September 2, 2015
RecruitParents.com Newsletter


Our Heart Away from Home candles are a beautiful way to support your Recruit...

Congratulations to our newest Marines, 1st Battalion Alpha Company from San Diego, as well as 2nd Battalion Echo Company from Parris Island, for graduating this Friday, September 4! A big Ooh-Rah goes out to you all!  

 

We would also like to congratulate 2nd Battalion Golf Company of San Diego, as well as 3rd Battalion India Company and 4th Battalion Papa Company of Parris Island, who will be graduating next Friday, September 11.

 

For those of you who are just beginning your journey, we would like to welcome you and extend our congratulations! 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.

 

Sincerely,

 

  Web Signature

Tracy Della Vecchia

Founder and Executive Director
MarineParents.com, Inc.

 

Parris Island Family Orientation Day
Learn About Your Recruit's Journey

Families of Recruits are welcome to attend Family Orientation Day on the Wednesday prior to graduation at MCRD Parris Island. This wonderful opportunity allows families to experience firsthand the journey their Recruit is on, as well as learn important information about the Marine Corps.  


Families get to taste the delicious array of food available at Douglas Visitor Center and local restaurants, in between sessions that assist them in orienting to boot camp and the Marine Corps lifestyle. Sessions include information on history, traditions, and core values of the Marine Corps, and highlight the next steps for your future Marine.  


Later in the day, families get to know each other through "meet and greets" to find others who are on the same journey they are!

 

Click here to learn more!
Parent Pride and the Rollercoaster
Becoming a Marine Parent

Parent Pride and the Roller Coaster of Emotions

When we start looking back through the family tree, most of us have a family member here and there that has served in the military. For some families, it's a sibling, parent or grandparent, or perhaps it's you who served. Some families have generations of service to the military, while for others having a family member serve may be a totally new experience.

 

Wherever you are in the above schema, one thing is for certain: it feels different when it's your son or daughter that has enlisted in the service. Somehow thanking Uncle John for his service pales in comparison to the emotions you're experiencing as the parent of a soon-to-be Marine.

 

And this is where the roller coaster of emotions begins. Some of us experience pride right away. Some of us experience fear right away. Some of us experience relief right away. Some of us experience disbelief right way. Still others may experience commitment, sadness, joy, or disconnect. 

 

Sometimes the emotions change from one day to the next and even one hour to the next. But here's another certainty: the range of emotions and the changing emotions is something that the parent of every military recruit goes through.

 

Click here to read more...
Commandant and Sergeant Major
Learning More About the Corps

Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

Two extremely prestigious, influential positions in the United States Marine Corps are the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.
 
The Commandant is nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate. He is the senior officer of the Marine Corps, reporting directly to the Secretary of the Navy and commanding the United States Marine Corps.
 
The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is selected by the Commandant of the Marine Corps and serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Commandant.
 
Learn more about the positions and who currently holds them: General Dunford and Sergeant Major Barrett.

 

Click here to read about Gen. Dunford ...

Click here to read about Sgt Maj. Barrett ...
Recruit Training Matrix
Information for Recruit Parents

 

For a fantastic outline of the training your recruits are receiving during boot camp, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island web site has an interactive training matrix.

 

The MCRD Parris Island interactive training matrix for recruit training has been divided into three phases. Use the tabs at the top of their page to navigate to the different phases of training. 

 

The training matrix is a day-by-day synopsis of the training your recruit will receive during his/her 13 weeks of training to become a Marine, one of "The Few, The Proud." 

 

Click here to learn more...
First Phone Call
Marine Corps Recruit Receiving

First Phone Call Marine Corps Recruit Training

All new Marine recruits make a phone call home after arriving on the Recruit Depot.

 

The sole purpose of this first phone call is to notify the family that their recruit has arrived safely.

 

Don't be offended when your recruit doesn't chat with you during this first phone call. He or she has a script to read you and can say nothing more.

 

What will your recruit say when he/she makes the first phone call home from recruit training?

 

Click here to find out...
Combat Water Survival
Training Phase I: Getting Started

Combat Water Survival

By definition, the Marine Corps is an amphibious assault force. Therefore all Marine recruits are required to know how to survive in the water.

 
Recruits face many challenges during their 13 weeks on the recruit depot, but swim week is especially challenging for recruits who don't know how to swim.

 

Training in combat water survival develops a recruit's confidence in the water.

 

Watch the Marine Corps recruiting video entitled "Leap" for a true story of a Marine Drill Instructor who faced his greatest challenge at the pool when he was in boot camp.

 

Click here to learn more...
Four Shooting Positions
Training Phase II: In the Midst

Four Shooting Positions Marine Corps Recruit Training

Recruits are introduced to the four shooting positions during Grass Week, training days 30-34.

 

A Combat Marksmanship Instructor, or CMI, teaches recruits the fundamentals of weapons safety and marksmanship with their M-16A2 service rifle.

 

Recruits learn how to fire, how to adjust their sights and how to take into account the effects of wind and weather. They spend hours in the four positions - sitting, prone, kneeling and standing - preparing their bodies to remain steady while they shoot.

 

Click here to learn more...
Press Release Template
Training Phase III: The Final Stretch

Press Release Template

As Marine recruits near the final stretch of training and recruit families gear up for graduation, many recruit parents think about spreading the news that "Congrats!" are in order for their new Marine.

 

We've had many recruit families ask for a sample template they could use to send their local papers a press release upon their recruit's graduation.

 

We're here to help and we have a template for you.

 

Visit RecruitParents.com for a press release template you can send your local newspaper along with a photo of your new Marine. 

 

Click here to learn more... 

Hotels vs Billeting
About Boot Camp Graduation

 

San Diego Billeting

There are many arrangements to make as you plan to travel to San Diego or Parris Island for your recruit's graduation. We have information that will help you coordinate your trip.


Use the links below to learn about hotels in each area, as well as San Diego and Parris Island billeting options, so you can make an informed decision regarding where you will stay for your recruit's graduation.   

 

 Parris Island Hotels                       San Diego Hotels
 
Parris Island Billeting                     San Diego Billeting
 
In This Issue
Did Your Marine Graduate?

A special note for parents of newly graduated Marines:

 

If your son or daughter has already graduated from Boot Camp, you can opt out of the "Recruit Newsletter" by entering your email address after clicking the "SafeUnsubscibe" icon at the bottom of this email.

 

Change your options to remove "Recruit Newsletter" from your selections. Then, make sure to sign up for our Marine Parents newsletter to continue your journey!

Parris Island
Graduation Dates 
San Diego
Graduation Dates 
Spread the Word!


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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 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 an IRS-approved 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 39,000 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,

 

  Web Signature

Tracy Della Vecchia

Founder and Executive Director
MarineParents.com, Inc.