This book is for anyone looking to enlist in the Marine Corps, those who have been in the Marine Corps or those who want to know what it is like to go through Marine Corps boot camp. It will answer the questions that you may not get from your recruiters and tell you first hand the secret to surviving Marine Corps boot camp.

Welcome to one of the most unique families in the world. By proxy, you will be inducted into a group that is older than our Constitution. It is an honorable organization with a long history of warriors. You are about to be the parent of one of those warriors. Without the knowledge and facts of what to expect, this journey can be scary. It is important to learn myth from fact and to ensure that you do everything you can do to support your future Marine and keep yourself from worrying. If you are a Marine veteran, or come from a Marine Corps family already, this book is a great resource. It can help you compare your experiences with how the Marine Corps is conducting its training now. Many things have changed throughout the history of boot camp, but many things have not. This book can provide you with an opportunity to brush up on what's new and discuss what is the same. This guide has information from multiple official United States Marine Corps web sites and endeavors to be as current as possible. The 13 weeks of recruit training will fly by before you know it. While you won't be there personally to witness the transformation, you will be able to learn what is happening to your recruit. The best thing you can do is educate yourself on what your recruit is going through so that you can learn what will be expected of him/her as a United States Marine. This book is designed to help you do just that. It will give you a glimpse of what it is like as a recruit in boot camp and what you, as a parent, will need to know. It will also explain how you can help your recruit while he/she is in boot camp and what not to do. When graduation rolls around, you will be prepared to see your new Marine and understand exactly how the graduation process works. Also, we will explore what happens to your Marine after boot camp. His/her journey is only beginning at that point. There is still much more that your Marine will learn as he/she is sent to Marine Combat Training, his/her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) school and then into the fleet. The adventure doesn't stop with graduating boot camp. Your Marine is going to need your support for a long time. The best thing you can do is prepare yourself with the education and knowledge that you can be a successful Marine parent. This is an exciting time for your future Marine. He/she is embarking on a journey that few will ever understand or comprehend. It will change their lives in so many ways. It is important as their parent that you understand why they call the Marines, "The Few. The Proud." It is a way of life that is difficult to explain unless you have lived through it. However, this book is going to do its best to explain it in a way that makes you beyond proud that your son or daughter chose the Marine Corps as a foundation for the way to live an honorable life of service to our country.

This is the true story of an eighteen-year-old who went to Marine Corps boot camp. It will tug on your heartstrings, bring you to tears, and fill you with pride as you read about the experience of becoming part of the worlds finest and most disciplined of all branches, the United States Marine Corps! This book will bring you smiles and tears; you will finally understand what Marines go through to keep your families safe at night. This remarkable story will answer all your questions. It will take you right into boot camp as if you were there. You will feel the pain it takes to become the warrior you have all heard so much about. Your heart will pound as if Drill Instructors were in your living room.

***Includes details about 4th Phase*** In the Parris Island Planner you will discover the best way to keep in touch with your loved one during USMC boot camp. Each chapter will give you new insight into the Marine Boot Camp process from a loved one's point of view. Become an expert support person to your loved one as you follow the Adapt and Overcome Action Steps in each chapter. When a loved one joins the Marine Corps, you have many questions swimming in your head and a lot of different emotions. Not knowing what to expect, you may turn to the internet but then feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and your lack of understanding. This information, which may or may not be correct, coupled with mystifying terms like Close Order Drill and MCMAP, may leave you with even more questions. If you can relate, and your loved one is going to Boot Camp on Parris Island or has already begun the journey, then this planner is for you. Author Vera Basilone writes about the process of Marine Corps Recruit Training and answers all of the questions people have asked her over the years on her website ParrisIsland.com. Rather than focus on the recruit, as much of the information found online and in books does, this planner focuses on the loved ones, (moms, dads, boyfriends, girlfriends, grandparents), who wait for their recruits to complete training. It also provides specific activities in the form of Adapt and Overcome Action Steps throughout each chapter designed to prepare you for life with a loved one in the Marine Corps. In this book you will learn: How to prepare for your new role as a support person for your recruit. All the facts and answers to your questions about Marine Corps boot camp and the process of making Marines. How to prepare for graduation day and how to make the most of your trip to Parris Island. Don't waste time searching the Internet for scraps of information; get your copy of the Parris Island Planner today!

You're about to discover how to prepare yourself for the biggest decision you've probably ever had to make in your life. It isn't an easy one and not a decision you should make lightly. In my book I describe from first hand experience of what you'll be running into. I give advice based on first hand experience on what to know and recommendations you should heed before joining. The best way to prepare for joining the Navy is to do your research and know everything you can so you can make an informed decision.

This essential guide for all military families provides helpful advice and reassurance on topics ranging from boot camp, to deployment, to PTSD, from a former "Army brat" turned mother of four military kids. When you enlist in the United States military, you don't just sign up for duty; you also commit your loved ones to lives of service all their own. No one knows this better than Elaine Brye, an "Army brat" turned military wife and the mother of four officers-one each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. For more than a decade she's endured countless teary goodbyes, empty chairs at Thanksgiving dinners, and sleepless hours waiting for phone calls in the night. She's navigated the complicated tangle of emotions that are part and parcel of life as a military mother. Be Safe, Love Mom braids together Elaine's own personal experiences with those of fellow parents she's met along the way. She offers gentle guidance and hard-earned wisdom on topics ranging from that first anxious goodbye to surrendering all control of your child, from finding comfort in the support of the military community and the healing power of faith to coping with the enormous sacrifices life as a military mother requires. With hard-to-come-by information and encouragement that is like advice from a wise and trusted friend, Be Safe, Love Mom is an essential handbook to membership in a strong and special sisterhood.

A foreword by former soldier and memoirist Brian Turner, author of My Life as a Foreign Country, and an afterword by military wife and memoirist Angela Ricketts, author of No Man's War: Irreverent Confessions of an Infantry Wife, bookend the volume.