By Mail: MarineParents.com
PO Box 1115
Columbia, MO 65205
If You Get News that Your Marine is Wounded
Thank You from Marines and Volunteers
“What your organization brings to the barracks is…important. You are there every week. We know and love you guys, and you bring that touch of home to us all. You're all our parents away from home.”
-Wounded Warrior
"We hear so much appreciation from our Wounded Warriors, not only in their words, but in their eyes, their smiles, and hugs. We never know who we'll touch. We can't heal them, but we can be there to support and listen to them."
-Joyce, West Coast Manager
"Thanks for everything you guys do for us, we appreciate everything."
-Wounded Warrior
Currently, two meals are delivered monthly to Bethesda and Balboa. As funding increases, we hope to add more hospitals to the program. If you would like to make a donation to help support the cost of our monthly dinners, use the "Donations" link to the left. Thanks to all our Purple Heart Family Support™ benefactors. Our Wounded Warriors appreciate your dedication!
If the Marine Corps calls to notify you that your Marine has been wounded, staying calm is imperative. Keep in mind that you may get the call late at night, or you may just have a hard time concentrating. A level head will grant you the best chance at receiving the most information about your Marine.
As soon as you receive a notification call, you also MUST begin logging ALL information you receive about your Marine. All who, whats, whens, wheres and whys should be catalogued together in some form of notebook that will be easy for you to carry at all times. Writing down all this information will ensure that proper insurance is delivered once you apply, and will also allow you to track your Marine's recovery.
There are FOUR things to remember while you are on the phone:
Listen to the information
Write the information down
Repeat the information back
Ask for a contact name and phone number
When they have given you as many details as they can, get some contact information from the Marine Corps. Ask:
What is the name and phone number for the Family Readiness Officer for my Marine's unit?
Will you be calling me when you get updates, or will another office call me?
When can I expect to hear from you or another office again?
Will my Marine be transported?
Will a Marine Corps office contact us to assist with any travel arrangements for the family?
If Your Marine Calls You From the Field
If your Marine calls you from the field, or during transport, he or she will most likely not have all the details, and she or he may be notifying you BEFORE the rear detachment for his or her unit has the information. It's possible in this situation that it could take some time before the Marine Corps notifies you officially of the news and seriousness of the injuries.
Remain calm and reassuring to your Marine. Remember these three things:
Listen to the information
Write the information down
Repeat the information back
Because your Marine is calling your from the field, he or she will NOT have a contact name or phone number for you. Therefore, it's imperative that you know your Marine's unit, company, and platoon prior to his or her deployment. If you do not have that information, you can almost always figure it out from the 2nd line of your Marine's overseas address. If you do not know your Marine's unit or do not have a mailing address, ask him or her while you have them on the phone.
Your next step is to contact the FRO (Family Readiness Officer) for your Marine's unit. If you do not know the contact information for the FRO, there are a couple ways to find out:
The Marine Parents Unit Information Database The UIP (Unit Information Page) is a free, all-inclusive resource of information for your Marine's specific unit. The page includes unit history and location, USMC contact information and web sites for each unit. The Marine Parents message board links and chat room schedule for that unit are also listed, giving you a Place to Connect & Share™ with other families in your Marine's unit.
Go to http://www.marineparents.com/units/search2.asp
The Marine Parents Units Deployed Page This section of our web site is updated as often as possible, and includes direct links to multiple message board communities for several of the USMC units.
Go to http://www.marineparents.com/USMC/back-to-iraq.asp
The Marine Parents Message Board If you do not find your Marine's unit in either of those location, go to the main page of the message board community. The message board is organized by the Marine Divisions. Generally, you can guess the division based on the location your Marine deployed FROM, or the location that is your Marine's "home" base. Once you have that determined, use the message board areas to locate your Marine's unit:
The Marine Parents Volunteers Use the "members" section of the message boards to contact a Marine Parent Volunteer to assist you. We have access to some additional phone numbers and a few different methods of helping you get the information you need. Volunteers with Red or Purple Stars by their names and a title of Volunteer and/or Moderator are more than willing to help you.
Go to http://www.usmcparents.com/forum/members.asp
