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MarineParents.com Newsletter
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Greetings!
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 are thankful for your support. This Friday, May 10, is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Marriage is never easy, and being married to a member of the military can be downright hectic, so we'd like to take a moment to recognize and thank the spouses of our men and women in uniform for the sacrifices, big and small, that they make every day. From now until May 31, the Care Package Project is holding a fundraising campaign to send Girl Scout cookies to troops deployed overseas. You'll learn more about the campaign, as well as how to donate to this great cause, in the article below. Here at Marine Parents, we're proud to announce that we have taken the "Show-Me Heroes" pledge, a Missouri initiative that encourages companies to hire veterans, and we take a look at that in our third article. Our next article takes a look at the U.S.-Japan Okinawa Consolidation Plan that will result in nearly 9,000 Marines being transferred to other bases throughout the Asia-Pacific Region. This Thursday, May 9, Dr. Bridget Cantrell will be holding one of her very useful online chat sessions to discuss PTSD and combat recovery. Finally, we take a look at this issue's Team Marine Parents Featured Participant, Kim Higa. God bless and Semper Fi!
 Tracy Della Vecchia Founder and Executive Director MarineParents.com, Inc.
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Military Spouse Appreciation Day
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The Men and Women Behind Our Men and Women In Uniform
This Friday, May 10, is Military Spouse Appreciation Day! Military Spouse Appreciation Day was first observed in 1984, when then-President Ronald Reagan decided to "acknowledge the significant contributions, support, and sacrifices of spouses." Military Spouse Appreciation Day is celebrated annually the Friday before Mother's Day, and is normally commemorated in a speech and proclamation by the President.
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| Girl Scout Cookie Campaign | | Send a Taste of Home
While our next official pack day may not be until late July,  the Care Package Project has decided to hold an additional fundraising campaign for the month of May that will allow us to send Girl Scout Cookies to our troops deployed overseas.
On June 6, local Girl Scouts will be coming to our facility from around the Columbia, MO area to help us pack 8,400 boxes of cookies into 840 care packages to be sent to troops in Afghanistan and Africa.
We have the cookies. We have the manpower
(or girl power in this case).
Now all we need are donations from you!
All the cookies and volunteers in the world won't do us any good if we don't have a way to ship the packages overseas. To make this dream a reality, our goal is to raise the full amount it's going to cost for us to ship the cookies, about $12,000, by May 31.
These cookies are not only a special treat for our troops, but they are also a comforting reminder of home. We appreciate your support!
To read more about our Girl Scout cookie campaign, click here...
To donate to our Girl Scout cookie campaign, click here...
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Show-Me Heroes
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Marine Parents Takes the Pledge
In January 2010, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon launched the "Show-Me Heroes" initiative. The initiative aims to help Missouri's Veterans and members of the National Guard & Reserve reconnect with meaningful careers, and to showcase Missouri employers who have pledged to do so.
Here at Marine Parents, we're proud to announce that we have taken the "Show-Me Heroes" pledge to support veterans. We currently employ three Marine veterans, as well as one Navy veteran.
To visit the "Show-Me Heroes" website, click here...
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Okinawa Consolidation Plan
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American Troops to be Relocated
Last month, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced  the signing of the U.S.-Japan Okinawa Consolidation Plan. According to Hagel, the plan "calls for the immediate return -- upon the completion of certain necessary procedures -- of certain facilities and areas on Okinawa. The United States will then return additional locations once replacement facilities are constructed and when a sizeable [sic] contingent of U.S. Marine Corps forces relocate outside of Japan, namely to Guam and Hawaii."
The plan also aims to lessen the impact of American forces in some of the more densely populated areas of Okinawa and will see 1,000 hectares of land returned to the island, as well as the relocation of roughly 9,000 Marines to bases in Guam, Hawaii, and various other locations in the Asia-Pacific region.
To read Secretary Hagel's release in its entirety, click here... |
| Dr. Cantrell Chat Tomorrow at 8pm! |
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Log on to discuss PTSD at 8 p.m. CST May 9
Please take time to read this article, then forward it to folks you know who would benefit from tomorrow night's online conversation with Dr. Cantrell. Bridget Cantrell, Ph.D., will be participating in Marine Parents' monthly online discussion tomorrow, Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 8 p.m. Central Time in the Marine Parents chat room. (Other times zones: 9 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Mountain, 6 p.m. Pacific.) TALK WITH A PROFESSIONAL This is your opportunity to talk with a professional in the field of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), combat operational stress (COS), warrior transitioning, and combat recovery in an anonymous online environment. The environment is warm and welcoming, and the discussions are on a personal level. Please join us to have your questions answered and concerns addressed. Click here to access the chat room. You must scroll to the bottom of the linked page to enter the chat room. Or you may also visit www.MarineParents.com and in the center column under "Connect & Share" you'll see the link to the chat room. BOOKS BY DR. CANTRELL Dr. Cantrell has written several books on combat recovery, post-traumatic stress disorder, and warrior transitioning.
Click here to review or purchase Dr. Cantrell's books. WHO SHOULD ATTEND Military personnel (current or past conflicts) and their families who are interested in knowing more about issues related to combat recovery and warrior transitioning are encouraged to participate in the chat. Please forward this email to folks you know who should attend. Your participation could make a difference in the life of someone you love. |
Get to Know the Team
| | TMP Featured Participant: Kim Higa
Team Marine Parents™ is a group of individuals, generally parents, family, and friends of Marines, who participate in athletic events nationwide to support our troops. The mission is to raise funds and awareness of the organization's outreach programs. Currently, there are over 50 members of Team Marine Parents™ around the country. 
This issue's featured TMP™ team member is Kim Higa. Kim is a Marine herself, and her son is a third-generation Marine.
Kim is running in support of Purple Heart Hero Support and has already raised $300 of her $500 goal for the year.
Kim ran her first race this past weekend and had this to say about it:
"I've run many races in the past but something about running for a specific cause and branch of service that is near and dear to my heart, just really motivated me!!".
Visit Kim's TMP page to learn more and donate to her campaign, click here...
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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 from Qatar, Qatar, Qatar - A 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Maritime Raid Force Marines fires a M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System while conducting a marksmanship training exercise at a range in Qatar, April 22, 2013. Eagle Resolve is an annual multilateral exercise designed to enhance regional cooperative defense efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council nations and U.S. Central Command. The 26th MEU is deployed to the 5th Fleet area of operations aboard the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group. The 26th MEU operates continuously across the globe, providing the president and unified combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, sea-based quick reaction force. The MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response and limited contingency operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone, 26th MEU Combat Camera/Released)
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 and share"® with one another during their Marine's career. Our free online services and connections have expanded to support and educate Marine moms and dads, spouses, families and friends. We've helped 400,000 Marine and recruit families during boot camp, training, active duty and deployments. We've shipped more than 34,000 care packages overseas to our Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, sent 60,000 prayers and letters to injured Marines and served thousands of meals to wounded heroes and their families on the East and West coasts. You've found "a place to connect and share."®
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