From the FRO

I talked to Chris today!  

As always the conversation was less than 5 mintues, but 

he sounded great and just like the same ole 
Chris Parks that we all know and love =)!

Marine Corps Term of the Day: 

Family Readiness Officer

Most commonly referred to as "The FRO"

For a detailed definition of The FRO, click here.

My Definition: 
Each Battalion in the Marine Corps has a FRO whose
purpose it is, to support the families of the Battalion.
I can call the FRO anytime day or night with questions or comments no
matter how big or small they may be.

3/7 is incredibly lucky to have a FABULOUS FRO 
who does a amazing job keeping us all updated and more
importantly is a great friend and confidante.
Thank you Lori for all that you do for the families of 3/7!

The following updates from the from The FRO have all been sent or posted on the facebook group within the last few days:

From the FRO:

Good Morning Friends and Families of 3/7,

The deployment is moving right along and I know we are all hitting the point where we would just like for them to come home!!!! I hope that you all are enjoying your summer and are staying cool. That is hard to do here in 29Palms!!! It has been quite warm but not as warm as it is for all our men in country.

I know through talking to many of you that your Marine/Sailor have let you know that communications will be low for a while, this is due to availability of phones and computers where our men are at. Please keep the letters going to them, it is the best gift you can give your Marine/Sailor. They love to hear about your day and the normal things you are doing on a daily basis!!!

Take care,

Lori

From the Battalion Commander:

Dear 3/7 Families a note from our Battalion Commander, The men of Task Force 3/7 are extremely busy conducting combat operations in our area of operations. We have pushed into an area that has not seen a sustained coalition presence in a long time and it has resulted in a higher intensity of combat than we have experienced thus far.

From the FRO:
Good afternoon Ladies,

I hope that you all are having a wonderful week!!! I know it is sizzling outside if you live here in Twentynine Palms!!! I wanted to just drop a note to let you all know that things are moving right along and the Marines/Sailors of the Battalion are doing an amazing job over in country. Many of you may have received calls or emails letting you know that there will not be any communications for a while. This is due to where they are located and the availability. So this is the time in the deployment where we really have to lean on the statement that "No News is Good News". I know hard to live by sometimes but it is the truth!!! Now I will send out any information that I receive and the CO of the Battalion, Lt Col Tipton will be sending me a letter to share with everyone regularly!!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful evening and great rest of the week!!!

Take care,
Lori

We Only Get What We Give

Hello blog readers!  I am sorry to have have been MIA for a month!  I promise I have not forgotten about you, in fact, I have missed you terribly!

First and foremost, Chris is doing great!  I mentioned in my last post that we were headed into the unknown as far as communication was concerned.  All of which has proven to be true and continues.

Per the Battalion News Letter, "Lima Company (who Chris is with) is still conducting operations with limited conductivity with the 3/7.  They still represent the Battalion with dignity as they continue to meet and improve relations with the LNs."

(I promise in a future post I will explain Battalion, Company, Platoon, acronyms, etc, etc, etc)

Needless to say I have heard from Chris randomly throughout the month and only via phone calls which have lasted at most 10 minutes (on a good day).

He truly is in great spirits every time I have spoken to him; I can hear it in his tone of voice - he is 100% in his element and keeping busy!

Mail: Sadly, where ever they are currently, they are not getting mail on a regular basis.  NOT TO WORRY, this simply means that when they join with the Battalion again, it will be like Christmas because they will get lots of packages and letters all at once!  

In short, please keep sending letters and packages because some are getting through.  

MANY THANKS!

Don't Forget the New Address

Where did the month of June go?!?!  I honestly have no idea because since my last blog post, I have been chugging along full speed ahead.

Instead of boring you with lots of writing (which hopefully I never do) here is what went on during the month of June:

June 5th Weekend: Taste of the South (TOTS)!  

In my third year of living here, I was FINALLY in town for the event that is "hotter than heck" (it's at the DC Armory which has NO Air Conditioning," but a BLAST (great band, great people) and more importantly for a GOOD CAUSE ($$$ raised by the event goes to individual State Charities and a local DC Charity).  So happy I was finally in town for TOTS this weekend!

Two of my best friends Honey and Chandler ROCKED it, taking the lead making sure the great State of Florida was well represented at TOTS.  Photo Circa June 5, 2010 Taste of the South at the beginning of the evening...


Thanks for adopting me for the weekend P'Cola Ladies!  Love Love Love!

Photo at the end of the TOTS evening... 

Rockin' the Straw Hat: Trina

Rockin' the Eye Patch and the Hibiscus Fan: Kim

Rockin' the AU Football Goal Visor: Chandler

Rockin' the Palm Tree Leaf and Flamingo Koozie: Yours Truly

Okay Okay I know it's not lady like to be pictured with a beverage, BUT the FL VIP Ladies had Flamingo Koozies (hence the picture) - you would have thought those things were made of gold.  People were literally offering to pay us for them...

June 9: Happy Birthday Chandler!!! 

