Marine Moms Bethesda

Sergeant Merlin German Wounded Warrior Regiment Call Center

You do NOT have to be a Marine to call – just someone who CARES for and is CONCERNED about a Marine.

24 hours a day – 7 days a week 365 days a year contact: Anonymous.

1-877-4USMCWW or 1-877-487-6299

A Marine WILL speak to a Marine if they call.

DStress Line

This is a pilot program available in certain States. Complete anonymity.

1-877-476-7734

For Navy and Marines and their families:

Navy Marine Corps Relief Society

Combat Casualty Assistance Visiting Nurse Program

http://www.nmcrs.org/ccvn.html

For Navy, Coast Guard, and their families:

Navy Safe Harbor – Wounded, Ill, and Injured Support

For Army and their families:

Warrior Transition Command

Army Wounded Warrior Program

For Air Force and their families:

Air Force Wounded Warrior

http://www.socom.mil/carecoalition/Pages/default.aspx

For Special Ops and their families:

U.S Special Operations Command Care Coalition

Other:

Defense Centers of Excellence

April 22, 2012 – 4 East “Tween”

Jane — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:39:19 +0000

“Janie, I think you should make the macaroni and cheese.” The Marine Veteran had been telling me this since he sent in the recipe for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund Family Cookbook that Gladys put together to raise funds for the Semper Fi Fund a few years ago.

Today seemed like a good day for macaroni and cheese. I made a triple recipe. When the cheddar melted, covering the top of the macaroni and cheese sauce, it looked perfect and was one of the first things we ran out of.. Comfort food is inhaled at the luncheons. Would you like the recipe? Contact Gladys for your copy of the cookbook.

$10.00 plus shipping and Gladys donates every penny after production costs to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. It is on page 129 of the cookbook, “JB’s Fave Macaroni and Cheese”. I left out the jalapeno peppers and fresh mushroom’s though. I think the secret to the recipe is following the pasta directions included in the recipe. When I made it for the family as a test run, I followed the directions on the pasta box and it wasn’t as good.

The drive over to Walter Reed was white-knuckle driving, for me anyway. Rainy, icky nasty drive over the Bay Bridge and through Annapolis. By the time I hit the Beltway the sky had lightened up some and the pouring rain was mostly a drizzle. I called Elizabeth to let her know I was running late. Traffic was slow and there was a back up caused by an accident.

Katie, Elizabeth and Ruthi were already there and unloaded when I pulled up behind Diane and Kathy. It wasn’t long before we had the room set up and we were ready to serve at 11:00 AM. Menu was BBQ Chicken Sliders, Kielbasa and Meatballs in spaghetti sauce, turkey wraps, assorted chips, cole slaw, potato salad, JB’s Fave Macaroni and Cheese, corn salad, potato soup and toppings, garden salad, grapes, cake, brownies, Pecan Nut Bars, popcorn, smoothies and assorted drinks.

Katie had some cards with her from a Cub Scout Den to hand out.

Ruthi from the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society’s Combat Casualty Assistance Program was with us. We first met Ruthi at the Wounded Warrior Support Network Conference that Semper Max hosted this past December. Ruthi had children’s books to give out to the kids and parents and left us samples to have at future luncheons, so if anyone wants them we’ll be able to order the books for them. Thank you, Ruthi! The books were made possible by a generous grant to the NMCRS from Tee it up for the Troops.

Bob and Linda had given us lots of CDs and DVDs to give out and one of the volunteers brought Girl Scout cookies.

Kathy was a welcome addition, joining us for the first time. Like so many of our volunteers, her son is out of the Corps now and this is a way for her to “give back”. “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” “Once a Marine Mom, always a Marine Mom!” For many of us, the “family connection” does not end when our sons and daughters EAS.

It was a good luncheon. We were busy. Met new people, saw some we had seen at previous luncheons. Some have been there for a very long time while others were getting ready to move down to Richmond VA Medical Center or over to Tranquility Hall later in the week.

The road to recovery is long. Walter Reed/Bethesda is just the beginning of what may be years of recovery. Showing support to the Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen, and their families during this time is so important and the “touches of home” you help us provide are so appreciated by them.

They may have moved on when we go back in a month, or they may still be there. There are so many visitors during their stay on the hospital ward throughout the week, they may not remember us,. Privacy is a luxury for them. We don’t push ourselves on the patients or families; we just stay in the luncheon room or right outside the doorway, help them take things back to their room if they want our help, listen if they want to talk, and provide comfort food, letting them know people care and appreciate their sacrifice.

Thank you Katie, Elizabeth, Diane, Kathy and Ruthi for helping with this luncheon! Job well done!

