To help new families with their concerns regarding receiving and sending mail to
their recruits, this file has been set to be delivered twice monthly.

It usually takes anywheres from 10 days to 2 weeks (sometimes more) to first
receive that initial card or form letter with your Recruit's address on it. 
Those are both required to go to the recruit's parents or legal next of kin just
as the initial phone call is.  I'll answer a common question before it's
asked....NO mail is ever withheld from a recruit as that would be a federal
offense...and besides the MCRD's know how vital mail is for our guys and gals.

What you need to remember is that every week a new batch of recruits is being
processed and delivering mail is an astronomical undertaking...I can't even
begin to tell you the numbers but I'll try to explain and since both my kids
went to Parris Island, I'll use that MCRD as the basis for this....

In Parris Island, there are 4 Battalions - 1-3 are male and 4 is female (all
female recruits from across the country go to Parris Island).  In each male
Battalion, there are 4 Companys -  1st is Alpha, Bravo, Charlie & Delta...2nd is
Echo, Foxtrot, Golf & Hotel...3rd is India, Kilo, Lima & Mike.  The female
Battalion (4th) has 3 Companys -November, Oscar & Papa.  In each of these male
Companys, there are 4-8 Platoons with 40 to 80 recruits in each!.  In the female
Companys, there are 2-4 Platoons with 30 to 60 recruits in each!

Now...I went into this because I wanted you all to imagine the amount of mail
that Parris Island alone is processing!  I don't even want to attempt to the
math but if each Recruit in every Battalion is getting just one letter a day???!
Every week a male company graduates and a new one is formed to take its place.
Every other week a female Company graduates and a new one is formed to take its
place.

Keep in mind that your recruit is encouraged to write and will do so as time
allows...they don't have a lot of time!  Just know that they are well taken care
of at all times.   Once you get that address, just keep writing and writing. 
They need all the encouragement and support we can muster!

Format for addressing mail is as follows (and this is a fictitious name and
address!):
Rct. Smith, John A.
Alpha Co., 1st BN, Platoon #1006
P.O. Box 11006
Parris Island, SC  29905-1006

Semper Fidelis!
Brenda
myMarine Moderator
Marine Mom X 2

Basically, when your recruit asks for something...even something
questionable...SEND IT as soon as you possibly can, that day if at all possible!
Only your recruit knows if it's something he can or cannot have and only he
knows if he will get in trouble for asking for it.  By that time, it's out of
your hands.  Each drill instructor is different and may change his mind at the
last minute...so you have no control over what is requested.  Again...if they
request it, send it!

We are proud of our Recruits and even prouder when they become Marines.  Your
moderators keep you informed of graduations and when one of our Marines is
graduating we like to congratulate them.  For that reason we ask you to let us
know about your Recruit.

Out of concern for Internet safety we gather that information outside the
myMarine board and when we make announcements we use only the first name of the
new Marine.

If you have not already done so, send the following information to
Recruits@....

Full Name of Your Recruit:  (we will use only the first name but need the full
name to ensure accuracy)

Platoon Number:
Company Letter:
Date of Graduation:  (if known)
Parris Island or San Diego

Remember to send this information to:  Recruits@...

DO NOT POST THIS INFORMATION ON myMarine.

Semper Fi,
Your Moderators

Hi Glenn and all,

I have an update on Mom.  She did make it until graduation and leave.  Ben even
got in to see her in uniform.  Unfortunately she didn't wake up at all.  Ben now
knows the whole situation of her health.  Ben had a great leave and went off to
MCT.  He was picked up Nov 17, I think.

As I type this, I got a call from her home.  She has taken a turn for the worse
and her life here is close to an end.

Is there a chaplain at MCT?  I don't know Ben's Company for sure nor his class. 
He said he wasn't going to tell since it was no point in writing (he has his
cell phone for when he can use it).  But I think this might be necessary to know
now.  Is there anyone else to let know down there?

I copied the email with the info you gave last time but now it is even more
immediate since she outlived that piece of advice.

Any new advice is good to have.

