Upcoming Events: Lunch, Bethesda Naval Hospital Upcoming dates for lunches at Bethesda are at this time being handled on a week to week bases We're working with The Heart of a Marine Foundation to fund and schedule a 3nd lunch date for three months in 2007. If you would like to make a donation to help support the cost of our monthly lunches at Bethesda, click here. Past Events: September 15, 2007 Lunch, Bethesda Naval Hospital Purple Heart Family Support™ volunteers provided lunch to the family members of ill and injured Marines and Corpsmen at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD on Saturday, September 15th. Click for News Article March 24, 2007 Lunch, Bethesda Naval Hospital On Saturday, March 24, 2007, The Puple Heart Family Support™ provided a catered lunch for families of Marines currently hospitalized at Bethesda. Click for News Article January, 2007 Lunch, Bethesda Naval Hospital The Puple Heart Family Support™ volunteers brought in a catered lunch for families of Marines hospitalized at Bethesda. We served over 100 lunches to family members and Marines. Click for photo slide show... Supporting Injured Marines Opportunities for the public to support injured Marines are offered through Operation PAL®. Click here to learn more... Donations for Monthly Lunches If you would like to make a donation to help support the cost of our monthly lunches at Bethesda, click here. We appreciate your support of our Marines and their families. MarineParents.com, Inc. is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity eligible to receive tax deductible donations.

What support agencies are available for wounded servicemembers and their families?
Several DoD, other government agencies, and non-profit organizations have programs in place to support wounded/injured servicemembers and their families. Here are a few of them: Air Force Palace HART: The Air Force Palace HART (Helping Airmen Recover Together) program follows Air Force wounded in action until they return to active duty, or are medically retired. It then provides follow up assistance for 5-7 years post injury. The Air Force works to retain injured servicemembers on active duty, if at all possible; however, if unable to return an Airman to active duty, work to get them civilian employment within the Air Force. The Air Force also ensures counseling is provided on all of the benefits to which an individual servicemember may be entitled within the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Labor.

For immediate, 24-hour response, the Military Severely Injured Center can direct you to an Air Force point of contact. It can be reached toll free at 1-888-774-1361 or you can e-mail severelyinjured@militaryonesource.com

U.S. Army Wounded Warrior (AW2) Program (formerly the Army Disabled Soldiers Support System (DS3)): Through the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2), the Army provides its most severely disabled Soldiers and their families with a holistic system of advocacy and follow-up with personal support and liaison to resources, to assist them in their transition from military service to civilian life. AW2 links the Army and other organizations that stand ready to assist these Soldiers and families, such as the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the many Veterans’ Service Organizations, to the Soldier. One key goal of AW2 is to provide a network of resources to severely disabled Soldiers, no matter where they relocate and regardless of their component: active, Reserve or National Guard. The goal is to ensure Soldiers, families, and communities receive responsive support services that meet their needs. The AW2 toll free number is: 1-800-833-6622. To read more, go to the current Army website: www.armyds3.org.

Navy Safe Harbor Program: The Navy Safe Harbor Program has a coordinated and tailored response for its men and women returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict with severe debilitating injuries. Information can be found at http://www.npc.navy.mil/CommandSupport/SafeHarbor. For immediate, 24-hour response you can call 1-877-746-8563 or email safeharbor@navy.mil. Additionally, families can read up to date information on the DoD Military Homefront website. Go to http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil, and click on the Troops and Families link and then Military Severely Injured Center in the left column. Marine for Life Injured Support Program (M4L): The Marine For Life Injured Support program provides information, advocacy and assistance from the time of injury through return to full duty or transition to the Veterans Administration, up to one year after separation. The program is currently being introduced by Marine for Life staffers to Marines, Sailors, and their families at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. with a plan to expand to all major Naval hospitals as soon as possible. Marines who hre being contacted telephonically. Injured Marines, Sailors or family members needing assistance can call toll-free: 866-645-8762 or e-mail: injuredsupport@M4L.usmc.mil. For more information about the Marine for Life Injured Support Program, go to: https://www.m4l.usmc.mil.

Military Severely Injured Center (MSIC): The Center is a central Department of Defense (DoD) resource available to offer support services to seriously injured servicemembers and their families. The Center works with and compliments existing Service programs such as the U.S. Army’s Wounded Warrior (AW2) Program, the Marine for Life Injured Support System, and Military OneSource. Support services are provided as long as seriously injured servicemembers and their families require quality of life support. Services are tailored to meet individual’s unique needs during recovery and rehabilitation. The Center offers counseling and resource referral in such areas as financial support, education, and employment assistance, information on VA benefits, family counseling, resources in local communities, and child care support. For immediate, 24-hour response, the Military Severely Injured Center can be reached toll free at 1-888-774-1361, or you can contact severelyinjured@militaryonesource.com

Additionally, families can read up to date information on the DoD Military Homefront website. Go to http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil, and click on the Troops and Families link. Deployment Health Support Directorate: DoD established the Deployment Health Support Directorate to see that the medical lessons learned from previous conflicts and deployments are integrated into current policy, doctrine and practice. The Directorate addresses deployment-related health threats to servicemembers. Part of the Deployment Health focus is on outreach. Current information on deployment-related health issues is published on an interactive web site, Deployment LINK: http://deploymentlink.osd.mil. The Directorate operates a toll free, direct hotline number where staff members assist callers in finding the answers they seek in relation to current and past deployments, helping them locate lost medical records, and providing contact information in the Department of Veteran Affairs. That number is 1-800-497-6261.

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