News, What's New and Announcements
If it's new on the web site, you'll find it on one of our announcement pages! Different topics will be of interest to you throughout your Marine's career. Choose from the categories of Marine Parents' web sites to the right. The most recent announcements will be at the top.
Be sure to sign up for our twice-monthly newsletter to get additional updates and news. There's a signup box at the bottom of every page of the web site.
To view older announcements in our archives, please click here
 Chat Night with Dr. Bridget Cantrell Tonight
Added June 6, 2013
The next chat night with Dr. Bridget Cantrell is tonight, Thursday, June 6, 2013, from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. The topic of discussion is combat recovery and warrior transitioning. Military personnel and spouses, parents or other adult family members who would like to learn more about PTSD and warrior transitioning are invited to attend. The format is a structured online chat. The discussion groups are held in the MarineParents.com online chat room.
Click here to chat
Operation Oklahoma Marines Update
Added May 28, 2013
Update 5/28/13 – Wow. Thanks to the amazing generosity of everyone out there in the Marine Parents family, “Operation Oklahoma Marines” has raised almost $14,000 (and counting) in less than four days. Your support is greatly appreciated, we really couldn’t do this without you.
We will be going to Moore, Oklahoma on June 11 to present the two families with their checks (and, fingers crossed, a new vehicle for one of them) the following day, so if you’d like your donation reflected in one of the checks, your donation must be received by June 10. Donations received after June 10 will be sent to the families by mail on July 10.
This truly is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these two Marine families, and it’s been amazing to see Marine families coming together to take care of their own. We’ll keep the updates coming as the donations continue to come in. Again, thank you. God bless and Semper Fi.
Click here read more about Operation Oklahoma Marines...
Operation Oklahoma Marines
Added May 24, 2013
Being in the Marines teaches a person to adapt. To continue to fight through adversity and overcome difficult situations. To be flexible ("Semper Gumby"). As the saying famously goes, "Marines make do." But how do you make do when there's nothing left to make do with? That question is one that two Oklahoma Marines are left trying to find an answer to after both lost everything in the series of violent storms that tore through the Oklahoma City area May 19th and 20th.
Click here read more about Operation Oklahoma Marines...
Marines Win Warrior Games...Again
Added May 22, 2013
The 2013 Warrior Games, which ran from May 11-16 in Colorado Springs concluded last week the same way they have every year since the inaugural games in 2010 -- with a Marine Corps victory. The Marines held off a late challenge from a strong Army team to take home the top prize, the Commander's Cup (or, as some have jokingly referred to it in recognition of the Marine Corps' continued dominance, the Commandant's Cup). A number of high-profile guests, including U.S. Olympian Missy Franklin, Heisman Trophy winner and U.S. Olympian Herschel Walker, and Prince Harry of Wales, were in attendance at the games to support the troops and raise awareness of the games. The 260 athletes, from all branches of the U.S. and British military, made this year's games the largest yet.
Click here read more about the 2013 Warrior Games...
Warrior Games to Kick Off This Weekend
Added May 10, 2013
The 2013 Warrior Games are set to kick off Saturday, May 11, in Colorado Springs. The Warrior Games are esentially a paralympic athletic competition for wounded and injured military personnel and veterans made possible through a partnership between the Department of Defense and U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program. Five American teams, representing the Army, Navy/Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations, respectively, as well as a sixth team representing the British Armed Forces, comprising a total of roughly 250 athletes will be competing in this year's games. The service that wins the most medals also wins the overall grand prize--the Chairman's Cup. 2013 marks the fourth installment of this annual event.
Click here read more about the 2013 Warrior Games...
Chat Night with Dr. Bridget Cantrell Tonight
Added May 9, 2013
The next chat night with Dr. Bridget Cantrell is tonight, Thursday, May 9, 2013, from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. The topic of discussion is combat recovery and warrior transitioning. Military personnel and spouses, parents or other adult family members who would like to learn more about PTSD and warrior transitioning are invited to attend. The format is a structured online chat. The discussion groups are held in the MarineParents.com online chat room.
