In accordance with Department of Defense procedures, MCCS can not comment about the status of any Marine Corps casualty until the notification of next of kin has occurred. DoD policy is to provide accurate and timely information while ensuring the privacy of individuals and their families.

Once a casualty has been confirmed, a Marine Casualty Assistance Calls Officer (CACO) will be sent to notify next of kin and to act as a liaison between the family and the Marine Corps, as well as other government and non-government agencies. If you are the spouse or parent of a United States Marine, you will be the first person to be notified of a casualty or injury.

To learn more about our Casualty Assistance Program, click here.

Information for Survivors of Retired Marines

The attached booklet is general information survivors of retired Marines may need to include finance information, general resources, and forms. The booklet also contains a point of contact section in the case a survivor has questions with anything contained within the booklet.

Divorce is a civil matter, as such the Marine Corps does not assist Marines or family members financially when they choose to divorce. Some administrative assistance may be available from the base legal office with completing a separation agreement, which is a first step toward a divorce. It is recommended that both parties obtain a civilian lawyer to begin the legal process.

If both parties are amenable to counseling or relationship strengthening courses, the following programs may provide assistance: LifeSkills Training, CREDO, and Family Advocacy.

The Marine Corps occasionally receives requests from adult children for help finding current and former Marines who may have fathered an illegitimate child out of wedlock. Due to Privacy Act Regulations, the Marine Corps cannot provide any information of a personal nature about current or former Marines without prior authorization. There are a few other courses of action that may be available. One approach would be to hire a Confidential Intermediary which is a legal firm that can gain access to government records to find people and contact the found person to notify them of your interest in contacting them. Confidential Intermediaries may be found by conducting an internet search for "confidential intermediary" and the state where the father or the child was born.

Please follow the instructions located at on the Marine Corps Exchange website.

United States Marines go to Boot Camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego or Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Please visit these links for information about graduation.

For information about graduation from the School of Infantry, please visit Camp Pendleton's or Camp Lejeune's websites.

The Separations and Retirement Branch (MMSR-6) may be able to assist individuals wishing to locate former or retired Marines. Email MMSR at: smb.manpower.mmsr6@usmc.mil

Or, mail your request to

Separation & Retirement Branch
Head Retired Services (MMSR-6)
3280 Russell Road
Quantico, VA 22134

Claims of paternity must be ordered by an appropriate court. Court orders for Paternity Testing may be submitted to the Marine Corps Legal Assistance Branch at 703-614-1266/3880/3886 or Records Branch at 703-784-703-784-5792/5682/3783

It is recommended that the State Child Support Enforcement Agency be contacted for assistance with establishing paternity. They can assist with filing the necessary claims with the court, usually at no cost.

Parris Island - call (843) 228-1555

MCRD San Diego - call (619)-524-4426 or (619) 725-6279

Note: The yearbook office only archives two years of yearbooks. Yearbooks for Marines graduating more than two years ago may be available through the MCRD Historical Society. They can be contacted at (619) 524-4426. The Historical Society can not guarantee the availability of yearbooks. Graduation videos can be ordered by calling (619) 725-6294. A credit card is required to purchase by phone. The customer service representative can assist with price, shipping charges, etc. It is necessary to know the graduation date and helpful to also know the company and battalion of the graduating company.

For assistance with Non-Support issues contact the Marine Corps Legal Assistance Branch at 703-784-3126

Wage garnishment information can be found at: www.dfas.mil/garnishment.html.

The Corps expects all Marines to provide their legal dependents with adequate and continuous support. Nevertheless, the Marine Corps is somewhat limited in the kind of help it can provide. Counseling is the only non-judicial intervention available for dealing with complaints of this nature. If the counseling fails to achieve a solution, the only recourse must be through the civilian courts.

Former Marines who served honorably during a declared or undeclared war and whose most recent service was terminated under honorable conditions are authorized to wear the uniform with the insignia of the highest grade held during such war service at Military funerals and in the course of related travel.

The purchase of individual clothing items is limited to those items specified in MCO P4400.151B, figure 6-2 (generally includes all Class A, B and C uniform items but does not include the utility uniform). Uniform items may be purchased from the Mail Order Program, 1545 Crossways Blvd., Suite 200, Uniform Support Center, Chesapeake, VA 30320, 1-800-368-4088.

All applications for the purchase of any uniform items must be accompanied by documentation to prove entitlement, such as a copy of the Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge (DD Form 214-MC) or the Honorable Discharge Certificate (DD Form 256). Grooming standards while wearing the uniform should present a proper military appearance, so that the professional image of the U.S. Marine Corps is maintained.