June 18, 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!

During his farewell address from the Oval Office, former president Ronald Regan said that, "All great change in  America begins at the dinner table." With that sentiment in mind, 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.

"The dinners at Liberty Center are not just about food...The warriors tell us that they spend most of their time holed up in their rooms. The dinners provide a welcoming environment where they can socialize with each other and with us (the volunteers) and those interactions can be very helpful to their recovery process.

At the hospital, the nurses and corpsmen tell us that when they tell the patients we are coming, the patients really perk up, and it helps their morale...On one occasion, after serving dinner to a patient, the charge nurse pulled me aside and told me that they had been unable to get that patient to eat, and they were so grateful we had come and were able to [improve] his mood and get him to eat. "
 
-- Dale, Manager, Warrior Support Team--West.

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.
Help Operation PAL™ Reach 100,000 Letters!

Will you be working at Vacation Bible School or a Summer Camp this Summer? Here is a great activity for your kids to do!

Operation Prayers & Letters™ (Operation PAL), one of the outreach programs of MarineParents.com, provides support to wounded, ill, and injured troops through prayers and letters written by individuals in communities throughout the United States.

Since 2006, Operation PAL supporters have sent 97,324 cards and letters to more than 150 recovering warriors, and it's our goal to cross the 100,000 card and letter threshold by September 1 of this year. If we can average just 750 cards and letters per month, we'll make our goal.
Join Us Online!
Find Out What's After Boot

Facebook group members will now have a Place to Connect & Share® while your Marine is at SOI. It's another way to bond with other Marine parents, family and friends. We encourage you to join your Marine's SOI Group to meet up with other Marine family members. Semper Family!

 

To join your Official MarineParents.com Marine Corps School of Infantry (SOI) Group, you will need to select either MCT or ITB depending on your Marine's MOS. It can be confusing to understand where your Marine is headed next. For help with this, please join our WAB group and a volunteer will assist you.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Bragg
Marine Corps Uniforms

The Marine Corps has three different types of uniforms -- "field," "dress," and "service." Each has it's own occasion and guidelines for wear. Service uniforms include Alphas, Bravos, and Charlies. Dress Blue uniforms include Alphas, Bravos, Charlies, and Deltas.

There are three field uniforms including Combat Utility, Flight Suit, and Mountain Warfare. The most common is the Combat Utility, also known as MCCUU (Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform) but it most commonly referred to as the "Utilities" or "Cammies". They are available for different uses in Forest Green and Desert Sand. The new "cammies" have a digital camouflage pattern (known as MARPAT) suitable for "every clime and place".
Marines with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469 conduct a 21-gun salute during a memorial service aboard Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California, June 3. (Marine Corps photo)
HMLA-469 Memorial Ceremony 
Family, Friends Bid Farewell to Marines Killed in Nepal

Just over two weeks ago, on June 3, family, friends and fellow Marines gathered on the flight line at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California to honor the six Marines who lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Nepal last month while assisting with earthquake-recovery efforts. The Marines were with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Installations Pacific..
Meet the Team!
TMP Featured Participant: Marissa Hollowwa

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 participant doesn't have a Marine of her own but wants to show her support for our men and women in uniform by participating in this year's Marine Corps Marathon -- Marissa Hollowwa. 

Marissa currently lives in Washington D.C., but is originally from New Mexico. According to Marissa, "From making care packages, to sending Valentine's Day Cards, to helping plan fundraiser banquets, I have always found a special place in my heart for the men and women who so graciously serve our country. While I do not have a Marine, my brother, Sean (pictured), is a pilot for the United States Navy and I could not ask for a better big brother and role model."


 

Marissa has already raised $340 of her $500 goal in just over a week, and with your generosity and support we know she can make it to her goal in no time.


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


To learn more about Marissa, or to donate to her 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! 
Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program

The Secretary of the Navy has authorized five slots for Marine applicants in the 2016  Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program (EMDP2) class. The EMDP2 Program is a two-year undergraduate program open to enlisted personnel of all ranks with less than 10 years of service. The application deadline for the 2016 class is Nov. 1, 2015, and the selection board will convene in December. 

 

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
STAY CONNECTED

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Pinterest  youtube   instagram   tumblr   google   MarineFamilyNetwork   

Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.