Note: Effective 2/20/2003 the Marine For Life program is temporarily on hold for the duration. Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 11:28:12 -0600 From: JacobsonDB@mfr.usmc.mil Subject: Marine For Life, it may be a while. To: Marines@scn.org Well folks, it's been a while since my last message and things continue to change even as I type this e mail. I ended my active duty stint as the Ft. Lewis Hometown Link for the Marine For Life program at the end of December and began working Marine For Life as a drilling reservist in January. I hadn't even settled back into my civilian job when Uncle Sam called me back to active duty. For right now, I am part of the Peace Time War Time Support Team here at Ft. Lewis Washington. We are currently assisting the Marines and their families with mobilization / deployment issues attempting to prepare them for the separation we all may be facing. I'm not sure when Marine For Life Ft. Lewis will stand up again. I'll attempt to keep each of you up to date with USMC matters here in the NW. I have had a couple of veteran Marines ask if they could assist Marine families left behind. Right now we are looking into a couple of programs in which you could get involved. Thank you for your continued support. Semper Fi Doug Jacobson Major, USMC PWST Ft Lewis WA 253-967-2622 Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 12:28:41 -0600 From: JacobsonDB@mfr.usmc.mil Subject: Marine For Life Message and Mission To: Deleted list Here is the long awaited Marine For Life message. The full message can be viewed on www.usmc.mil SUBJ: MARINE FOR LIFE (M4L) PROGRAM/EXPANDED TRANSITION ASSISTANCE UNCLAS ALMAR 068/02 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC RAP// SUBJ/MARINE FOR LIFE (M4L) PROGRAM/EXPANDED TRANSITION ASSISTANCE POC/LTCOL L. DANCIU/-/RAP/COML (703)784-9137/38/40// RMKS/1. SITUATION. THROUGHOUT HISTORY, OUR LEGACY AND OUR PUBLIC REPUTATION HAVE BEEN EARNED BY THE ACTIONS AND EXAMPLE OF THE MARINES WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US. EVERY YEAR, WE RETURN NEARLY 27,000 MARINES TO SOCIETY AS FIRST CLASS CITIZENS. THESE MARINES CONTINUE TO SERVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR CORPS. THEY CONNECT US TO THE SOCIETY ON WHICH WE DEPEND FOR OUR SUPPORT, SUSTAINMENT, AND FUTURE POTENTIAL. THEY ALSO PROVIDE AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE TO PROVIDE IMPROVED TRANSITION ASSISTANCE TO OUR MARINES LEAVING ACTIVE SERVICE. THE LACK OF AN ORGANIZED METHOD OF CAPITALIZING PAGE 05 RUEOMFC7189 UNCLAS ON THEIR RESOURCES, ABILITIES, AND CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT HAS RESULTED IN THE PRACTICAL LOSS OF SEVERAL GENERATIONS OF MARINES WHO HAVE ASSIMILATED BACK INTO LOCAL COMMUNITIES WITH NO COORDINATED, FORMAL MECHANISM FOR STAYING CONNECTED TO OUR MARINE CORPS FAMILY. A. ALTHOUGH WE RETURN OUR TRANSITIONING MARINES TO SOCIETY WITH THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS, "CORPS" VALUES, AND PROVEN ABILITIES NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS, THEY FACE SIGNIFICANT RELOCATION ISSUES SUCH AS EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, AND EDUCATION AS THEY REESTABLISH THEMSELVES IN THE CIVILIAN WORKFORCE. WHILE OUR EXISTING TRANSITION ASSISTANCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (TAMP) HELPS PROVIDE THE BASIC TOOLS TO MAKE THE TRANSITION, THERE REMAINS A VOID IN OUR MARINES' ABILITY TO CAPITALIZE ON EXISTING NETWORKS OF MARINE VETERANS, MARINE-FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS, AND MARINE-AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT AMERICA. CURRENTLY, THESE RESOURCES ARE NOT COORDINATED IN A MANNER THAT CAN BE FOCUSED TO PROVIDE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE TO OUR MARINES. B. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED HONORABLY, OUR DEBT OF GRATITUDE EXTENDS WELL BEYOND THEIR LAST DAY OF ACTIVE SERVICE. "TAKING CARE OF OUR OWN" MEANS WE MUST NOT ONLY PROVIDE THE APPROPRIATE PAGE 06 RUEOMFC7189 UNCLAS RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT AS OUR MARINES PREPARE TO LEAVE ACTIVE SERVICE, BUT WE MUST ALSO INVEST THE RESOURCES, EFFORT, AND INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRED TO AID IN THEIR CONTINUED SUCCESS AS THEY TRANSITION TO FOLLOW-ON CAREERS. THE M4L PROGRAM WILL HARNESS THE CIVILIAN SKILLS, BUSINESS CONTACTS, AND PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS OF VETERAN MARINES INTO A SELF-PERPETUATING RESOURCE FOR SPONSORING MARINES AS THEY RETURN HOME. 2. MISSION. PROVIDE SPONSORSHIP FOR OUR MARINES WHO HONORABLY LEAVE ACTIVE SERVICE AND RETURN TO CIVILIAN LIFE IN ORDER TO NURTURE AND SUSTAIN THE POSITIVE, MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS INHERENT IN OUR ETHOS "ONCE A MARINE, ALWAYS A MARINE." 