RecruitParents.com Newsletter
a Place to Connect & Share 
In This Issue
What's After Boot
Volunteers Needed
Corps Respect: A Family Value
Battle Cry
Montgomery GI Bill
Learning New Terminology
Haircuts & Hygiene
MCMAP & Pugil Sticks
Core Values
School of Infantry
Taking Photos and Video at Bootcamp Graduation
Did Your Marine Graduate?
 

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Parris Island
Graduation Dates 
Visit the Recruit Parents pages on our OPSEC-compliant Marine Family Network. Click your Recruit's graduation date:

 

August 30, 2013  

 

September 6, 2013 

 

September 13, 2013 

 

September 20, 2013 

 

October 4, 2013 

 

October 11, 2013   

 

October 18, 2013 

 

October 25, 2013 

 

November 1, 2013 

 

November 15, 2013 

 

November 22, 2013 

 

November 27, 2013  

 

December 6, 2013 

 

December 13, 2013 

 

December 20, 2013 

 

San Diego
Graduation Dates 
Visit the Recruit Parents pages on our OPSEC-compliant Marine Family Network. Click your Recruit's graduation date:
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What's After Boot

 

 

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September 4, 2013
Greetings Recruit Families!
Recruit Pride Corps Kit
Celebrate your pride for your Recruit with this Recruit Pride Corps Kit™!
  
Congratulations to our newest Marines, 2nd Battalion Hotel Company of San Diego and 3rd Battalion Lima Company of Parris Island who are graduating this Friday, September 6! We would also like to congratulate1st Battalion Delta Company of San Diego and 2nd Battalion Golf Company and 4th Battalion Oscar Company of Parris Island who graduated last Friday, August 30. A big Ooh-Rah goes out to you all!

 

You're on a new journey to becoming a Marine Parent. The pride is indescribable, but you may feel you are in an unfamiliar world with a whirlwind of emotions and never-ending questions.
 
If you've been looking for answers to your questions, we can help you.
Paying it Forward...
MFN Volunteers Needed

Marine Parents' social network, Marine Family Network (MFN) is in need of Recruit board message board moderators.  This is a simple, rewarding way to help other Marine parents, family members, and friends as they (and you) navigate the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with having a loved one in the Marines.  

Job duties of Recruit board message board moderators include: answering questions, guiding the group and helping members in any way that they can.  

The skills required for this position are simple--an understanding of how to copy & paste text on your computer, and the ability to work in multiple screens at once are all you need.

To become a volunteer, you must sign a one-year contract to work for a minimum of 10 hours per week.  Those 10 hours can be completed at your convenience, day or night.

Volunteers will undergo thorough training before going "out there" to the message boards.  Training takes about a month and other volunteers will be there to provide support and answer any questions you may have along the way. 

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer for MFN should click the link below to fill out an application.  Please be specific about the position for which you are applying (Recruit board message board moderator).

**For the position of Recruit board message board moderator, we are looking for someone whose son/daughter has recently graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Training and is a new Marine, NOT a new recruit.**

To learn more about becoming a volunteer, or to sign up, please click here... 
Corps Respect: A Family Value
Becoming a Marine Parent
 
Corps Respect: A Family ValueBy now you've likely heard some new terminology, either from your recruit or through reading information about the Marine Corps. Here is a primer on a few of the terms you may have already encountered.
 
"Semper Fidelis" is Latin for "Always Faithful." Along with the shortened version, "Semper Fi," the phrase has been adopted as a Marine Corps motto that Marines live by for the rest of their lives. A Marine will always be a Marine; there are no ex-Marines. Every Marine, whether serving four years or 34 years in the Corps, will remain "Always Faithful" to the Marine Corps and the core values of honor, courage, and commitment.

Click here to read the full article...
From the Commandant's Reading List: Battle Cry
A Must-Read for All New Recruits!

 

From the Publisher:
 
Originally published in 1953, Leon Uris's Battle Cry is the raw and exciting story of men at war from a legendary American author.
 
This is the story of enlisted men - Marines - at the beginning of World War II. They are a rough-and-ready tangle of guys from America's cities and farms and reservations. Led by a tough veteran sergeant, these soldiers band together to emerge as part of one of the most elite fighting forces in the world. With staggering realism and detail, we follow them into intense battles - Guadalcanal and Tarawa - and through exceptional moments of camaraderie and bravery. Battle Cry does not extol the glories of war, but proves itself to be one of the greatest war stories of all time.