Click here to chat
Military Spouse Appreciation Day
Added May 6, 2013
This Friday, May 10, is Military Spouse Appreciation Day! Military Spouse Appreciation Day was first observed in 1984, when then-President Ronald Reagan decided to "acknowledge the significant contributions, support, and sacrifices of spouses." Military Spouse Appreciation Day is celebrated annually the Friday before Mother's Day.
Click here to read more...
Marine Week Cancelled
Added May 1, 2013
Due to federal government budget cuts, Marine Week 2013, scheduled to run this summer from August 5-11 in Seattle, Washington, has been cancelled. This year was to be the 5th annual edition of the event, which is one of the Marine Corps’ most popular and high-profile community outreach events. The announcement came on April 25, just one day after the Navy announced the cancellation of the popular “Fleet Week” in New York City and is part of the automatic budget cuts that are set to slice $500 million from the Defense Department’s budget over the next 10 years.
Click here to read more...
Tapper-Hicks Freedom 5K Run/Walk Reminder
Added April 26, 2013
We would like to remind everyone that tomorrow, April 27, the Tapper-Hicks Freedom 5K Run/Walk will be taking place in Atco, New Jersey at American Legion Post #311. The 5K is being held in honor of David Tapper, a 13-year Navy SEAL veteran who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2003, and John Hicks, a Marine infantry assaultman who lost his life in Iraq in 2007. The event is being organized by the Waterford Township War Memorial Committee.
Click here to learn more about the Tapper-Hicks Freedom 5K Run/Walk
Crisis-Response Force Deploys
Added April 26, 2013
The Marine Corps has begun to deploy a new crisis-response force, according to Commandant General Jim Amos. The unit is based out of Morón Air Base, which is located roughly 30 miles south-east of the city of Seville, Spain, and is comprised of approximately 550 Marines from II Marine Expeditionary force from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. It will report to Army Gen. David Rodriguez, the head of U.S. Africa Command.
According to Amos, the main function of the unit is to quickly respond to crisis-situations, such as the ones that have occurred in the past year in Algeria, Libya, and Mali, among others. The unit will also be used to train friendly foreign militaries and, in the future, may move its base from Spain to an as-of-yet undetermined location in Africa.
Click here to read more...
Celebrate Volunteers!
Added April 19, 2013
National Volunteer Week was first established in 1974 by then-President Richard Nixon. In the four decades since, it has grown exponentially. This year, the week of April 21-27 marks the 40th annual edition of this celebration of volunteering.
National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It's about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.
Marine Parents was built on volunteer hours, time, dedication and support. Our mission is two-fold: provide support to Marines, military personnel, and their families and give people in communities across our great nation opportunities to support the troops. In ten years of service, part two of our mission, with volunteers representing nearly every state, has logged an estimated 200,000 volunteer hours.
Click here to read more...
Amos Calls for Diversity in Leadership
On March 26, Marine Commandant General Jim Amos released a "white paper" outlining a new, aggressive campaign to increase racial and gender diversity among the Marine Corps' senior officers.
In the paper, Amos said the Marine Corps has "failed" in achieving a diversity reflective of the enlisted ranks or of American society among its senior officers, despite the creation of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission in 2009. Amos went on to say that he believes it is "imperative that the Corps take a fresh approach to diversity, one that reflects our reputation for performance and leadership."
Click here to read more...
Chat Night with Dr. Bridget Cantrell
Added April 8, 2013
The next chat night with Dr. Bridget Cantrell is Thursday, April 25, 2013, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Central Standard Time. The topic of discussion is combat recovery and warrior transitioning. Military personnel and spouses, parents or other adult family members who would like to learn more about PTSD and warrior transitioning are invited to attend. The format is a structured online chat. The discussion groups are held in the MarineParents.com online chat room.
