In 2002, two mothers from northwest Harris County with sons entering the U.S. Marines found each other online.


After talking for a while about their experiences, co-founders Kay Gibson and Jay Blott realized the power of support that comes from sharing their stories. As a result, the pair started Houston Marine Moms the next year.


“It’s important to know you do have somebody out there going through the same thing,” said Tina Gorcie, who became the nonprofit’s president in 2013.


The group met for the first time in January 2003 at a local Starbucks with eight members. Today, the charitable nonprofit has moms and dads from all branches of the military, Gorcie said.


Because the group is so large and spread out across the Greater Houston area, it does not have general meetings. However, area coordinators organize events for different regions, and members meet to assemble care packages for deployed troops.


“A lot of our boys will be discharged from active duty, and the moms will stay active with us,” Gorcie said. “They become veteran moms in a sense.”


Sending a child to the military is not like sending a child to college, Gorcie said. As her son is deployed, she has anxiety about officials ringing her doorbell to let her know something has happened to him.


“There’s no comparison to not knowing if they’ll be coming back,” she said. “Nothing can compare to not hearing from your son or daughter for 13 weeks, not knowing what’s going on.”


A few Houston Marine Moms have had children killed in action, Gorcie said. Because of the nonprofit, those women were able to pick up the phone and have a group member at their houses for support right away.


The group is prepared to provide support from the time someone shows interest in enlisting through boot camp, deployment and transitioning back to life as a civilian. Gorcie said many Marines feel like “machines” by the time they return home.


The organization works closely with the Houston chapter of Camp Hope, a post-traumatic stress disorder recovery program. One in 5 Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans suffers from PTSD, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.


“Unfortunately, you get some [Marines] that come out of combat and don’t do very well,” Gorcie said. “We have a few that have taken their own lives. We send our boys individually, but we become a mom to them all.”






10609 Grant Road, Bldg. B, Houston
832-942-4402
www.houstonmarinemoms.org