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.

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

MarineParents is raising funds for upcoming Christmas parties for Wounded Heroes in three locations on the west coast. We expect over 300 Marines and a similar number of family members to attend these events in Wounded Warrior Barracks at Camp Pendleton, Balboa, and Twentynine Palms, CA. MarineParents will spend $14,000 to provide holiday meals, desserts, a commemorative ornament, and $25 gift cards at each of these events. By donating, you can help provide a bit of Christmas cheer to injured troops who will spend their holidays in the hospital because of their service to our country. 100% of your donation will be used to support these events for our Wounded Heroes.

Click here to donate to the 2012 Christmas Campaign

Attorney, author, and MarineParents volunteer Brian Monaghan will handle North Pole communications and logistics again this year.

Purple Heart Hero Support™ West Coast Manager Joyce Orrell was honored Friday, November 9th at the annual Marine Corps League "Veteran of the Year" luncheon in San Diego, CA.

Joyce and her husband Curt were recognized for their tireless work supporting Wounded Heroes at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego. For the last 5 years, Joyce has been working with PHHS to provide hot meals and support for families with a wounded son or daughter hospitalized at the Balboa Naval Medical Center. Joyce works hard to provide hot meals every Thursday evening at Balboa, so that Wounded Heroes and their families receive all the support they need. To give an idea of the level of Joyce’s commitment to this cause, she recently had a commercial- scale refrigerator installed in her home to facilitate dinner preparations.

In addition to weekly dinners, Joyce is always busy arranging other events for Wounded Heroes, such as Christmas parties and a recent outing to Knott’s Berry Farm. Started in 2009, the Knott’s program this year took over 300 Wounded Heroes and their families from all over Southern California for a day of recreation outside of hospital walls.

Joyce is modest when asked about what she does. “I personally don't think we need to be thanked, it is always a feeling of embarrassment as we know others that have done so much more.” Obviously, we at MarineParents feel lucky to have people like Joyce and Curt working with us.

How did the luncheon end? We don’t know- They had to leave early to attend a meeting at Camp Pendleton for the Wounded Warrior Battalion Christmas Party. Go Joyce!

We wish to express our appreciation to the San Diego Kilo Company, July 27 graduating class for the generous donation of $300.00 to Purple Heart Hero Support™, an outreach program of MarineParents.com. The families of the new Marines held a fundraiser during a dinner the week of graduation. Thank you for your support.

We wish to express our appreciation to the San Diego Charlie Company, August 3 graduating class for the generous donation of $840.00 to Purple Heart Hero Support™, an outreach program of MarineParents.com. The families of the new Marines held a fundraiser during a dinner the week of graduation. Thank you for your support.

If you miss a chat, Dr. Cantrell's sessions can be found on iTunes.

Click here to listen to Dr. Cantrell’s broadcasts about PTSD and Combat Recovery on iTunes

Purple Heart Hero Support™ is a lifeline for military service members and their families in their time of need. An outreach program of MarineParents.com, the program supports and provides services to wounded and ill troops and their families through every phase of recovery, from hospital to home. When you give to the Purple Heart Hero Support™ program, your gift helps wounded heroes and their families by providing them the healing items they need...

Click here to learn more

At MarineParents.com, sending care packages four times a year to Marines serving overseas is just one part of all we do for our troops. We also support wounded Marines and their families by serving meals and providing assistance at military hospitals in Bethesda, Maryland and San Diego, California...

Click here to learn more

MarineParents.com, Inc., thanks the Walter Reed Society for it generous late-March donation of $500, the sixth and final payment of a $3,000 grant the society approved in October 2011. With the money, MarineParents.com can continue to supply injured Marines and their families with meals at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California...

Click here to learn more

Purple Heart Hero Support™ has received a special request to help make adapted clothing for the wounded heroes at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Part of the recovery process from severe injuries is becoming self-sufficient again in tasks we may take for granted. To help provide that independence, our wounded heroes need clothing that has been adapted for ease in dressing and undressing. We've found an incredibly special lady to help us with this. Dee Bauer, whose husband is a former Marine who served during World War II, is putting her skills as a seamstress and organizer of people to get the work done for our heroes.

Click here for more information...

Purple Heart Hero Support™ dinners are now being served weekly at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California (also known as Balboa). Every Thursday, kind Purple Heart Hero Support™ volunteers will serve warm, delicious meals to our wounded heroes and their families. Dinners have been served twice each month at Balboa and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda since 2007 as a part of Purple Heart Hero Support™.

Thanks to all helping with now weekly dinners at Balboa, and for all of your hard work helping our heroes in need! Click here to learn more about how you can help…

According to an article by Paralyzed Veterans of America (www.pva.org), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program that formerly assisted injured service members through airport security has expanded to assist all military veterans.

Click here to keep reading...

Attention Marine and recruit families! The message boards of Marine Parents, Recruit Parents and What’s after Boot are moving to a new platform that allows greater opportunity to share with one another.

Marine Family Network is an online community that keeps all of our Marine families in the same interface for the duration of their Marine’s career in the Corps. The migration to the new platform is under way. The current message boards will close by early June 2011.