Click here to chat
Join TMP to Run in the Sold-Out 2013 MCM
Added April 2, 2013
It's been almost a week now since  bibs for the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon went on sale and sold out in less than 3 hours. The speed with which the marathon sold out (an all-time record for American marathons), coupled with severe malfunctions on the part active.com's registration servers, resulted in thousands of hopeful participants missing out on their chance to get one of the coveted 30,000 bibs.
However, as an official 2013 Marine Corps Marathon Charity Partner, Team Marine Parents was given 25 additional bibs for the race. To run with TMP, all you have to do is pay the standard $99 registration fee and commit to raising $300 in charitable donations. So far, 15 bibs have been reserved, meaning there are just 10 left.
To join TMP and reserve one of the remaining bibs, click here...
Farley-Kluger FMLA Update
Added April 2, 2013
On February 5, Congressman Steve Israel (NY) introduced the Sarah Grace-Farley-Kluger Act in the House (H.R. 515) and Senator Jon Tester introduced a companion bill, The Parental Bereavement Act of 2013, in the Senate. So far, there are 14 House co sponsors and 7 senate sponsors and close to 60,000 petitions have been signed in support of amending the current FMLA to include the death of a child as a "protected reason to qualify for the benefits that are set forth in the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993."
To read more about the Sarah-Grace-Farley-Kluger Act, as well as The Parental Bereavement Act of 2013, click here...
Marine Week 2013 Update
Added April 1, 2013
The fifth annual Marine Week will take place August 5-11 in Seattle, Washington. Marine Week will be open to the public free of charge, and is a great way to get an up-close look at and gain a better understanding of the smallest, most elite of the four main branches of the military.
To read more about Marine Week 2013, click here...
Marine Barracks Washington Celebrates Birthday
Added March 29, 2013
Marine Barracks Washington celebrated its 212th birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony earlier today. The ceremony was small and included remarks in addition to the cake-cutting detail. Marine Barracks Washington is the oldest active post in the Marine Corps and was founded by President Thomas Jefferson and the third commandant of the Marine Corps, Lt. Col. William Ward Burrows in 1801.
Warrior Games to Get Royal Treatment
Added March 28, 2013
The U.S. Olympic Committee's Chief of Paralympics has recently announced that Prince Harry of Wales will be attending this year's Warrior Games, which begin May 11, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Warrior Games are an annual athletic competition hosted by the USOC for wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans. The capacity in which the prince will be involved in the games in not yet known, but it is believed that he will participate in the opening ceremonies, a role First Lady Michelle Obama filled last year.
Five American teams, representing the Army, Navy/Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations, respectively, as well as a sixth team representing the British Armed Forces, comprising a total of roughly 250 athletes will be competing in this year's games. The service that wins the most medals also wins the overall grand prize--the Chairman's Cup.
In addition to attending the Warrior Games, Prince Harry will also be visiting Arlington National Cemetery and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, among other locations, on his week-long trip that will have a "strong central theme of supporting injured servicemen and women from both the UK and US armed forces," according to a press release from St. James' Palace. The prince, also known as Captain Wales, has been in the British Army since 2005, and currently serves as an Apache helicopter co-pilot/gunner, having been deployed to Afghanistan multiple times.
To read more about Prince Harry attending the Warrior Games, click here...
MCM Overcomes Difficulties to Break Own Record
Added March 27, 2013
Anticipation for this year's Marine Corps Marathon was huge and competition for the 30,000 entry slots was fierce. So much so, in fact, that the registration website was unable to handle all of the traffic and temporarily crashed. However, despite the setback, the race sold out in 2 hours and 27 minutes, beating it's own 2012 record for the fastest sell-out in American marathon history by 14 minutes.
In other MCM news, the MCM website released a video last night in anticipation of today's registration. The 7 minute video, titled "The People's Marathon", aims to highlight "the emotion, energy and the majesty" of the race, and is sure to motivate and inspire all who watch it.
