June 11, 2015
In This Issue:

Greetings!

Thank you for joining us for this issue of Marine Parents News. If this is your first time receiving the newsletter, welcome aboard, we're excited for you to be here!

We need your help ensuring that our Warrior Support Team is able to continue serving meals to recovering warriors on both coasts. This is your chance to be great and change lives. Learn more in our first article.

To see what else is new with the organization or to learn more about the Marine Corps, check out the rest of our articles. We hope you enjoy!

Thank you for joining us and especially for your continued support of our brave men and women in uniform.

Semper Fi Marine Families!





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

It's Your Turn to Serve. Help Us Set the Table.

Our wounded, ill, and injured warriors have sacrificed so much while serving our nation. Now it's our turn to serve them. Help us set the dinner table to help begin the healing. Make your donation today. Our goal is $12,000 by August 1, 2015 to continue serving meals at military medical facilities June through August this summer.

"A very common thing I've heard over the past few months at the dinners from the wounded guys is that the dinners give them a reason to leave their rooms or homes. Even if they're having a bad day, seeing familiar faces and eating with people they know care about them helps the wounded feel less isolated...Having a meal to count on each week really does make a difference and relieves some stress for the guys. It also gives them the opportunity to sit and interact with other wounded warriors, as opposed to keeping to themselves."
 
-- Paige, Warrior Support Team--West Volunteer and wife of a recovering warrior.

While serving dinners may seem like a small thing, they are loved by the men and women who attend them. The dinners let the recovering warriors know that America remembers them; that their sacrifices are appreciated; that they aren't alone. The relationships formed at these dinner tables can be the starting point for the service member to work with the Warrior Support Team during their upcoming reintegration to a civilian lifestyle. And we need your help to ensure that they continue.
U.S. Department of Defense photo by LCpl Tia Dufour
This Week in Marine Corps History

Fifty-four years ago this week, on June 12, 2961, then-president John F. Kennedy signed a Presidential Proclamation calling for the American flag to be flown at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, "at all times during the day and night." Discussions between the Attorney General's office and Marine Corps officials earlier in 1961 on improving the visibility and appearance of the monument led to the proposal to fly the Flag continuously, which by law could only be done by Congressional legislation or by Presidential proclamation.

U.S. government photo
Sunday, June 14 is Flag Day

The Stars and Stripes. The Star Spangled Banner. Old Glory.  Regardless of what you call it, for more than 200 years the American flag has represented the principles -- democracy, liberty, and freedom -- that our great country was founded on. This Sunday, June 14, is Flag Day.  We would like to encourage our readers to take a moment on Sunday to raise an American flag and reflect on all that it stands for and to honor the men and women who have laid down or put their lives on the line defending it over the course of our nation's history.  

Meet the Team!
TMP Featured Participants: Team Foxtrot Whiskey Tango

Team Marine Parents™ (TMP) 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 month's TMP featured participants are two women who have been running together since 2001 and are trying to achieve their goal of completing a marathon in each of the 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C. -- Michelle Erjavac and Lori Trampas.

During their time running together over the years, Michelle and Lori have run many marathons for a variety of causes, but this year's Marine Corps Marathon will be particularly meaningful to them as Michelle's son became a Marine last August. Michelle and Lori have chosen to run for Team Marine Parents to raise money for, and awareness of, Post-Traumatic Stress, as well as to honor the sacrifices our service members make on a daily basis protecting our freedom around the world. 


Thanks for being a part of the team Michelle and Lori, and we look forward to seeing you in Washington!


To learn more about Team Foxtrot Whiskey Tango, or to donate to its campaign, please click here...
Bibs Are Still Available!

Do you want to run in this year's Marine Corps Marathon (MCM)  but missed your chance to get a bib during this year's MCM registration lottery? Don't worry, Team Marine Parents (TMP) has your back! 


As an official MCM Charity Partner, TMP has bibs available for those who want to run in the marathon, all you have to do is join the team! 