3. EXECUTION. IN RECOGNIZING THE CRITICAL ROLE THAT MARINE VETERANS PLAY IN SUSTAINING OUR MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL CONNECTION WITH THE PUBLIC WE SERVE, I DIRECTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE M4L PROGRAM UNDER THE INITIAL COGNIZANCE OF THE MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AT HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS. A. COMMANDANT'S INTENT. THE M4L PROGRAM WILL ENSURE THAT NO MARINE WHO HONORABLY WORE THE EAGLE, GLOBE AND ANCHOR IS LOST FROM THE MARINE CORPS FAMILY. THE M4L PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE PAGE 07 RUEOMFC7189 UNCLAS VALUABLE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE, A METHOD FOR CONTINUED AFFILIATION, AND A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE MARINE CORPS AFTER LEAVING ACTIVE SERVICE. B. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS. THE M4L PROGRAM WILL EXPAND CURRENTLY EXISTING BUT UNCONNECTED PERSONAL, BUSINESS, AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS OF VETERAN MARINES, MARINE-AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS, AND MARINE-FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS INTERESTED IN THE PROVEN LEADERSHIP ABILITIES AND DEMONSTRATED PERFORMANCE OF TRANSITIONING MARINES. THESE NETWORKS WILL CORRESPOND TO MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF OUR CURRENT MARINE CORPS RESERVE SITES AND RECRUITING INFRASTRUCTURE. THE PROGRAM ACHIEVED INITIAL OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY AS SCHEDULED IN FY02 WITH 46 HOMETOWN LINK SITES. THE PROGRAM WILL ACHIEVE FULL OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY IN FY03 WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND LAUNCHING OF A FULL-SCALE WEB DATABASE AND THE EXPANSION TO 125 HOMETOWN LINKS. IN FY04 THE PROGRAM WILL BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED WITH 200 HOMETOWN LINKS ESTABLISHED. THERE ARE TWO CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM: (1) HOMETOWN LINKS. FOR EACH GEOGRAPHIC AREA, A RESERVE MARINE WILL SERVE AS THE HOMETOWN LINK. THE HOMETOWN LINK BILLETS WILL PAGE 08 RUEOMFC7189 UNCLAS BE STAFFED BY COMBINING THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH FUNCTIONS OF CURRENTLY EXISTING PEACETIME WARTIME SUPPORT TEAMS (PWST) WITH THE NEW REQUIREMENTS OF THE M4L PROGRAM. THE HOMETOWN LINKS WILL DEVELOP THE LOCAL HUMAN NETWORK, FOCUS THE EFFORTS OF MARINE ALUMNI IN THE AREA, AND COORDINATE ASSISTANCE FOR THE TRANSITIONING MARINES AS THEY RELOCATE. DURING INITIAL STANDUP OF THE LOCAL NETWORK, HOMETOWN LINK DUTIES WILL REQUIRE FULL-TIME ATTENTION. AS THESE NETWORKS MATURE, THE USE OF A CADRE OF LOCAL VOLUNTEERS WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAM AND OUR ABILITY TO SUPPORT THE TRANSITIONING MARINE. (2) ELECTRONIC NETWORK. THE PRIMARY TOOL IN MANAGING THE LOCAL NETWORK AND CONNECTING THE HOMETOWN LINKS WILL BE A NATIONWIDE, WEB-BASED ELECTRONIC NETWORK. THIS ELECTRONIC BACKBONE WILL PROVIDE ACCESS TO EMPLOYERS SEEKING PROVEN ABILITIES; ASSISTANCE IN GAINING ADMISSION TO EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND LOCAL RELOCATION RESOURCES; AND AFFILIATION WITH LOCAL MARINE ORGANIZATIONS (MARINE CORPS ASSOCIATION, COORDINATING COUNCILS, MARINE CORPS LEAGUE, TOYS FOR TOTS) AND VETERANS GROUPS. THIS ELECTRONIC NETWORK WILL ALSO CONNECT HOMETOWN LINKS, TAMP PAGE 09 RUEOMFC7189 UNCLAS CENTERS, AND PROGRAM MANAGERS WORLDWIDE. 5. COMMAND AND SIGNAL A. THIS ALMAR IS APPLICABLE TO ALL MARINES. B. SUBSEQUENT UPDATES TO THIS ALMAR WILL BE REQUIRED AS THE M4L PROGRAM UNDERGOES FINAL DEVELOPMENT. UPDATES WILL BE PUBLISHED AS MARADMINS. A MARINE CORPS ORDER FINALIZING THE PROGRAM WILL BE PUBLISHED ONCE THE SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES OF DEVELOPMENT HAVE BEEN FINALIZED. C. QUESTIONS MAY BE REFERRED TO THE FOLLOWING POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) LIEUTENANT COLONEL L. DANCIU, DANCIULE@MANPOWER.USMC.MIL; MAJOR G. DEAN, DEANGD@MANPOWER.USMC.MIL; OR MAJOR S. MCGRAW, MCGRAWSS@MANPOWER.USMC.MIL, (703) 784-9140, DSN: 278-9140. PAGE 05 RUEOMFC7191 UNCLAS (2) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED AT WWW.MARINEFORLIFE.COM ON THE INTERNET. 