To watch "The People's Marathon", click here...
Marine Crisis-Response Teams to be Deployed to Middle East
Added March 27, 2013
During last September’s attack on the American consulate in Libya, four Americans lost their lives as a result of the military not having personnel close enough to provide support. In an effort to prevent a similar situation in the future, military officials and are now making plans to deploy Marine special-operations teams on Navy ships in volatile parts of the world to serve as rapid-response forces for future hostage-standoffs, embassy attacks, and other crises. A final decision on whether or not to deploy these special-operations teams will be made next month, pending the outcome of war games.
2013 MCM Registration Opens Wednesday, March 27
Added March 25, 2013
Registration for the 38th annual Marine Corps Marathon opens this Wednesday, March 27, at 12:00 noon EST. Registration costs $99 and is done on a first-come, first-serve basis. Last year's race sold out its 30,000 slots in a mere 2 hours and 41 minutes, so be sure to act fast to secure your spot in the 2013 edition of "The People's Marathon."
Click here to register for the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon...
Dempsey: Marine Corps is "Rock Upon Which This Great Military of Ours Rests."
Added March 22, 2013
In a town hall meeting held yesterday at Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, S.C. , a young Marine asked the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Martin E. Dempsey what the United States expects from its Marine Corps. “We need you to be exactly who you are,” Dempsey replied, before going on to say that the Marine Corps is the “rock upon which this great military rests.”
Click here to read more...
Congress Restores Tuition Assistance to All But Coast Guard
Added March 21, 2013
In response to widespread outcry, Congress has voted today to restore tuition assistance programs to all branches of the military, except for the Coast Guard, less than two weeks after every branch except for the Navy announced that they would be indefinitely suspending the programs due to wide-spread government budget cuts enacted by the Obama administration earlier this month. The bill, which is now on its way to the White House for Presidential approval, ordered the four largest branches of the military to continue paying tuition assistance through the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
Click here to read more...
Chat Night with Dr. Bridget Cantrell
Added March 20, 2013
The next chat night with Dr. Bridget Cantrell is Thursday, March 21, 2013, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Central Standard Time. The topic of discussion is combat recovery and warrior transitioning. Military personnel and spouses, parents or other adult family members who would like to learn more about PTSD and warrior transitioning are invited to attend. The format is a structured online chat. The discussion groups are held in the MarineParents.com online chat room.
Click here to chat
Fishing Tournament Supports Wounded Heroes
Added March 19, 2013
The 5th annual Marines Helping Marines Fishing Tournament will be taking place this May 18 at the Anchor Marina in the town of North-East, Maryland. The tournament pairs wounded and recovering Marines with professional anglers for a day of fun on the water. A welcome dinner for the Marines will be held the night before the tournament, with a banquet dinner provided by Hollywood Casino and after the day of fishing ends, the Nauti Goose Saloon will be hosting a barbeque for the Marines. Prizes will be given throughout the day.
Click here to learn more about the 2013 Marines Helping Marines Fishing Tournament...
Tapper-Hicks Freedom 5K Run/Walk
Added March 19, 2013
The Tapper-Hicks Freedom 5K Run/Walk will be held this April 27 in Atco, New Jersey at American Legion Post #311. The 5K is being held in honor of David Tapper, a 13-year Navy SEAL veteran who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2003. John Hicks was a Marine infantry assaultman who lost his life in Iraq in 2007. The event is being organized by the Waterford Township War Memorial Committee.
Click here to learn more about the Tapper-Hicks Freedom 5K Run/Walk
Marine Parents Salutes Our Women in Uniform
Added March 13, 2013
March is National Women’s History Month, and here at Marine Parents, we’d like to recognize and honor the service of women in the Marine Corps. For nearly a century, women have served, in some capacity, in the United States Marine Corps, beginning with the enlistment of Opha Mae Johnson and 304 other women in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1918.