TMP currently has 15 bibs remaining for this year's race. Each bib costs $130 (a $125 registration fee and a $5 processing fee) and runners must pledge to raise at least $500 for a MarineParents.com outreach program of their choice in return for receiving their bib. 

Joining TMP is a great way to get in shape while raising money for a good cause and these bibs won't last long! Don't miss out on your chance to run in the 2015 MCM, join TMP today! 
The Rifleman's Creed

Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. In boot camp at Parris Island and San Diego, and at The Basic School at Quantico, Virginia, all Marines, enlisted and officer, receive instruction in proper rifle usage and maintenance. Additionally, all Marines must memorize the "Rifleman's Creed," which was created in 1942 by Marine Brigadier General William H. Rupertus, the then-Commanding General of Marine Corps Base San Diego, after he (Rupertus) had decided that his men must be made to understand, "...that the only weapon which stands between them and Death is the rifle...they must understand that their rifle is their life...it must become a creed with them." 

 

Captain Robert P. White, Public Relations Officer of the base, suggested that Rupertus write an editorial to that effect but the general thought that an editorial would sound like a sermon. Instead, Rupertus felt that the rifle creed should be "...something so deep, a conviction so great, a faith so lasting that no one should have to be preached to about it."  

 

Click here to learn more...  


Do You Know a Federal Employee?
Help Spread the Word!

 

In the spirit of giving back to others, we invite you to support us this year as we join in the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), and help us give back to the Marines who sacrifice so much on our behalf. 

 

The CFC is comprised of almost 200 charity campaigns throughout the country and overseas. All Federal civilian, postal, and military employees have an opportunity to choose from the CFC charities and pledge donations to the cause/s that matter most to them. In 2013 Federal employees contributed over $200 million dollars to CFC charities. While not all of you are Federal employees, each and every one of you can
help this campaign succeed!

 

 Click here to learn how you can help today!
MarineParents.com, Inc. is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) public charity founded on January 21, 2003 to provide support, information, and services to Marines and their family members, and to create opportunities for individuals to support our troops. In over 12 years of service, Marine Parents has made a huge impact in support of Marines, military personnel, and their family members.

Marine family members are encouraged to support one another through activities and networking provided by the organization and guided by trained volunteers. Outreach to injured troops is volunteer-centered with in-person contact. Additional troop-support centered programs are designed to actively engage individuals and communities across the United States while maintaining the privacy of military personnel. All services are offered free to family members, Marines and military personnel.

In 12 years of service, MarineParents.com has:
  • Invested over $6 million delivering direct support to Marines, their families and other military personnel.
  • Provided information and a Place to Connect & Share� to more than 311,000 family members through a network of communities and educational websites.
  • Collected materials and shipped over 39,000 care packages to Marines and military personnel in combat zones.
  • Involved thousands of Americans in sending over 93,000 cards and letters to injured troops.
  • Served over 40,000 meals to injured troops and their families at military medical facilities on the east and west coasts.
  • Planned and carried out recreational events for hundreds of injured troops and their families.
  • Delivered materials and resources to aid in the recovery process to hundreds of family members of injured troops.
  • Provided support and networking to hundreds of Gold Star families.
Tracy Della Vecchia, Founder and Executive Director, leads the operations from the corporate office in Columbia, Missouri with staff, volunteers, and a volunteer Board of Directors. In addition to the moderated, OPSEC-compliant Marine Family Network (MFN), chat rooms and informative websites, several outreach programs to support Marines and families before, during and after the Marine Corps are provided by the organization. Funding for the programs is through donations, grants, fundraising and store sales. In 2009, the 15-item online store began expansion, eventually becoming the EGA Shop. In 2010, the production facility was established on-site to design and develop custom product, dramatically boosting sales and providing additional funding for the outreach programs. The organization is an official Marine Corps Trademark licensee.

Statistics updated January, 2015. 







Outreach Programs of MarineParents.com, Inc.:


Warrior Support Team

Operation Prayers
and Letters

The Care Package
Project

Gold Star
Family Support

Luminary Initiative
Gold Star Family Day
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