstress and organizer of people to get the work done for our heroes.


Click here for more information...

Purple Heart Hero Support™ Dinners

 

Weekly Dinners Now Being Served at Balboa

 

Purple Heart Hero Support™ dinners have taken place twice each month at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda and the Naval Medical Center in San Diego (also called Balboa) since 2007. Volunteers will now be serving dinners every Thursday at Balboa to help every more of our wounded heroes and their families! Learn more here...

 

A big ooh-rah and many thanks to all helping with these wonderful dinners and giving our heroes a taste of home!

 

Read about the fun Super Bowl party dinner held on February 5th!

 

Learn more about how you can help Purple Heart Hero Support™ dinners.  


Team Marine Parents™ 2012

 

Spotlight on Participant, Ann Parker

 

"Our family has a long history of serving in the military and I am honored to walk for such a worthy cause as a Team Marine Parent for Purple Heart Hero Support™," says Ann. "This 5k means a lot to me in many ways. It is a goal that I can reach for after a lengthy illness, it is a way to show my support for the men and women that are serving, it is in honor of my two sons that are now serving in the Navy and Marine Corps." Click here to help Ann reach her $300 goal...

 

Have you registered for your Team Marine Parents™ event yet to challenge yourself AND support our troops in a big way? Many of them are now open, so don't wait! Click here to find the perfect event for you!

 
A big Ooh-Rah to Ann and all those making 2012 a fit year and supporting our brave men and women!

The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor

 

An Important Piece of Marine Corps History 

 

The origins of the eagle, globe, and anchor insignia worn b

Get beautiful spirit jewelry here...

y Marines can be traced to those ornaments worn by early Continental Marines as well as to the British Royal Marines.

In 1776, Marines wore a device depicting a fouled a

nchor. The current insignia dates to 1868 when Brigadier General Commandant Jacob Zeilin convened a board "to decide and report upon the various devices of cap ornaments of the Marine Corps." 

 

The eagle, globe, and anchor insignia is a testament to the training of the individual Marine, to the history and traditions of the Marine Corps, and to the values upheld by the Corps. It represents "those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past." Said retired Sergeant Major David W. Sommers, "The eagle, globe and anchor tells the world who we are, what we stand for, and what we are capable of, in a single glance."

 

Click here for more information...

Gunny Grilling!

Eagle, Globe and Anchor Sportula

Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch is a Purple Heart Hero who was severely injured after being hit in the head with a rocket propelled grenade. His recovery is an amazing story. He's a public speaker and has done several conference and events at Marine Parents.

This past fall, we presented Gunny Pop with a Marine Corps Sportula for his backyard Ooh Rah barbecues. See the photo to the right that he shared with us of the sportula "Under Fire" at his home in the San Diego area.  Thanks for sharing this great photo Gunny!

To purchase a signed copy of Gunny Pop's book, Once a Marine, click here. To purchase your own EGA sportula, click here. All proceeds from sales of items at the EGA store go to fund the outreach programs of MarineParents.com, Inc. and IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity.

We appreciate your support and encourage you to share your Ooh Rah barbecue photos with us!
 

 
 

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 photo is a 2/20/2012 picture from Marines.mil of stand-up cycling competition at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California on February 19th. Click here for more photo 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. We've helped 400,000 Marine and recruit families during bootcamp, training, active duty and deployments. We've shipped over 30,000 care packages overseas to our Marines in Iraq Afghanistan, sent 60,000 of prayers and letters to injured Marines and served thousands of meals to Wounded Warriors and their families on both the East and West coasts. You've found a Place to Connect & Share™.

 

 

 

God Bless and Semper Fidelis,

 


Tracy Della Vecchia
Founder and Executive Director
MarineParents.com, Inc.