Click here to read more about the history or women in the Marine Corps
Military to Cut Tuition Assistance Programs
Added March 13, 2013
Four branches of the military have announced this week that they will be suspending all future tuition assistance programs. The Marines, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard have all announced their intentions to implement cutbacks to these programs in the wake of the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts enacted by the Obama administration on March 1 of this year
Click here to read more about the programs that are being cut
New Medal Recognizes Changing Face of Conflict, Official Says
Added February 19, 2013
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2013 - The new Distinguished Warfare Medal recognizes the changing face of conflict in the 21st century, said Juliet Beyler, the acting director of officer and enlisted personnel management in the Pentagon.
Beyler said in an interview that technological developments on the battlefield have changed the way service members fight.
Click here to read more
Free Sports Camp for Wounded Heroes in Birmingham, AL
Added January 23, 2013
The Lakeshore Foundation has announced the dates for its Introduction to Paralympic Sports Camp for injured military personnel. The Introduction to Paralympic Sports camp will be held in Birmingham, Ala., from February 20-24, 2013. This camp is designed to expose servicemen and women who sustained their injuries post-9/11 to Paralympic sports. The participants will be led by Paralympic athletes and coaches in the sports of archery, biathlon, cycling, marksmanship (air rifle), sitting volleyball, swimming, tennis, track and field and wheelchair basketball. Participants also will have instruction on nutrition and strength and conditioning.
Travel, lodging and meals are at no cost to the service member.
Click here to read more
 FMLA Update
Added January 16, 2013
Marine Parents has recently heard from Barry Kluger, one of the organizers of the the Farley-Kluger Initiative to Amend the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 to add the loss of a child. The organizers of this initiative will head to Washington D.C. on the week of February 4 to meet with House and Senate Leadership from both parties to push the initiative forward. Indications are that a bill WILL be introduced on February 5, 2013, the 20th anniversary of the FMLA being signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Senators and Representatives from both parties support the bill, but more co-sponsors are needed. The organizers want 50,000 petitions when they arrive in Washington, and they are now closing in on 44,000. This gives us just over 2 weeks to generate 6,000 additional petitions. If you have NOT already signed, please go to the website www.farleykluger.com and sign, and pass this on to fellow parents and professionals who would support such an effort. On behalf of grieving parents everywhere and those who help them, we thank you.
Click here to read more
Free ACT/SAT Prep Materials
Added January 14, 2013
MarineParents has teamed up with eKnowledge.com to provide ACT and SAT test preparation materials to military members and their families for FREE! The goal of this program is to promote education among military families by providing important college entrance exam preparation materials to the children and siblings of military service members at no cost to themselves.
This is eKnowledge’s 8th year donating $200 SAT and ACT PowerPrep Programs to Military families worldwide. The donation project is in alliance with the Department of Defense (posted on MilitaryHomeFront/MilitaryOneSource, DANTES and DoDEA) and supported by professional athletes from the NFL and MLB. eKnowledge has donated over 200,000 PowerPrep Programs with a value of $42 Million at no profit to the company
To learn more,click here
 Souper Hero Campaign 2013
Added January 7, 2013
Click here to donate this item for the SOUPER boxes!
We'll be packing 800 care packages for Marines in Afghanistan this Jan 19 and among the contents we want to include two cans of soup for our heroes. Our deployed Marines need to know that we're behind them, and we need your help to meet our goal!
The pop-top soups are a convenient way for our men and women to get a warm, hearty meal. The 19 ounce cans don’t require water, so they can simply be heated and eaten whenever the Marine needs it. The quality ingredients will keep our heroes full and satisfied, but most importantly, it's a little reminder of home and an understanding that we're supporting our troops here at home!
Click here to donate this item for the SOUPER boxes!
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Watch our Progress!
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Care Package Soup Campaign Goal Amount: 1600 Cans
Goal Date: January 19, 2013
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