"Stars and Bars" - Marine Moms-Bethesda's 2012 Raffle Quilt, donated by Bayside Quilters of Easton, Maryland

Looking ahead for Marine Moms-Bethesda:

Our annual quilt raffle is about to begin. Here is a sneak peek at the quilt Bayside Quilters made for us to raffle this year, “Stars and Bars”. The quilters decided to hand quilt the quilt this time. All proceeds from the quilt raffle will support the luncheons at Walter Reed and Richmond. More information coming soon…

Until next time, continued prayers for our military and their families.

Love and Hugs,

HELPFUL LINKS FOR THE DIFFERENT SERVICE BRANCHES:

For Marines and their families:

USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment

Sergeant Merlin German Wounded Warrior Regiment Call Center

You do NOT have to be a Marine to call – just someone who CARES for and is CONCERNED about a Marine.

24 hours a day – 7 days a week 365 days a year contact: Anonymous.

1-877-4USMCWW or 1-877-487-6299

A Marine WILL speak to a Marine if they call.

DStress Line

This is a pilot program available in certain States. Complete anonymity.

1-877-476-7734

For Navy and Marines and their families:

Navy Marine Corps Relief Society

Combat Casualty Assistance Visiting Nurse Program

http://www.nmcrs.org/ccvn.html

For Navy, Coast Guard, and their families:

Navy Safe Harbor – Wounded, Ill, and Injured Support

For Army and their families:

Warrior Transition Command

Army Wounded Warrior Program

For Air Force and their families:

Air Force Wounded Warrior

http://www.socom.mil/carecoalition/Pages/default.aspx

For Special Ops and their families:

U.S Special Operations Command Care Coalition

Other:

Defense Centers of Excellence

March 25, 2012 – 4 East

Jane — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:13:23 +0000

The wedding was the same day as the luncheon, so Jess and I hit the road Saturday evening. We were with the crew in spirit, though, as we drove down the interstate on the way to Sarah and William’s wedding. It was nice to see this at one of the rest areas. The picture was taken about the same time the luncheon was beginning.

The first word that comes to mind when I think of our volunteers is “AWESOME!” Yes, that’s with CAPS, bolded and an exclamation point! It’s difficult at times to plan a major event month after month with everyone spread apart geographically and most of the communication being done by email. Stephanie & Co. did it again!

MENU:

Taco Dips & Tortilla Chips

Sloppy Joes, Bourbon Chicken, Wings, Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Chicken Noodle Soup and PBJ’s

Fruit Salad and Tossed Garden Salad

Macaroni Salad, Tuna Salad, Potato Salad

Macaroni and Cheese, Potato Wedges, Assorted Chips

Assorted Desserts and Drinks

Smoothies

Nancy from Connecticut came down to help us out.

In Nancy’s words:

It is a humbling, yet wonderful experience to do the luncheon – these guys who have given so much are still soooo polite (m’am for everything!!!) and so thankful for the things that are provided. I am hoping that there will be another opportunity for me to come down.

I agree with Nancy. It is a very humbling experience! I had really hoped to meet her in person but yes, perhaps another time!

A donation came in specifically for more chafing dishes. Thank you!

One of the moms told Mary it was the best fruit salad she had ever had.

A lot of logistics are involved with a luncheon. Julie, our “Bag Lady”, dropped the pantry bags off to Katie earlier in the week for her to bring with her. After the luncheon, extras were taken over to Tranquility Hall. Barb and Don stopped by my house on the way to the hospital Sunday morning and picked up the supply boxes, the quilts, and baby blankets from Bayside Quilters.

Sean and Jillian made the smoothies with Macy’s help. John helped Katie with the attendance sheet, and Kelly floated while Elizabeth, Mary and Stephanie kept the food flowing. Barb and Don helped where they were needed. Jaime from Touch of Relief joined us again providing free seated massages to family members.

We let the TBI Ward know in advance we would be there and some of them came down, as well as people from other floors. Combat wounded are spread around the hospital, especially those coming back for additional surgeries, treatment, or rehab. We may meet families at Walter Reed, see them down at Richmond, then see them back again at Walter Reed. The road to recovery is difficult and long.

Yes, the luncheons are humbling in more ways than one. According to NPR’s article, By the Numbers: Today’s Military, 1% serve in uniform today. Over 44.000 have been wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. http://www.npr.org/2011/07/03/137536111/by-the-numbers-todays-military The resilience and perseverance of the patients, the devotion of the families who are often their caregivers, and the dedication of the staff are something few are able to witness. It is an honor to serve meals at the hospital to our Defenders of Freedom who are working toward their new mission – recovery.