Visit www.MarineFamilyNetwork.com to learn more and get signed up today!

On April 28 the Department of Defense (DoD) released a news article regarding the standards upon which a service member can receive a Purple Heart Medal for a traumatic barin injury.

Purple Heart awards have long been presented in the event of a brain or other concussive injury caused by enemy action or in action against the enemy, but there was uncertainty about presenting an award when the injury was not treated by a medical officer.

Click here to keep reading...

On November 19, 2010, the Wounded Warrior Barracks in San Diego will hold a Marine Corps Birthday Ball for 300 wounded, ill and injured Marines at the Westin Hotel. The Marine Corps Birthday is a very important day for all Marines, but for some of our Wounded Warriors this ball has greater meaning.

Some will be attending the ball for the first time; for others this will be their last Marine Corps Birthday Ball as they will soon be discharged from the Marine Corps due to the extent of their injuries.

Click here to learn more...

An organization called the US Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR) offers support and assistance for wounded, ill and injured Marines, Sailors attached to or in support of Marine units, and their family members throughout all phases of recovery. The Wounded Warrior Call Center provides 24/7 assistance to all WII Marines, whether they were injured in combat or elsewhere, at (877) 487-6299. The WWR also offers non-medical care around the clock. Marines can utilize the call center for support as they return to duty or transition to civilian life.

Visit www.woundedwarriorregiment.org for more information.

Last year, The Purple Heart Hero Support™ program was able to take several Wounded Warriors to a theme park called Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California last year. The Marines are still talking about what a great day they had and have been asking if PHHS is going to do it again. Yes, they are! This November PHHS wants to take a busload of them, but they need your support in helping raise the funds to do so.

Click here to keep reading...

Thanks to a gracious gift from a donor in Taos, New Mexico, 35 Wounded Warrior Handbooks have been made available to Wounded Warriors and their families free of charge. If you know a family who would benefit from this excellent resource, or if you and your family would benefit, please contact Barb Patterson, Director of Outreach Services, at barb@marineparents.com. If you would like to make a donation to provide other families with a free copy of the Wounded Warrior Handbook, please visit our Purple Heart Hero Support™ donations page.

Attention Marine families and supporters! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The Marine Parents outreach program, Purple Heart Hero Support™, is in the running for a $250,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant and we need your vote to win the competition!

With the Pepsi Grant, we will be able to turn our 200 meals a year served in 2 hospitals into 20,000 meals served a year in 4 hospitals. There are many great ideas out there, but who could be a more worthy recipient than our Wounded Warriors and their families?

Take one minute a day to vote for our Wounded Warriors!

Click here to watch the You Tube video and learn how to vote!

Four Purple Heart Hero Support™ volunteers were invited to take part in Balboa’s Wounded Warrior Barracks Super Bowl party this year with approximately 250 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers! As one of America’s favorite pastimes, anticipation for the Super Bowl had been building all week across the Nation, and the excitement amongst our young men at Balboa was no different. By the time Sunday arrived, they were ready to watch the Saints and the Colts face off! Marine Parents provided chicken wings, taquitos, veggie trays, brownies, sodas, and water while many other organizations donated plenty of other goodies.
Click here to keep reading...

Purple Heart Hero Support™ had a wildly successful event when they took a group of Marines to Knott's Berry Farm. West Coast Manager Joyce writes to share the day's events: "We had the most incredible day at Knott's Berry Farm trying to keep up with our Wounded Warriors."
Click here to keep reading...

West Coast Purple Heart Hero Support™ Manager, Joyce Orrell, speaks about their September meal, one Marine's going away, two very special Corpsmen and more. Read her letter for an inside look at Purple Heart Hero Support™.
Click here for letter...

On Saturday night, October 3rd, a Gospel Program was held at a high school in southern Maryland. Organized by PHHS volunteers William and Margaret Butler, the evening featured a variety of individuals, groups and choirs whose voices were raised to benefit our Purple Heart Hero Support™ Outreach Program.
Click here to read more about the evening.

"Feeding a Need - Densfords seek assistance with meals program that supports military families as they visit injured or ill servicemen at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda"
By Susan Craton - The Enterprise
Published: August 5, 2009
Click here to read the article...

“Imagine returning home from combat facing devastating injuries and long term hospitalization – in a facility hundreds of miles away from your family. Imagine somebody brings you together.”
The Veterans Airlift Command provides free air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots.
For more information, Click here to visit the VAC web site

Team Marine Parents participants are actively preparing for their events and raising donations toward their chosen outreach program and goal. Make your next donation to Purple Heart Hero Support™ in support of a Team Marine Parents participant’s goal and watch their progress as the goal meter updates!
To view participant bio pages and learn how to donate toward a participant’s goal, Click here...

Purple Heart Hero Support™ and volunteers from MarineParents.com held another west coast dinner for wounded warriors on Monday, April 20, 2009.
Click here to learn more...

Through Purple Heart Hero Support™, volunteers from MarineParents.com held their second west coast dinner for wounded warriors on Monday, January 26, 2009.
Click here to learn more...