We've had many parents ask us "What do I do if I get a phone call that my Marine is wounded?". Here are some things to keep in mind.
If the Marine Corps Calls You
If the Marine Corps calls you to notify you that your Marine has been wounded, stay calm. You may get the call late at night, or you may just have a hard time concentrating. There are FOUR things to remember while you are on the phone:
Listen: Listen to the information
Write: Write the information down
Repeat: Repeat the information back
Ask: 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 likely will not have all the details, and he may be notifying you BEFORE the rear detachment for his 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: Listen to the information
Write: Write the information down
Repeat: Repeat the information back
In this instance, your Marine will NOT have a name or phone number contact for you. Therefor, 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 most generally 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.
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:
MarineParents.com Unit Information Database This section of our web site is in beta test, but you can quickly enter your Marine's unit to see if you get a return on the database.
Go to http://www.marineparents.com/units/search2.asp
MarineParents.com Units Deployed Page This section of our web site is updated as often as possible, and includes direct links to a message board community for several of the USMC units.
Go to http://www.marineparents.com/USMC/back-to-iraq.asp
MarineParents.com 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:
MarineParents.com 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 methods of helping you get information. The Volunteers have Gold or Red Stars by their names and a title of Volunteer and/or Moderator. They can help you.
Go to http://www.usmcparents.com/forum/members.asp