It is also humbling to me that our volunteers give so much of themselves toward the luncheons. The hours of planning and preparation are somehow slipped into their already busy lives. Many of them have said to me, “How can I not? It could have been my son.” .Their unselfish steadfastness toward our mission does not go unnoticed.

From an “Elf” in Alabama:

thanks for all you do especially for our men returning ill and their families! Granny Barbara Hug n Kisses

And from another “Elf” in Illinois:

I would like to thank everyone for the support that you have given to our wounded service men and women and their families.

Most of our thanks come the day of the luncheon from the patients, family and staff in words and smiles.

Our supporters are also humbling. We are frugal with the funds sent toward the luncheons and are very grateful for their donations.

One of our ongoing projects is collecting emailed notes of support and encouragement to pass on to patients and families while we are hosting a luncheon. You can read more about it here.

If you think it is worthy of your time, please take a moment to send a quick message which we will include in our next batch of notes.

West Virginia in the spring is beautiful.

And they honor their Veterans.

Thank you for hosting today’s luncheon Stephanie, Mary, Elizabeth, Jillian, Sean, Katie, Don, Barb, Jaime, Kelly, John, Macy! Job Well Done!

Until next time, continued prayers for our military and their families.

Love and Hugs,

For Marines and their families:

USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment

Sergeant Merlin German Wounded Warrior Regiment Call Center

You do NOT have to be a Marine to call – just someone who CARES for and is CONCERNED about a Marine.

24 hours a day – 7 days a week 365 days a year contact: Anonymous.

1-877-4USMCWW or 1-877-487-6299

A Marine WILL speak to a Marine if they call.

DStress Line

This is a pilot program available in certain States. Complete anonymity.

1-877-476-7734

http://www.nmcrs.org/ccvn.html

“From the everyday stressors of life to the stressors related to combat, stress can affect even the strongest Marine. The DSTRESS Line was developed by the Corps to provide professional, anonymous counseling for Marines, their families and loved ones when it’s needed most. Call today to speak with one of your own.”

(NOTICE: THE DSTRESS LINE IS A PILOT PROJECT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO CURRENT AND VETERAN MARINES, ATTACHED SAILORS, AND FAMILIES WHO ARE LOCATED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: OR, WA, CA, NV, AZ, ID, MT, NM, UT, CO, IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, WY, HI, AK AND WEST TEXAS (FORT BLISS, EL PASO AREA).

For Navy and Marines and their families:

Navy Marine Corps Relief Society

Combat Casualty Assistance Visiting Nurse Program

For Navy, Coast Guard, and their families:

Navy Safe Harbor – Wounded, Ill, and Injured Support

For Army and their families:

Warrior Transition Command

Army Wounded Warrior Program

For Air Force and their families:

Air Force Wounded Warrior

http://www.socom.mil/carecoalition/Pages/default.aspx

For Special Ops and their families:

U.S Special Operations Command Care Coalition

Other:

Defense Centers of Excellence

<http://www.opsecprofessionals.org/articles/OPSEC_Rules.html>

Whatever happened to OPSEC?

Jane — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:30:37 +0000

That’s a well worn slogan from World War II, the second “war to end all wars”.

Operational Security (OPSEC in the language of the military) has always been important to the success of any military movement, operation or battle. But that was before e-mail, the internet, MySpace, Twitter, FaceBook, the multitude of discussion boards used by we families and friends of our military, and Heraldo.

Loose lips most certainly can sink ships and generally cause missions to fail. They can also break a wife’s, a child’s, a mother’s, a father’s, or any other loved one’s heart.

Recently, through a FaceBook text message, a Soldier’s wife learned of her husband’s death in Afghanistan. How… incredibly… sad…

Can you imagine?

Back in the day, for my friends and me this was in 2004, OPSEC was one of the first things we families were instructed in. We learned about it from a Marine’s wife. She didn’t pull any punches either. I don’t blame her. When “The New Bride” moved in with us after our Marine deployed, she and I had “The Talk”. Part of it was about OPSEC

WW II era poster from the National Archives

What is OPSEC? The website of The Operations Security Professional’s Association states the basic Rules for OPSEC as:

