History of Tennessee Marine Family

 

My name is Donna Clemons and I live in Gallatin , Tn. My son is a United States Marine who is currently deployed on his 4th tour of duty to Iraq .  When not deployed, Sgt. Ross is stationed at Camp Pendleton , California    

 

When Zach was in Iraq in 2003, I did not know anyone that was going through the roller coaster of emotions that I was going through. I had never heard of the Yahoo Groups and was so alone. Family members just did not understand.

 

When my son went back to Iraq in 2004, I became a member of another Yahoo Group that is nationwide. It is a wonderful group, yet we were so far apart from each other. There was a post from a Tennessee Marine Mom who was holding a luncheon! I went to that luncheon and came away with a feeling I've never had before, somewhat like what our Marines must hold dear to them.  We all shared a common bond and understood the very emotions that we live every day.

 

I wanted to expand on this first luncheon and have a place where we moms could not only meet every month for lunch, but where we could have constant contact with "all" Tennessee Marine family members. I had a vision one night and thought, wouldn't it be nice to have a group of Marine family members who could communicate with each other and support each other using their computer and in person?

 

Hence, I founded Tennessee Marine Family!!

 

The Tennessee Marine Family online support group is intended for all family members and loved ones of Marines from Tennessee . However, we do have members who have loved ones in other branches of our military and from other states.  We love and support them just as we do our Marines.  Many of us have shared the trials and tribulations of our Marines' deployments to many countries around the world. The website's purpose is to share information and support to each other as our Marines and military personnel continue their service.

 

We meet the third Saturday of most every month (please check the website calendar for details) at 12:00 (noon) for food, fun and fellowship!! We meet at a variety of locations and participate in package drives for our troops, community service projects, have holiday luncheons, a Gold Star Banquet to honor our Tennessee Fallen Heroes, and have special guest speakers.  We have had anywhere from 10 to 125 people in attendance. We have had Bar-B-Qs, grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken, we have held our luncheons at restaurants, we had a pack-your-own-lunch, and bring your favorite dish.  We have met at the VFW Post and several area churches have been kind enough to allow the group to use their facilities.

 

We have members from all over the United States and Canada , not just Tennessee .  The members who live close enough to attend our luncheons come from Knoxville , Memphis , Mississippi , Chattanooga , Cleveland , Paducah , Kentucky and many other towns in between. We have met in West Tennessee so that our West Tennessee members could attend.  We will hopefully be setting up a luncheon in East Tennessee during the 2008 year.

 

We conducted our first TMF package drive for our Marines who are deployed overseas in June of 2004 and mailed 104 packages weighing more than 1,000 pounds. We conducted our second TMF package drive on October 16, 2004, packing over 300 boxes to our deployed Marines and servicemen and women, weighing over 3,000 pounds at a cost of over $6,000.00!  Our third package drive took place on January 15, 2005 at Crossroads Community Church in Franklin , Tennessee , packing and shipping over 300 boxes.  Our fourth package drive was May 21, 2005 at Crossroads Community Church in Franklin , packing and shipping 300 boxes to our troops who are currently deployed!!  We again packed and shipped over 300 boxes in November of 2005 and what a joy it was for our troops!  The boxes were filled with goodies and Christmas stockings!!  We held three package drives in 2006 and three package drives in 2007.  The outpouring of the community has been tremendous and the packages drives have been a huge success.  To date we have shipped over 2000 packages to our men and women who so selflessly give of themselves every day to keep us safe here at home.

 

On December 2, 2004, due to the growth of TMF we became a non-profit organization. TMF elected a Board of Directors on December 18, 2004.  We have our By-Laws and Mission Statement in place to serve our Marines and their families.

 

Tennessee has lost 28 very precious Fallen Heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan , 2 Marines at Camp Pendleton , 1 during a vehicle accident, and 1 during a training accident, 1 Marine from Kentucky whose mother is a member of TMF, and 2 Marines who served in Vietnam , 1 whose remains were returned in 2005.  TMF is so honored to have in its membership 27 of those families.  These families are very special to TMF and we continue to love, honor and support them in any way possible. 

 

We had our first Annual Gold Star Family Banquet on September 17, 2005 for the families of our Fallen Heroes.  Families came together from all across the country to join us for this wonderful event honoring our Marines who have given the ultimate sacrifice.  Our banquet was at Crossroads Church in Franklin , Tennessee .  This was a catered event and everyone came together to support our Gold Star Families.  A special presentation was shown to honor our Fallen Heroes.  I had the honor and privilege of traveling all across the State of Tennessee and Kentucky to meet with each family and to learn about their Marines.  What incredible young men they are!!

 

Each year we honor our Fallen Heroes with a family banquet in their honor.  This is a time for the families to be together and reflect on the wonderful memories they have of their Hero.

 

Of course, this group could not function without the help of all of its members.  They are fabulous and are such an asset to TMF!!  This is truly an amazing and wonderful group of people and we all LOVE our Marines, Sailors, Airmen, Soldiers and Coast Guardsmen!! Thank you for your interest in TMF and for your support of our troops. Please let me know if I can help you in any way!! My prayers will be with you, your family and your precious Marine, Sailor, Airman, Soldier and Coast Guardsman!!

 

Please pass the word around to all of your friends and family about TMF!  We want to make sure that we reach as many troops and their families as possible!

 

Donna Clemons

President & Founder
Tennessee Marine Family