 Surprise visit from her parents for her Birthday!  I am still amazed we pulled it off - high fives all around!!!  

Great night, GREAT people - Chandler, thanks for being born and more importantly for being my friend!  

(PS: Chan, I promise I will e-mail you a copy of these pictures soon =))

June 11 - 15: My Fantastic Grandparents came to visit me!  

All I can say is I hope one day I inspire/ motivate/ fascinate my Grandchildren as much as my Grandparents do all of the above for me!  Photo Circa 2008\2009 New Years Eve at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope (Chris was celebrating in Iraq): Yours Truly, Grandpa Sol (aka Solly), Emily (Baby Sister who is taller than me...)

June 18 - 20: Stephen and Morgan's Wedding Weekend!!!  

Photo: Cousins (most of us anyway) at Stephen and Morgan's  Rehearsal dinner from left to right: Me, John, Emily, Jacqueline, Michael, Stephen, Morgan, Danielle, Pat, Katie, Mike, Joey.

Welcome to the family Morgan!

Stephen, I am glad she kept you around =)

We love you both!!!  Best wishes and congratulations!!!

June 25 - 26: THE Office Move!!!  

Did I mention, I have a job?  =)

Whewwww  - so that's where the month of June went. 

What a great month!


Thankful to have been busy and 
thankful to have such amazing family and friends!

  
I promise my next post will be sooner rather than later =)!  
Glad to be back!


Thanks for reading!

8 years in the Marine Corps and Counting!

Gentlemen, when you need to break big news to your significant other, I highly recommend doing so in a way that is similar to the following (exert from gchat conversation with Chris):

Me: So you are Lima Platoon Commander from here on out? What's our communication going to be like, any idea?

Chris: Yeah I am a Lima Plt Commander from here on out.  We should still have communication.

Me: As much as we do now?  Doubtful

Chris: Yeah, true but it will make my deployment go by faster

Me: For you!  Hahahaha

Chris: Yeah.  

Somebody has a birthday coming up in about a month.

Me: Nice save!  Hahahahahahaha.

Hahahaha – this conversation just makes me smile every time I read it =).  

Looking for a translation/ wondering what exactly Lima Platoon (Plt) Commander means?

As you know, in civilian world, when a job position becomes vacant, an employer simply conducts an interview process and hires the right person for the job.  Unlike civilian world, filling a vacant post within a Marine Corps Battalion is not always as cut and dry.

Case in Point: Although Chris is a rifleman/infantryman by trade (all Marines have a specialty), this deployment Chris has been in an operations command post = GREAT for my nerves, but not so great if you are an infantryman by trade.

However, as luck would have it, Mr. Infantryman has been given the opportunity to do what he LOVES (also what he did in Iraq last year) and he is now the Platoon (Plt) Commander for Lima Company!  Ironically enough, he found out about this two days after his 8 year Anniversary of being in the Marine Corps (Chris was with a Marine Corps Reserve Unit while in college and deployed to Iraq as a PFC in 2003) !

When in Doubt Think Football: Instead of sitting on the sidelines and helping to coordinate the plays, he now gets to actually carry out the plays.  For an infantryman, especially Chris, there is nothing better (other than his amazing wife of course =)). 

S0, what about me, you ask?  What are my thoughts and feelings?  Well, to be quite frank (I am not sharing anything he does not already know), of course stock has gone up a bit in my nerves department, but Chris is getting to do what he wants and loves to do, therefore, I will be right here to support him. He is getting to do what makes him happy and I would never ask him to change any part of that.  Not to mention, the Marine Corps was a part of his life before I was; I was well aware of what I was getting myself into =).  I am super proud of him!  When he is happy, I am happy and vice versa. 

So what does this mean in general?  Well, as with this entire deployment experience thus far, I don’t exactly know.  It’s been and continues to be very  different from last years deployment, but hey, we can all learn together =)!

Communication will likely be significantly more sporadic  than it is now.  Currently, we e-mail just about everyday, but now that he will be going "out and about" a lot more, I am fully preparing myself for that not to be the norm anymore.  With that said, he thus far, has been able to give me fair warning when I won't hear from him for several days, so I at least expect it (does not mean I like it =)).

As if the mail is not taking long enough now, there is the probability that it will take even longer.  His mailing address has changed, but before I give you the new address, please note that any packages sent to the H&S Company Address WILL be forwarded to him, they just may take a little longer.   His new address:

1^st Lieutenant Patrick Christian Parks

3/7 L CO   

Unit 41590

FPO AP 96427-1590

As far as what to send?  Nothing new really - coffee and tobacco products are the same hot items as always.  Although Chris likes his coffee black, apparently the sugar packets and powdered creamer I sent were a hit with the other Marines (just a suggestion).  Chris will of course continue to distribute and share everything sent to him accordingly!

Needless to say it’s been an eventful past few days and the month of May flew by!  The good news (in addition to Chris becoming a Plt Commander again) 2 months down, 5 to go!