Do not post exact deployment dates or redeployment dates.
Do not reveal camp locations, including nearby cities. After the deployment is officially announced by Military officials, you may discuss locations that have been released, normally on the Country level.
Do not discuss convoy routes (“we travelled through Takrit on our way to X”).
Detailed information on the mission, capabilities or morale of a unit.
Specific names or actual nicknames.
Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers. (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, etc.)
Details concerning security procedures, response times, tactics.
Don’t discuss equipment or lack thereof, to include training equipment.
Don’t speculate about future operations.
If posting pictures, don’t post anything that could be misconstrued or used for propaganda purposes. A good rule of thumb is to look at your picture without your caption or explanation and consider if it could be re-captioned to reflect poorly on coalition forces. For example, your image might show your Soldier rescuing a child from a blast site, but could be re-captioned to insinuate that the child being captured or harmed. (it’s happened!)
Avoid the use of count-up or count-down tickers for the same reason as rule #1.
Be very careful if posting pictures of your loved one. Avoid images that show significant landmarks near their base of operations, and black out last names and unit affiliations.
Do not, ever, post information about casualties (coalition or enemy) before the official release of the information.
Do not pass on rumors (“I heard they’re coming home early”, etc).

Ignore OPSEC? There’s a reason they say “Loose lips sink ships!” We were told ignoring it could close down our discussion board; could cause the deployment date/homecoming date to be changed. In a worst case scenario, ignoring it could get our loved one killed.

Many of us have had a phone conversation or IM abruptly ended when Mom or Dad asked their Marine something they shouldn’t have, however innocently. It isn’t unusual for some of us to know a mom whose Marine got in trouble because of something Mom posted online… in a closed group… that we thought was private and secure.

Many of us have spent (and some of us still do, old habits are hard to break) hours online surfing from site to site looking for pictures and articles. Then when our son called home and we said something about an operation his unit was involved in he didn’t understand how the heck we knew about it when we weren’t supposed to know, and we often knew more than he knew? Oh, yes. Then the phone would go dead. All we did was take a little bit from here, a little bit from there, stuck our heads together and came up with the story.

Now ponder on this for a second. If the Good Guys can do this, what are the Bad Guys doing?

In the words of Mr. Ron Zivanovic, Fort Wainwright, AK, Garrison Operations Security officer, as quoted in Fort Wainright’s post newspaper, The Alaska Post:

“Nothing you send on e-mail is secure unless that e-mail is encrypted,” Zivanovic said. “The average person probably can’t get into someone’s e-mail, but there’s a whole cadre of people out there who do it for fun.”

Come to think of it, why are we able to find stuff online that we aren’t supposed to know about to begin with? I guess that’s a whole ‘nother story, isn’t it. Even with encryption we need to remember that, according to the news media, it only took about 45 minutes for hackers to break the code used by HBO when they first went digital back in the mid 90s.

But one thing we knew – we knew to never ever, EVER, ever post about a death if we heard about it before the “all clear” had been given. We understood the family members needed time to be notified. Do we always know how far family ties extend in this age of Facebook and Twitter? Isn’t waiting a little bit longer to post something as sensitive as this just common courtesy?

What if that family member is alone when they see a death notice online?

Okay so the list above doesn’t state “wait for the all clear”, and it was written in 2009, before Facebook, Twitter and the newer social networking sites were s popular. Here’s a newer article about it, . Check it out; you may want to lock your Facebook down a little tighter. Something to do tonight while you’re snacking on apple pie. Or somethin’. A Blizzard maybe? Are chocolate-truffle-cherry-cheesecake Blizzards in season yet?

And yes, I do know what it’s like to have the condolence message written, sitting on edge poised in front of the monitor, biting my nails, heart breaking, a pile of tissues next to me, refreshing the screen over and over again, ready to click “SEND” as soon as that “all clear” email hit the inbox.

I’m so very sorry, for all involved, the Facebook message happened.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Sergeant’s loved ones.

Thank you for your service. Rest in Peace, Sir.

Jane / 5 March 2012, 17:30 PM

March 5, 2012 – Richmond

Jane — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:33:05 +0000

The Best Laid Plans… Semper Gumbiness! It happens! We’re used to it, have lots of experience with it, and have learned to flow with it, and there are just some things we can’t control..

Originally the luncheon was scheduled for Sunday. About five days before it was going to happen we learned we needed to change the date so we switched it to Monday. Oh, sure, we could have rescheduled for a later date, but the weather forecast looked great, some of the food had been bought, we had enough volunteers to help on a weekday, so we rolled with it. I did tell everyone that if there was the slightest hint of snow flurries, I wouldn’t driving down.

My plans were to leave about 5 AM on Monday morning. Sunday afternoon I checked the weather site… then kept checking it every hour or so. From about 2 PM until 9 PM the temps fell from just above freezing to just below freezing and the potential of a snow/rain/ice mix

Deciding not to attempt the long drive down and back, I called Janet to let her know and asked if they were up to the drive down. The rest of the luncheon crew live much closer to Richmond. She said they were good to go.

