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Congratulations to our newest Marines, 1st Battalion Charlie Company from San Diego and 2nd Battalion Fox Company from Parris Island, for graduating this Friday, May 20! A big Ooh-Rah goes out to you all!  

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.

Tracy Della Vecchia

Founder and Executive Director
MarineParents.com, Inc.

As parents we always strive to do what's best for our children. They have been under our care for the past 17+ years and letting go can be difficult.    

We want to make their transition to U.S. Marine as painless and comfortable as possible, but we must remind ourselves that becoming a Marine is neither painless nor comfortable, and it's not supposed to be.    

Furthermore, hovering as a parent will not alter the fact that boot camp is challenging and its intensity is necessary.    

Marine training is an intense thirteen-week experience. It is reassuring to know that, if your Marine is in a combat situation sometime during the next four years, your child and the buddies to his left and right have been trained by the best to be the best.

The Marine Corps has a long and lustrous history dating back to November 10, 1775.

When your son or daughter leaves for Marine Corps recruit training, you begin a new journey to become a Marine Parent. Though the pride you feel is overwhelming, you may also feel you are in a different world of never-ending questions and ever-changing emotions. We have five very important survival tips for recruit parents, and you'll be glad you know them.   1. Write letters-a lot of letters.  Your Recruit is homesick. Very, very homesick. Write lots of letters and then write some more. Keep them upbeat. Send a small photo or two. DO NOT decorate the outside of the envelope with drawings, stickers, or write any text other than the address and your return address (and no spritz of perfume either). Doing so will cause unnecessary attention from the DI, and your recruit does not want to draw the attention of the DI during mail call.
 

Your recruit will be introduced to his/her drill instructors for the first time at the end of the first week after arriving in boot camp. Indeed, this is one of the defining moments in the recruit's training. Marines hold their DIs and SDI (Drill Instructors and Senior Drill Instructor) in the highest esteem and treat them with intense respect. Your son or daughter will do the same. How do recruits move from first meeting their DIs to holding them in the highest esteem in just 13 weeks? The drill instructor creed says it all. These are not just words; this is the mindset of every Marine drill instructor with your recruit. The drill instructors sacrifice much to live by this creed and they make sure every recruit EARNS the title "United States Marine."

Marine Corps recruits begin running the "O" Course and the Confidence Course during the first phase of recruit training.   The "O" Course, or obstacle course, is a cornerstone of the Combat Conditioning program. The course challenges the recruit's upper body strength and technique on the course.   The obstacle course proves that brute strength alone is not enough to quickly negotiate the course, and those recruits that work on technique find the course easier to run.   The Confidence Course, as its name implies, is designed to build the self-confidence of the recruit.

"Every Marine a rifleman," no matter what their Military Occupational Specialty, has been one of the hallmarks of the Marine Corps throughout our history.   From the Marine marksmen shooting from the high rigging on ships during the sea battles of the American Revolution, to the battle of Belleau Wood, France in June of 1918 during World War I where Marines hit German targets from more than 500 yards away, to Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, a Marine sniper in Viet Nam with a service record of 93 confirmed kills, we have set ourselves apart by our shooting prowess.   To develop those skills recruits will spend two weeks learning how to shoot the Marine Corps way.
 

Training days 66-69 make up Marine Week; this is the final week of Recruit Training.   Marine Week is a period of time in which new Marines learn to operate in a more decentralized environment. After eleven weeks of being told what to do almost every waking moment, this is a chance for them to show their drill instructors what they have learned about small unit leadership, ethics, and core values.   They are not recruits any more, they are allowed to wear a watch, they move about the Depot as small units, and are now addressed by their rank and last name, or simply as "Marine."