Our History

My name is Donna Clemons and I live in Gallatin, Tennessee. My son is a United States Marine who has been deployed on four tours of duty to Iraq.  When not deployed, Sgt. Ross is stationed at Camp Pendleton with his wife, Tram, who is also a Marine.

When Zach was deployed to Iraq in 2003, I didn’t 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.  I later became a member of another military group but the members could only connect via internet due to the long distance of everyone.  There was a post from a Tennessee Marine mom who was holding a luncheon! I attended 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 typically meet the third Saturday of each month for great food, laughter and wonderful fellowship.  Please check our website calendar for dates, locations, guest speakers and other pertinent details.  If you or your organization would like to be considered as a guest speaker, please let us know.

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 held luncheons in east and west Tennessee to include members from those regions as well.

We conducted our first package drive in June of 2004.  Since that date, we have held 14 package drives and have shipped over 3000 packages to our men and women deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the world.  TMF has been so blessed by the support of others, especially our churches.  We have held package drives at The Journey (formerly Crossroads and Ecclesia Church) in Franklin, Madison Church of Christ, Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, and Donelson Christian Church.  We have received wonderful letters, photos, flags and certificates of appreciation from the troops!

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

Tennessee has lost many troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2 Marines at Camp Pendleton, 1 during a vehicle accident and 1 during a training accident, 1 Marine at Camp Lejeune, 1 Marine from Kentucky whose mother is a member of TMF, and 2 Marines who served in Vietnam, 1 whose remains were returned to the US in 2005.  TMF is honored to have those families within its membership.  These families are vital and special to TMF and we continue to love, honor and remember them in any way possible. 

TMF wanted to honor our Fallen Heroes each year and our board wanted to host an event each year for those families.  We held our first Gold Star Family Banquet in September of 2004.  This is a very special time for the families to be together and reflect on the wonderful memories they have of their Hero.  Families came together from all across the country to join us for this wonderful event honoring the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice.  The Journey (formerly Crossroads and Ecclesia Church) in Franklin and Madison Church of Christ have been gracious in allowing us to use their facilities for this event.

On May 30, 2009, Tennessee Marine Family honored our Fallen Heroes with our 1st Annual Tennessee Fallen Heroes Memorial Motorcycle Ride.  It was a beautiful day for riding and 75 riders rode 62 miles across Tennessee's beautiful countryside with American flags flying high. 

Motorcycle groups in attendance were the Christian Motorcycle Association and Bikers for Christ.  The day was nothing short of amazing and a wonderful way to celebrate the lives of our Fallen Heroes. 

The event raised over $2,000 to support the programs of Tennessee Marine Family.  In addition, several other military support groups, Marine Auxiliary League, My Huggy, Not Alone, A Soldiers Child and Operation Honor Portrait, were on hand to get the word out about their great programs.  The children of TMF held a bake sale and raised $80 for a Fallen Marine's daughter's college fund and a Best Bike Contest which raised money for a Fallen Marine's statue fund.  It was a wonderful day and we are already looking forward to the 2nd annual ride in 2010.

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 us know if we can help you in any way!! Our 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
Founder