Janet touched base after they arrived home and said the luncheon was a success, the patients and families were very appreciative, and the VA and Liaison staff were a fabulous to work with.

Menu:

Olives, cheese and crackers; fresh veggie tray; a fruit bowl; vegetable beef soup; ham and turkey platters with sandwich fixin’s on the side; assorted rolls and bread; macaroni and cheese, assorted desserts, drinks and smoothies.

From Janet:

Today came ‘In like a Lion’ and ‘Out like a Lamb’

Sarah, Mike, and I hit the road by 8:30AM this morning. We were enjoying the light flurries and conversation while driving on 95 heading south to the McGuire Hunter Holmes VA Hospital in Richmond; that is until we hit Thornburg.

The light flurries turned into a swirling blanket of snow which caused low visibility and our speed dropped to 45. Every time a truck passed us our windshield would be covered with slush.

If the temperature would have dropped, we would have been stuck in Richmond; but that didn’t happen. The temperature gradually rose and we had smooth sailing all the way home. We did call Paulette to let her know we hit snow and might be a bit late.

Arrived at the hospital at 10:00AM. Paulette was there waiting with two carts. We were up to the room and set up by 11:00AM. Not bad for being slowed down by snow.

She continues:

We were cleaned up and on the road by 2:30. Paulette and the Gunny were FABULOUS. Great all around luncheon.

What a wonderful day, Jane. One of my favorite times in Richmond. All went so smoothly and so precious to be amongst those brave young men (and a few old timers).

Take care,

Janet

Thank you, Mike, Sarah, Carol, Janet (and Lew in the background!) for braving the weather to serve our wounded Warriors and their families at Richmond VA Medical Center! Job Well Done!

We are grateful to the VA staff and to the Marine Corps Liaison office for working with us and allowing Marine Moms-Bethesda the honor of coming in to show support for these brave young men who have given so much in service to our country. Thank you!

***

This was Janet and Lew Skerry’s last luncheon with Marine Moms-Bethesda.

Thank you, Janet and Lew, and Mike, for your dedication and commitment helping with Marine Moms-Bethesda’s luncheons over the past two years. Your advice to us from the viewpoint of a family of a wounded Warrior has been invaluable. We wish you fair winds and smooth sailing in your new endeavors.

***

Hunter Holmes McGuire aka Richmond VA Medical Center has a state of the art rehabilitation program serving our Nation’s combat wounded and active duty service members who incur catastrophic injuries. One of the things Janet mentioned to me about the luncheon were the patients they met with severe Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Eventually, they will recover to their “New Normal”, perhaps even possibly continuing on active duty. Others will need long term care for the rest of their natural life. Once these Warriors, still in the fight – just a different mission now – are medically retired they will transition into the civilian world and the VA medical system.

To raise awareness about Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), March is National Brain Injury Month.

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury’s website has beau coup bunches of information for those looking for information and help. I encourage those interested, whether active duty, family member, care giver, or Veteran, to surf their site to see what is available.

There are also many, many other organizations providing help to those looking for it.

You are NOT alone.

To our “Elfs” – our supporters – Thank You! You are touching lives in ways you do not know.

Until next time, continued prayers for our military and their families.

Love and Hugs,

****************************************

For Marines and their families:

USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment

You do NOT have to be a Marine to call – just someone who CARES for and is CONCERNED about a Marine.

24 hours a day – 7 days a week 365 days a year contact: Anonymous.

Sergeant Merlin German Wounded Warrior Regiment Call Center

1-877-4USMCWW or 1-877-487-6299 A Marine WILL speak to a Marine if they call.

DStress Line

This is a pilot program available in certain States. Complete anonymity.

1-877-476-7734

(NOTICE: THE DSTRESS LINE IS A PILOT PROJECT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO CURRENT AND VETERAN MARINES, ATTACHED SAILORS, AND FAMILIES WHO ARE LOCATED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: OR, WA, CA, NV, AZ, ID, MT, NM, UT, CO, IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, WY, HI, AK AND WEST TEXAS (FORT BLISS, EL PASO AREA).

For Navy, Coast Guard, and their families:

Navy Safe Harbor – Wounded, Ill, and Injured Support

For Army and their families:

Warrior Transition Command

Army Wounded Warrior Program

For Air Force and their families

Air Force Wounded Warrior

http://www.socom.mil/carecoalition/Pages/default.aspx

For Special Ops and their families:

U.S Special Operations Command Care Coalition

Defense Centers of Excellence