A Club They'd Love to Leave

St. Petersburg Times ^ | 11/19/2006 | BRADY DENNIS

[USMCPOP]

TAMPA - Dick Linn sits inside Room 109 at the La Quinta Inn, lost in the glow of his laptop.

He's 53, a traveling software salesman far from his Virginia home. He's also the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Karl Linn, 20, who was killed during an ambush near Haditha, Iraq, in January 2005.

Each month, the war creates new Dick Linns across the country. Despite the presence of support groups and counseling, many of them still grieve alone.

But Linn and others like him have discovered a safe haven in a quiet corner of the Internet. The popular Web site, www.marineparents.com, contains a private, password-protected forum for Gold Star families - those who have lost a Marine at war - where they can share openly with others who have suffered a similar fate.

[USMCPOP]

Just thought if anyone knows anyone who could use the support, there's a bunch of us out here. Brady has written some good articles:

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/22/Floridian/One_thin_thread.shtml

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/09/17/Worldandnation/Pain_and_patriotism.shtml

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/02/12/Tampabay/The_long_road_to_reco.shtml

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/05/Worldandnation/Sports_therapy.shtml

[MNJohnnie]

Thank you for the post. We will help spread the word.

[MNJohnnie]

Could you help ping this thread to the Canteen people and others Freepers in the support the troops network?

[RaceBannon]

Marine Ping List

[Recon Dad]

God Bless the parents of the falling Marines. The ones that are left behind suffer greatly, no matter what is said or how much condolence is offered.
I pray for them and their Marines every day.

[Kimmers]

Thanks for the ping

[ConorMacNessa]

Thanks for the ping, Race - good to see there's a group our bereaved can turn to.

[Nancee]

"Thanks for the post. We will help spread the word."

DITTO!!

Nancee

[roaddog727]

Bump

[Marine_Uncle]

Thanks for the ping. I have frequented this web site and during my nephew's first deploy. It was a real pleasure to
meet some of the people first hand when we welcomed the Marines home. Such web sites are such a blessing.

[TomasUSMC]

SEMPER FI

[Chieftain]

MarineParents.com prohibits free speech. They moderate and screen and approve/disapprove every post. If you say what they don't like, it is not posted, say it again, and your posts get ignored by the moderaters. They don not communicate any reasons to you, they just ignore your posts. If you email them about it, you get banned.

As a career Marine and a Marine Parent, I found the moderators and operators of that website to be a clique of certain individuals who don't allow input from others outside of their 'circle', especially if those individuals have more knowledge of the workings of the Corps than they do, (and they don't know much).

There are some nasty folks there.

[Mr. Jazzy]

I find it INCREDIBLY difficult to believe that the communist rag called the "St. Petersburg Times" would EVER have anything positive to say about the Marine Corps.

This is a decent article but I cannot believe that they are not using this and other stories about our military as anti-American, anti-miltary slam.

There is NO WAY that the editorial staff of that propaganda rag let anything positive out about the war effort.

[USMCPOP]

Sorry you feel that way. That has not been my experience, but then again I don't know what you encountered. They do screen everything except the Gold Star forum. I've not encountered anyone who is nasty.

[freema]

Damn good story, POP. How's John doing? I haven't been on the other forum in ages, miss catching up on him, Sarah, and Chris. I went back there once or twice and saw they'd locked up and bolted shut the politics forum. LOL!