Wendy

--- In mymarine@yahoogroups.com, Glenn Knight <ka3kwm@...> wrote:
>
> Wendy
>
> I take it there is a chance that your mom may not make it until graduation
> and recruit leave.  If that is what Hospice is telling you then contact the
> Red Cross NOW so that they are ready if needed.  Also, contact the Base
> Chapel at MCRD Parris Island, SC and ask to speak with a chaplain of your
> own faith.  Get your ducks lined up while it is still an inconvenience and
> before it becomes a crisis.  What the Red Cross will do, if it becomes
> necessary, is to contact the Red Cross duty officer at Parris Island who
> will IMMEDIATELY contact the duty chaplain who will make the
> notifications--to his commander, first sergeant and your Recruit.  By the
> time they get to your recruit there will be options in place.  Immediate
> family is, as you suggest, a no brainer--he needs to get home if possible.
> Grandparents are a gray area--it will depend on how close the granparent is
> to the Recruit.  That along with the training load, his position in training
> and other factors will all be taken into consideration.
>
> My grandfather died while I was on a cruise, sitting quietly in the middle
> of Lake Michigan.  By the time I learned of his death I had already missed
> the funeral.  The decision to hold off on notifying me was a decision that
> my family helped the Red Cross to make mostly because, while we were close,
> my grandfather was not a central person in my young life.  Had he been
> closer I would most likely been notified earlier and offered leave to attend
> the services.
>
> Now, let me address recycling.  When it becomes necessary to recycle a
> Recruit, for any reason from non-qualification to illness, there is no
> overlap in training.  For illness, if the Recruit is removed from his or her
> platoon on the Tuesday of the 6th week of training, when re-entered, he or
> she will join a platoon that is on Tuesday of the 6th week of training.  For
> non-qual, they will re-enter training with a new platoon that is on day one
> of that qualification schedule.
>
> And finally, "holding it against" the Recruit is a tough one to answer
> because it is so easy but it appears so wrong.  Any re-cycled Recruit will
> insist that their Drill Instructor picks on them more than the other members
> of the platoon.  The Drill Instructor is trying his or her best to treat the
> re-cycled Recruit like every other Recruit BUT they may often use the new
> member of the platoon to force the platoon to re-do something or blame them
> for something that causes the platoon to forego a planned benefit.  That is
> just part of the training--use whatever you can to create stress and see how
> they respond.  The ideal situation is for the platoon to gather around the
> member being picked on and become a team.  Early on they will tend to lash
> out at the "cause" of the problem and later they will adopt the Marine way
> of doing things "adapt and overcome."  That's the process, and it works.
>
> Semper Fi,
> Glenn
>
> Glenn B. Knight, CIG
> We will not be truly free until we are all able to use the same dictionary
> and all of the words therein.
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 8:35 PM, mrsscubafish <mrsscubafish@...>wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I have a small problem that I could use some advice about. My mother has
> > been diagnosed with advanced dementia and alzheimers (not new except that
> > this now comes from the doctor) and has been put on a thickened liquids
> > diet. She has trouble with this staying put. Mom probably doesn't have much
> > time left with us. Ben knew about the dementia but not the liquid diet. He
> > knows Nana sleeps (16 - 20 in every 24) a lot from a conversation I had with
> > her hospice people. He has asked in his letter about her. I will tell him
> > about the liquids but not any time frame. I know about contacting the Red
> > Cross for when the time comes. I would not want this to come as a major
> > surprise when the Red Cross shows up with the news. I know there is at least
> > 1 chaplain at PI. I figure he will be able to talk to the chaplain if he
> > needs to. 1. Will he be able to come home for the funeral if necessary? I
> > don't know for sure if grandparents are a close enough relative for
> > funerals. I would imagine parents and the recruits spouse or child would be
> > allowed. 2. What will this do to his graduation date? I can kind of figure
> > after last week's call that it is moved. 3. I would hope it isn't "held
> > against him" by the Drill Instructor. That sounds wrong but I don't know how
> > to word this appropriately.
> >
> > I am trying to think this ahead a bit so I know what to expect with Ben. I
> > know what to expect with Mom.
> >
> > Does anyone have experience with this type of situation? I know I can't be
> > the only one like this. Other people have family die during training, I am
> > sure.
> >
> > wendy in pa
> >
> > PS. Still no word from Ben about what his new platoon # is.
> >
> >
> >
>

Basically, when your recruit asks for something...even something
questionable...SEND IT as soon as you possibly can, that day if at all possible!
Only your recruit knows if it's something he can or cannot have and only he
knows if he will get in trouble for asking for it.  By that time, it's out of
your hands.  Each drill instructor is different and may change his mind at the
last minute...so you have no control over what is requested.  Again...if they
request it, send it!

To help new families with their concerns regarding receiving and sending mail to
their recruits, this file has been set to be delivered twice monthly.

It usually takes anywheres from 10 days to 2 weeks (sometimes more) to first
receive that initial card or form letter with your Recruit's address on it. 
Those are both required to go to the recruit's parents or legal next of kin just
as the initial phone call is.  I'll answer a common question before it's
asked....NO mail is ever withheld from a recruit as that would be a federal
offense...and besides the MCRD's know how vital mail is for our guys and gals.

What you need to remember is that every week a new batch of recruits is being
processed and delivering mail is an astronomical undertaking...I can't even
begin to tell you the numbers but I'll try to explain and since both my kids
went to Parris Island, I'll use that MCRD as the basis for this....

In Parris Island, there are 4 Battalions - 1-3 are male and 4 is female (all
female recruits from across the country go to Parris Island).  In each male
Battalion, there are 4 Companys -  1st is Alpha, Bravo, Charlie & Delta...2nd is
Echo, Foxtrot, Golf & Hotel...3rd is India, Kilo, Lima & Mike.  The female
Battalion (4th) has 3 Companys -November, Oscar & Papa.  In each of these male
Companys, there are 4-8 Platoons with 40 to 80 recruits in each!.  In the female
Companys, there are 2-4 Platoons with 30 to 60 recruits in each!

Now...I went into this because I wanted you all to imagine the amount of mail
that Parris Island alone is processing!  I don't even want to attempt to the
math but if each Recruit in every Battalion is getting just one letter a day???!
Every week a male company graduates and a new one is formed to take its place.
Every other week a female Company graduates and a new one is formed to take its
place.

Keep in mind that your recruit is encouraged to write and will do so as time
allows...they don't have a lot of time!  Just know that they are well taken care
of at all times.   Once you get that address, just keep writing and writing. 
They need all the encouragement and support we can muster!

Format for addressing mail is as follows (and this is a fictitious name and
address!):
Rct. Smith, John A.
Alpha Co., 1st BN, Platoon #1006
P.O. Box 11006
Parris Island, SC  29905-1006

Semper Fidelis!
Brenda
myMarine Moderator
Marine Mom X 2

Basically, when your recruit asks for something...even something
questionable...SEND IT as soon as you possibly can, that day if at all possible!
Only your recruit knows if it's something he can or cannot have and only he
knows if he will get in trouble for asking for it.  By that time, it's out of
your hands.  Each drill instructor is different and may change his mind at the
last minute...so you have no control over what is requested.  Again...if they
request it, send it!