If a Marine becomes a widower while in service and has no other family members available to care for the children, the Marine's situation would be addressed through the military's Family Care Plan (FCP) process.
The Family Care Plan is a mandatory requirement for all service members with dependents (spouse, children, or other family members) and is designed to ensure that appropriate care is provided to dependents during the service member's absence due to deployment, training, or other military duties. This plan is especially crucial for single parents, such as widowers in the military.
As part of the Family Care Plan, the service member would work with their chain of command and military personnel specialists to establish suitable care arrangements for their children while they are deployed or unavailable. The Marine would be required to designate one or more individuals who would be willing and able to care for the children during the deployment or absence. These designated individuals could be relatives, close friends, or other trusted individuals.
The designated caregivers would need to be aware of their responsibilities and willing to assume guardianship or temporary custody during the service member's absence. They may need to undergo a screening process and complete necessary paperwork to ensure they meet the military's standards for caregiver suitability.
The Family Care Plan is taken seriously by the military, and failure to comply with the requirements may result in disciplinary actions or limitations on the service member's ability to deploy or undertake certain assignments.
It's important to note that the specific procedures and policies related to the Family Care Plan may vary among different branches of the military. Each service member should work with their unit's Family Readiness Officer or military personnel office to understand and complete the necessary steps to create an appropriate and effective Family Care Plan for their circumstances.