 

GI Bill Education Benefits
Learning More About the Corps

 

Post-9/11 GI Bill

The GI Bill provides educational benefits to military service members. New recruits typically must sign up during a brief window of opportunity for one of two possible options: the Montgomery GI Bill or the Post-9/11 GI Bill. While exceptions exist, in most cases the benefits offered in the newer, Post-9/11 GI Bill are more favorable for the majority of recipients.

 

The Marine Corps has determined that in 2012, more than 60% of recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island have opted for post-9/11 GI bill educational benefits, while less than 0.1% of recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego have chosen this option. An investigation is currently underway to determine what changes need to be made in training programs to make certain that recruits fully understand the options available to them.

Learning New Terminology
Information for Recruit Parents
 
Learning New TerminologyThere are literally thousands of acronyms in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and all branches of the military as well as hundreds of new terms to learn.
 
Recruits in Marine Corps boot camp learn to call a flashlight a "moon beam," a pen becomes an "ink stick," and the bathroom is "the head."
 
MarineParents.com created a terminology page as a starting point for recruit families. The reference contains terms that are most important to learn during recruit training.

Haircuts and Hygiene
Marine Corps Recruit Receiving
 
Haircuts and HygieneIt is not uncommon to hear a statement like, "Marines sure do look sharp in uniform!" As a matter of fact, some Marines claim part of their motivation to join the Marine Corps was found in the desire to attain the honor of wearing the esteemed uniform.
 
Why do Marines look so sharp in uniform? The answer lies in their incredible attention to detail and strict uniform regulations which include specifications regarding haircuts and hygiene.
 
Recruits learn the importance of these regulations early on in boot camp as one of their first stops on the depot is the barber shop. 
 
MCMAP and Pugil Sticks
Training Phase I - Getting Started
 
MCMAP and Pugil SticksFrom its inception in 1775, the Marine Corps has distinguished itself as a Martial Culture. The legacy of the Corps is built upon the close combat of ships of sail, the storming of the Bois de Belleau, and the holding of "Bloody Ridge" on Guadalcanal.
 
Drawing upon the rich tradition of promoting values and warrior ethos, the Marine Corps developed the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program or MCMAP. It is a martial art that was designed to be and is the "synergy of mental, character, and physical disciplines."
 
In addition to MCMAP, recruits train with pugil sticks. Many recruits have never experienced the realities of inter-personal violence found in close combat, and pugil sticks provide effective, but safe, "full contact" combative training at the entry level.
  
Team Week and Core Values
Training Phase II - In the Midst 
 
Honor Courage CommitmentRecruits learn, from training day 1, that to be a Marine means to do what is right in the face of overwhelming adversity. To understand how to do what is right, Marines are taught about ethics and the core values.
 
The Corps' core values are Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These values make up the bedrock of a Marine's character. During recruit training, recruits are taught these core values and the numerous others attached to them, such as integrity, discipline, teamwork, duty and esprit de corps.
 
Team Week is a time for recruits to demonstrate that they understand how to do what is right, and that they are taking ownership of ethics and the core values. 
 
School of Infantry (SOI)
Training Phase III - The Final Stretch 
 
If your recruit is almost finished with recruit training and you're wondering what happens next, we encourage you to take a look at the website "What's After Boot?"
 
Don't forget to register for the Boot Parents message board. This WAB area is your place to transition from recruit training to the Marine Corps while your son or daughter is in SOI (School of Infantry) and MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) School.
 
Photos and Videos
About Boot Camp Graduation
 
Graduation VideosDuring boot camp, recruits will have their photos taken with their platoon, as well as individually in the "dress blues" uniform.
 
A video of graduation is also produced, and that video will include footage from each battalion. Both Parris Island and San Diego offer these services.
 
Your recruit will be given an opportunity to purchase the photos as well as the video. They will also be given the opportunity to order a yearbook, and at Parris Island, that will be the only time the yearbooks are available for order.
 
Save
$5

Save $5 on your order of $50 or more! Share this coupon with your family and friends. Good through midnight tonight! Shop now to save. 

 

Enter Coupon Code at Checkout:

2013Graduation
Valid through midnight central time, Wednesday, September 4, 2013.

 

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, 2005 USMC photo by Lance Cpl. Joseph L. DiGirolamo. See www.marines.mil for 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 and share"� with one another during deployments. Our free online services and connections have expanded to support and educate Marine moms and dads, spouses, families and friends. We've helped more than 100,000 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, Afghanistan and Africa, sent thousands of 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."�    
God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
 

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