Parent speak, Max listens
Submitted by: 8th Marine Corps District
Story Identification #: 2004615143350
Story by Staff Sgt. Skip Osborn



Recruiting Station Oklahoma(June 15, 2004) --
Former Navy corpsman and current Marine Corps advocate Max Beerup visited with the families of future Marines from Recruiting Substation Wichita, Recruiting Station Oklahoma City during an annual family night, April 16, to offer them help, hope, and an invitation.


For twelve years, Max has helped countless families when they were most in need. He has been the “go-to guy” for families with questions ranging from accommodations and sights to see while attending boot camp graduation, to who to seek assistance from when there is a death in the family.


The Kansas City native is a walking advertisement for the Corps and never leaves home without wearing something that displays his affection for the Corps. An extension of that affection is the fact that since attending his son’s boot camp graduation in 1988, he has been helping families iron out the bumps in their children’s transformations from civilian to Marine. In fact he has personally helped more than 8,000 families with questions and concerns.


At this year’s family night Beerup offered an invitation for all to attend the first annual National USMC Parents’ Conference. The conference will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana from July 30 to Aug. 1. More information about the conference can be found at www.marineparentsunited.com.


The conference, titled “Standing in the Gap,” will gather Marine families from all over the country for education, encouragement, and a chance to bond while sharing the burden of being Marine parents.
Frank Schaeffer, author of Keeping Faith, will be the key-note speaker and other guests will include Tracy Della Vechia, founder of the USMC Deployment Support Site www.MarineParents.com, and Lieutenant General Carol Mutter, Ret., the first and only female to attain the rank of three-star general in the Marine Corps.


During the family night, Beerup also touted the importance of grass-roots support organizations like the fledgling Marine Moms and Families of Kansas.
“Since we started meeting together two years ago we’ve gone through the fear of Iraq together,” said Linda Stinnett, a member of Marine Moms and Families of Kansas.


That support has helped Stinnett and others deal with the threat of loss and the uncertainty of what to expect during the war-time efforts of the Marine Corps. Their organization has grown, but until now the largest obstacle in their path was getting the word out that they even existed as an organization.
“Until now, the worst problem for us was finding out who was interested,” said Stinnett. “Hopefully this will get the word out.”


That was and is Beerup’s goal. He wants the parents to be informed and educated about what to expect when their child is preparing and then training to become a U.S. Marine, and to know that they are not alone. He wants them to understand that when there is a need, all they have to do is pick up the phone. Because once you become a Marine, or in this case the parent of a Marine, you will never be alone.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image.../beeruplow.jpg

Max Beerup takes time to answer question about the Marine Corps and explain how parents can get photos and video of their son's or daugher's recruit training experience after speaking at the annual Recruiting Substation Wichita family night. Photo by: SSgt. Skip Osborn

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...4?opendocument


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