6. SEMPER FIDELIS, J. L. JONES, GENERAL, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.// BT #7189 NNNN RTD:000-000/COPIES: Doug Jacobson Major, USMC Marine For Life Hometown Link, Ft. Lewis, WA 253-967-2870 Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 15:01:04 -0600 From: JacobsonDB@mfr.usmc.mil Subject: TOYS-FOR-TOTS TROT! Marines: We have a mission. Let myself or Capt Keith Weinsaft know it you would like to help. Maj Jacobson Doug Jacobson Major, USMC Marine For Life Hometown Link, Ft. Lewis, WA 253-967-2870 Hello! I am the Officer-In-Charge of the Puget Sound Toys-For-Tots program. The U.S. Marine Corps' Toys-For-Tots is a program that for 55 years has been serving our communities throughout the country by collecting new toys and giving them out to needy underprivileged children. It is our intent that by doing so, we can help provide a little bit of sunshine, a bit of happiness to children this holiday season. Like many years in the past, we once again will be participating in a charity road race where we will be raising toys and money for the toy campaign. After a couple years hiatus, we are back again with a run. This year is to be the first year what we hope will become a long standing traditional event, the Toys-For-Tots-Trot, a 5K road race taking place in and around the Seattle Center. We need you're help! I am looking for volunteers (exploiting the Marine-thing here...) who can come out and help us out with the run. We need help with: set-up/tear down. course monitors, water stations, start-finish line help. We are partnering up with our good friends at 97.3 KBSG radio, and on Sunday November the 24th in Seattle at the Seattle Center, will be kicking off this inaugural event. The race will start at 9:00 am in front of the EMP and will finish in Memorial Stadium, with the award ceremony going at 10:30. We will have entertainment and refreshments as well. You can go directly to the web site and check out some more details by clicking on URL: http://www.kbsg.com/happening/events/100502_trot/kbsg_trot.htm If you are interested or know some one who would like to help....please email or call me back and let me know! ... Come join the Marines of 4th LSB and help us by supporting our Marine Corps Toys-For-Tots program and our community here in Puget Sound! Capt Keith Weinsaft 4th FSSG, MARFORRES Ft. Lewis Washington Comm: (253) 968-7113 DSN: 782-7113 Press Release Marine For Life U.S. Marine Corps July 29, 2002 Point of Contact: Major Whitney Mason (703) 614-4309/784-9140 Marine For Life Public Affairs Officer masonw@hqmc.usmc.mil Looking For A Few Good Photos! Quantico, VA. - Calling all Veteran Marines! Whether you are retired, serving in the Reserves or served way-back- when for one tour of duty, if you have a photo of yourself in uniform and one of yourself post active-duty, Marine For Life is looking for "before and after" photos for a promotional video currently in production. The video will be shown to Marine Corps leadership, Marine- affiliated organizations, transitioning Marines, and Marine-friendly employers. Marine For Life is a new program that provides networking assistance to Marines transitioning from active duty back into the civilian world. The intent is to sponsor Marines on their last set of orders home and connect them with the Marine network that exists around the world and in their hometowns. With close to 27,000 Marines leaving active duty annually after honorable and faithful service, and the thousands of Marines who have served in the past settled into civilian jobs across the country, the already existing Marine Corps "alumni association" is huge. Marine For Life seeks to catalyze those relationships into a formal support network for current and future generations. A key component to the program is the Hometown Link - a Marine reservist (staff sergeant - lieutenant colonel) who serves in a designated geographic location as the point of contact for local transitioning Marines. Marines serving as Hometown Links will build and nurture the local network resources, provide