Wednesday, February 28, 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 is from 2009, written by a Marine, Cpl Daniel Lutz. Also in this newsletter, learn about some resources for military suicide, read about our featured Marine for Black History Month, read the message from the founder on OPSEC, find a place to connect and share, meet our featured TMP participant and our volunteers, as well as learn about the combat hunter course. God bless and Semper Fi!

MarineParents.com on Marines.mil “These support organizations are an extension of our most basic concepts including dedication, honor and loyalty. They reinforce what we learn in boot camp: Every Marine is a brother or sister for life. That's the true meaning of Semper Fidelis." In celebration of 15 years of dedication to Marines, veterans, and family members, we are sharing stories from our history. Our mission throughout the years has not changed.

This week's featured story is an article from 2009 on Marines.mil. Click here to read the story.

Get Help: Suicide In a moment of crisis it's important to have someone to call to help you through a difficult situation. If you know a Marine that is struggling with suicidal thoughts please use one of the contacts included in this article. If you think someone is in immediate danger, do not leave him or her alone; stay there and call 911. Click here to learn more.

Black History Month: Featured World War II Marine: Cpl. Lawrence "Larry" Diggs Larry Diggs was one of the first African Americans recruited by the Marine Corps in 1942 and he lives near the MarineParents.com Corporate Office. Mr. Diggs spent time on the majority of the islands in the Pacific but he was based mainly out of Guam. He recalls not only dealing with the Japanese soldiers but also the conditions on the island. Land crabs, living in foxholes, and worst of all, burying the dead. Not only did they have to bury their fellow Marines, but also the enemy, to protect everyone from sickness. Diggs believes that the conditions they were faced with helped with the racial barriers. Each Marine had to have each other's back in order to survive. Click here to read more.

Message from the Founder: OPSEC The link below contains a message from the MarineParents.com founder, Tracy Della Vecchia, on Operations Security (OPSEC) and why it is so important when you have a loved one deployed. Click here to read the message from the founder.

Facebook Groups If you would like a place to connect and share with other recruit and Marine family members, join one of our Official MarineParents.com Facebook Groups. Join Now

Featured TMP Participant Donald Robey Team Marine Parents (TMP) is a group of individuals, generally parents, family and friends of Marines, who participate in athletic events nationwide while raising funds and awareness of our outreach. This week's featured TMP participant is Donald Robey. Donald's son is a Marine stationed at Twentynine Palms. Donald plans to run three different events throughout the year.  Click here to read more. Meet the Volunteers of MarineParents.com This organization could not exist if it were not for the contributions of hundreds of parents around the United States. Our volunteers have taken that one step further and contribute endless hours answering emails, moderating the social media groups, researching information, and supporting the parents, spouses, family and friends of our United States Marines. The dedication to the Marine Corps from each of these individuals benefits thousands of families around the world. Click here to read more.

What's After Boot: Combat Hunter Course In the Marine Corps, "Combat Hunter" is more than just a title, it's a mindset. It's a challenge to Marines to be more intuitive and more aware of their surroundings. The "Combat Hunter" course is designed to teach Marines how to track targets, friendly or enemy, by noticing differences in the environment around them. Click here to learn more.