***Pictures from Top to Bottom: Chris with his Platoon last year in Iraq.  Chris at TBS (The Basic School) with a M19 Grenade Launcher.  Me at TBS Family Day, with a SMAW aka a Rocket Launcher.  Chris at the TBS Rifle Range.***

***Hoping to have more recent pictures soon.  Chris has his camera and is taking pictures, but the USB port on his computer does not want to work =(***

Chris' Address in the Stan has Changed!

Not to worry ANY and ALL packages sent to the address previously listed WILL be forwarded.  I will post the new address once I get confirmation.

He got several packages in the mail last week - MANY THANKS!  As always, they are GREATLY appreciated!  

Thank you for your support!

Have a great night!

Much Love,

Elizabeth  

Land of The Free because of The Brave

Thank You Soldiers.

Thank You Military Families.

God Bless America.

You've Got Mail

Hello blog readers!  Sorry I have been MIA - it's been a busy two weeks for me with travels and weddings, but I am back in the District for a while and looking forward to some down time.  Sadly, no phone calls as of lately and communication with Chris via e-mail has been sporadic at best.  Hopefully I will hear from him soon.

Guess who - the one in the middle wearing the solid green kevlar?!

How long do packages take to get to 3/7?!

Apparently, there has been a back log in delivery of packages.  According to 3/7s Facebook Page:

"Family and friends of 3/7 we've read some comments and questions concerning mail. Your Marines are receiving their mail, It's a long process of mail being moved from the U.S. to theater and than from FOB (Forward Opearting Base) to FOB, then being sorted by company section/platoon and then being moved to their respective COPs/PB (Combat Operating Post/Patrol Base). This process can take anywhere between 2-4 weeks mission dependent. Also keep in mind that your Marine can be out on mission from days to weeks. Be assured that the Battalion does all it can to get Marines mail as soon as it can."

If you would like to join the 3/7s official facebook group - search, "3rd Battalion 7th Marines, The Cutting Edge.

How do I fill out the customs form?!

Ahh the lovely USPS form 2976-A aka customs form - you can't ship to our troops without it.  All of the information that I am about to share and more can be found on the first page of all USPS customs forms.  When in doubt of course feel free to ask me aecourt@gmail.com or of course, the Post Office.

WHERE CAN I GET THE CUSTOMS FORM?  You can find the form at your local post office or by ordering them online here.  Note: USPS will ship any of their products directly to your house for free.  This includes: flat rate boxes, customs forms and pouches.

If you pick up the forms from your local post office grab a few extra to take home with you.  Filling out the forms prior to going to the post office makes the process go smoothly and you will score points with that USPS worker when you walk up to the counter prepared =).

I HAVE THE FORM... HOW DO I FILL IT OUT?

Addressee's Last Name: PARKS, 1ST LT

First: PATRICK

MI: C

Business: 3/7 H&S CO

Address: (Number, street, suite, apt., P.O. Box, etc): UNIT 41575

Postcode: 96427-1575

City: FPO

State/Province: AP

WHAT ABOUT THIS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS BUSINESS?  You must fill out one item per line.  If you have more items than lines (I always do): 1. Write next to the barcode on the first customs form, "***Additional Forms***" 2.  On the additional forms, scratch out the barcode, write Chris' name in the appropriate boxes and continue listing items.  

You guessed it!  Chris was the Birthday Boy (above)!

 PalmFex 2007 - Not quite chocolate cake and plastic military figures, but it works =)

As always, if you have any questions don't hesitate to e-mail me!

Have a great week!

April Showers, Bringing More than Simply May Flowers

It's only been four days and and already May is off to a great start!  Don't get me wrong, April was not a bad month, but it did have a few showers...

For starters - I got a phone call from Chris yesterday!!!  Who knew hearing someone's voice could put you at such ease?!  He sounded great!  A bit tired and stuffy (sand = not exactly good for the sinues), but in great spirits.  He had just come off of a three day "excursion," if you will - so he was happy.  It sounds like they are getting a bit more action this time around, which of course makes them happy - they are Marines!  It sounds like everyone in 3/7 is staying busy; makes the time go by quickly for them. October will be here before we know it!

As if the phone call was not enough to make my day.  My cousin Michael and his beautiful wife Jacqueline welcomed their first son, Michael Brereton O'Niell, Jr. to the world yesterday!  Isn't he the sweetest?!??!  Welcome to the world Michael, Jr. - CANNOT WAIT to meet you!

Then, this morning I got an e-mail update from Little Lights on the progress of their 31 X 31 Campaign.  They have almost met their goal and have thus far raised a little over $21,000!!!  MANY MANY THANKS for all of your support.  For more information visit my previous blog post: Ignite the Light!

Also, did you know that May is National Military Appreciation Month?  Neither did I!

Again I say, and it's only May 4 =)!  Thank you for letting me share a few of my happy-es!

Wishing you a Happy May filled with lots of flowers!!!

Thoughts and prayers for the Gulf Coast and the state of Tennessee