face-to-face networking information and assistance, and be the primary local-level networking resource for Transitioning Marines. There are currently 45 Hometown Links in place across the country, and the goal for 2003 is to have an additional 75 actively serving those Marines going home. The program ultimately calls for a total of 200 Hometown Links, all co-located with I & I units or Recruiting Stations around the country. Hometown Links and local commands will show the Marine For Life video to get the word out that leaving active duty doesn't mean leaving the Marine Corps, and that networking assistance exists in the many Marine and Marine-friendly organizations around the country. Photos must be received by Aug. 30. Electronic copies are preferred. To send photos electronically, the e-mail address is: MarineForLife@MarineCorps.com Only two photos may be sent per e-mail due system space constraints. All hardcopy photos will be returned. They should be sent with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Marine For Life 3280 Russell Road Quantico, VA 22134 Attn: Video photos For more information, contact Maj. Whitney Mason at (703) 614- 4309/784-9140, or e-mail masonw@hqmc.usmc.mil Doug Jacobson Major, USMC Marine For Life Hometown Link, Ft. Lewis, WA 253-967-2870 JacobsonDB@mfr.usmc.mil ========================================================== Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 11:59:10 -0500 From: JacobsonDB@mfr.usmc.mil Subject: Marine For Life To: marines@scn.org Good Morning Marines: Major Doug Jacobson here from the Marine For Life (M4L), Ft. Lewis Hometown Link. I recently returned from M4L training in beautiful Kansas City MO. We spent a week with 50 (soon to be 200) other hometown links discussing the Mission and the Commandant's Intent for the M4L program and we are now off and running. I am based with the 4th Landing Support Battalion Marines here at Ft Lewis. My area of responsibility is a 100 mile radius of the Ft Lewis Post. However, I can't imagine not providing this valuable service to our Veteran Marines returning home from active duty whose destination is beyond the 100 miles. I feel that with the use of phones and my trusty computer, I can effectively cover most of Washington State. The first milestone for the M4L program here in Washington is to locate and contact our Marine Family. General James Jones stated, "...the program's groundbreaking element will be the creation of an assistance network of and for Marine Corps 'alumni.'" Our Marine Family consists of retired and other veteran Marines (including those not members of Marine-affiliated organizations) and Marine-Friendly organizations, businesses and individuals. By locating our Marine Family, we can then turn our attention to providing the assistance and sponsorship to our newest Veteran Marines coming off of active duty service. If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to visit the M4L website at www.marineforlife.com. When visiting the site, located along the bottom of the page are a few words about the M4L program and its mission. I also encourage you to create an account on the website. Just click on the "New Users Register" button and complete the steps. When you create an account, ensure you enter yourself on the Ft Lewis site via the drop down listing of hometown links. Also, there are little boxes next to the information you have typed that can be clicked to make the data for that section private or visible to other Veteran Marines. Once an account has been created, you can then visit the web site anytime you like. Toward to middle top of the opening page is a link "Click Here for Available Network Resources." A map of the US will come into view, click on the Ft Lewis portion of the map and you can view all the Washington State network resources. We already have a number of network resources from our great state and I urge you all to get involved by locating as many of our Marine Family as possible. Feel free to drop me an E Mail or a phone call. My contact information is listed below. Have a wonderful Marine Corps weekend. Semper Fi Doug Doug Jacobson Major, USMC Marine For Life Hometown Link, Ft. Lewis, WA 253-967-2870 jacobsondb@mfr.usmc.mil =============================================================== Marines, our Washington State Marine For Life representative