Thursday, February 1, 2018
Dear Marine families,

MarineParents.com was founded nationally on January 21, 2003. Throughout our 15 year history we have had the honor of supporting tens of thousands of families. We would like to spend the next couple of weeks taking a look back at our organization in its early years. This week, our featured article, A Mothers' War , is from the 2005 New York Times.

Also in this newsletter, read about our disaster relief to Marine families affected by Hurricane Irma, learn more about OPSEC, sign the pledge to support Gold Star families, visit our After the Corps website, and read about our featured Marine for Black History Month.

God bless and Semper Fi!
A Mothers' War

In 2005, MarineParents.com Founder, Tracy Della Vecchia, and member, Georgette Frank, were the cover story for The New York Times Magazine in an article called " A Mother's War ". This article talks about the organization in its early years and how and why Tracy started it.

"Tracy had spent the morning sorting donations for Marine care packages, kneeling on her office floor over piles of toothbrushes, baby wipes, disposable razors, nail clippers, Q-Tips and black socks -- and to uneasiness about whether Derrick was getting enough sleep. Every time Derrick telephoned home recently, Tracy said afterward that he sounded tired. The calls came every few days during most of this deployment; Derrick had been moved into some sort of building, Tracy knew, where the bunks were thin-mattressed metal and a nearby tent contained computers for e-mailing, telephones for placing international calls and, in a back corner, a Webcam with which the men who wanted to could take turns making face-to-face contact with home."

Puerto Rico Disaster Relief

We here at MarineParents.com have always been committed to helping those who sacrifice so much for us. When the series of devastating hurricanes began in the Atlantic and the Gulf in August 2017, MarineParents.com began a disaster relief fundraiser. We were able to raise $5,110 to help families who applied for assistance. This gave us the opportunity to provide disaster relief to two Marine families in Puerto Rico who were affected by Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

THANK YOU!
Superbowl Party
On February 4th, we are hosting a Super Bowl party for 150 service members and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. THANK YOU, for helping us reach our goal of $8,000. Here's what we have planned:

  • Madden video game tournament before the football game for all service members
  • Face painting and board games to entertain kids during the game, and to be donated to the facility for future use
  • Pizza, wings, nachos, and other football-themed foods to give service members a break from their normal selection of meals
  • Eagles and Patriots team decor, napkins, and centerpieces to make a cheerful atmosphere
  • Gift bags for the kids, including puzzles, coloring books, and trinkets to entertain these kids who are often cooped-up while their parent is recovering
  • Eagles and Patriots team memorabilia giveaways
  • A Super Bowl themed layered cake and cupcakes
OPSEC

OPSEC is keeping potential adversaries from discovering critical Department of Defense information. As the name suggests, it protects U.S. operations — planned, in progress and those completed.

Luminary Initiative: Sign the Pledge

Show your support for Gold Star families and take the pledge. Complete our online form TODAY, then mark your calendar for the last Sunday in September every year to light a luminary for Gold Star families, on September 30, 2018.

Featured TMP Participant
Holly Greenup

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 .

This week's featured TMP participant is Holly Greenup. This is the third year Holly will be a TMP Participant and one of the TMP coaches!

Featured Volunteer
Shari Nelson

Shari is a proud Mom of two Marine sons and is a volunteer for the Official MarineParents.com Facebook Group for Alpha Company Parris Island.

After the Corps

The mission of After the Corps (ATC) is to provide support, information, and services to post-9/11 Marines and their family members during transition into IRR, reintegration upon discharge, and as veterans.

Black History Month:
Frederick C. Branch

The Marine Corps, more so than any other branch of America's military, values and embraces its history. Beginning in boot camp, every Marine is educated on the Corps' proud and storied past as they learn what it means to be part of such a prestigious organization. In the spirit of the value the Marine Corps places on its history, we wanted to give you, Marine families and supporters, an opportunity to embrace and learn about this part of Marine Corps legacy as well. In this piece, we take a further look at the first African-American officer in the United States Marine Corps - Frederick C. Branch.