As the mother of a young single Marine who was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Tracy Della Vecchia was eager to learn any news about her son’s unit. Unable to find one website or military organization that provided a central gathering place for information about deployed Marine Corps units, she realized that there were probably thousands of other parents and family members who were also searching for information. Seeing a need, she took it upon herself to build a website that encompassed all aspects of the deployment.

On January 21, 2003, www.marinemoms.us (the name was changed to MarineParents.com one year later) so that site is now located at http://www.marineparents.com. The site was launched to collect information and provide links as a reference for parents and friends of deployed Marines. The website provides information on the deployment process, base camp locations, sending care packages and mail, units deployment hotlines, list of embedded reports, and provides answers to frequently asked questions about paying bills, power-of-attorney, and finding overseas addresses. The website also allows for content contributions from families of deployed Marines and has announcements of support group meetings and rallies, and offers a moderated chat room so families can share their experiences.

From a noble beginning, site usage grew to 12,000 visitors daily. At the height of the Iraq conflict, Mrs. Della Vecchia was personally answering 300 to 400 emails a day from parents, wives, family and friends of Marines who visited the site.

In 2003, Ms. Della Vecchia was nominated for the Bob Hope “Spirit of Hope” award for her volunteer work on the web site. During the re-deployment of Marines to Iraq in 2004, the web site traffic increased to over 74,000 per week.

The web site has evolved and changed almost daily since its inception. Getting information out to the parents and family members quickly is what has made the web site a timely and reliable source of information. With over 15,000 visitors to the web site weekly (down from about 60,000 during Operation Iraqi Freedom), Della Vecchia has plans for the face of the web site to change yet again. “We’re all about supporting our Marines, supporting each other and sharing information. Once a Marine Mom, always a Marine Mom, and I’ll be working with the web site indefinitely,” says Della Vecchia. She and her husband, Luigi Della Vecchia, have plans for additional programming on the web site to provide more communication tools for parents to contact each other as well as adding online support groups.

You can only imagine the value of this web site because the value cannot be measured in dollars and cents. I would urge not only Marines and their parents and families to visit and utilize the services on this web site, but ALL veterans and their parents and families.

I only hope someone gets the idea to create a similar site for each branch of the service. This is a fantastic idea, a fantastic site, and the person who created this site, IS a Marine, whether she is or not! She is a Marine in spirit, in dedication and in actions. She IS, one of the FEW, the PROUD, and the MARINES!

God Bless you Tracy Della Vecchia, for coming up with this idea and for creating something which has become a vital part of our society and a CONNECTION between the true, inside spirit of the MARINES and HOME!

FINAL NOTE: I have written at least one article with regards to the injustices taking place in the media, with regards to Marines being charged with murder for not only doing their job, but for doing what any of us would do in the same circumstances. As a 50% service-connected Korean, Vietnam Veteran, I stand 100% behind the Marines serving in Iraq and if any of them are guilty of MURDER, then we are guilty also for allowing our President and our Marine leaders in Washington to LOOK THE OTHER WAY. The media should be ashamed of themselves for their yellow journalism, which lacks integrity and displays a high degree of cowardice!