has arrived, Marine Major Doug Jacobson. I have spoken with him telecon and he will based out of Ft. Lewis in developing the program to assist us in our endeavor to "Take care of our Own". I have shared information with you concerning this program over the last few months and now it is taking on a life. At our last Staff Meeting in Pasco, you were provided with information on some specifics that our Marine Representative will need to get this program into full operation. As we have been in operation "taking care of our own" in the State of Washington since 1947 it is my belief that the Marine For Life Program will enhance what we have accomplished up to this time and give us yet another important tool to continue with our purposes as a b0Marine Familyb of the Marine Corps League. I would ask each of you to contact Major Jacobson and welcome him to our family, provide him with the local information you already have in your area of responsibility and to continuously search, seek out information to put together for our Marines coming home. Please, do not assume that someone else will take the ball and run with it my brothers/sisters. I ask each of you on this mailing list to make contact, identify yourself and what city in WA you will represent and let the Major know, 1st hand your desire to be a part of welcoming our Marines home. I reflect back to when I retired from our beloved Corps and came home, there was a sense of loss, soon covered up by the extensive need and desire to effectively support my family, so I jumped into finding employment (family-not my brothers), seeking a place to live, getting my children into school, finding a good neighborhood... during this period after being away from home for this long this was a trial that I and my family would have been better handled had I been knowledgeable of the fact that my brothers and sisters of our Marine family would have been more identifiable, yes we overcame, adapted and survived. I have personally identified with this program as a means to keep "Our Family Strong" not only in keeping our "Once a Marine, Always a Marine" intact, but also to develop more friends and to have a strong Marine Presence in our communities. Donbt wait for the other guy. Step forward Marines and be counted "Get out of the Foxhole". Semper Fi John Stofiel, Dept. of Wash. Commandant ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Letter received from Major Jacobson on 5/3/02 Gentlemen: My name is Major Doug Jacobson and I am the Marine For Life Hometown Link representative for Washington State. I hope you don't mind me writing you asking for your support in this new venture. The Marine For Life (M4L) program is a CMC initiative to improve assistance to Marines transitioning to civilian life after active service. Each year more than 27,000 high quality Marines honorably transition to civilian careers, with the recognition that every one of them is and remains a "Marine For Life" but too many lose official contact and personal bonds with the Marine Corps. General Jones highlighted his concerns in stating, "We make a significant investment in our Marines, and we need to keep the best of them... For those who choose to leave active duty, we can improve assistance in the transition to civilian life while reemphasizing the value of an honorable discharge." My task is to develop a web site / data base of information to address significant issues such as housing, schools for children, adult education for themselves, and more mundane issues such as registering a vehicle or obtaining a driver's license in their new hometowns. In regards to employment, I will compile a listing of Marine Corps friendly organizations that would be interested in employing a highly skilled, highly motivated Transitioning Marine. As experts in your own hometowns, I encourage you to E-Mail me any information or ideas you believe would be useful to our Transitioning Marines and the M4L program. Feel free to forward this message to others that may be interested in supporting our Marines. This data will be used to help sponsor our Marines who honorably leave active service and return to civilian life in order to nurture and sustain the positive, mutually beneficial relationships inherent in our ethos "Once A Marine, Always A Marine." I look forward to corresponding with you. Semper Fi` Major Doug Jacobson