Goochland Veterans Project

Mrs. Rachel Tate of the Goochland #Veterans Project will present to the Satellite #Rotary Club of #Military Family Support. Goochland Veterans Project connects 11th-grade history students with local veterans to inspire #leadership, civic #engagement, and a lifelong #respect for those who served. https://t.ly/VxQIk

Mid-Atlantic Region Raises Awareness for Domestic Violence

By David Todd, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Navy is observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October as a way to inform the Navy's Total Force about domestic violence prevention, how to identify the warning signs and how to report abuse.

Domestic violence goes beyond physical abuse and affects all age groups and social classes - both male and female. It can include emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse.

"Preventing domestic violence is a Navy-wide effort that depends on the commitment of everyone," said Rear Adm. Tim Alexander, commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. "I am confident we can reduce incidents of domestic violence by making sure our service members, civilians and their families receive the support they need, and that we hold offenders accountable. Domestic violence degrades readiness and we should never tolerate it."

As part of an effort to combat and prevent domestic violence, Alexander signed a proclamation, Sept. 25, declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the Mid-Atlantic region. In signing, Alexander urged individuals to learn about the warning signs and how to identify domestic abuse.

"Oftentimes, victims don't want to come forward because they are afraid," he said. "We have an obligation to know what to look for and to become actively involved when it occurs."

Alexander stressed that help and support are available for those who are victims of domestic abuse.

"There is no shame in seeking help when someone is in an abusive relationship," he said. "Never hesitate to reach out to your Fleet and Family Support Center, or a Navy chaplain. There are programs and services in place now that can help victims and help us increase our prevention efforts."

There are two reporting options available for victims of domestic abuse: restricted and unrestricted. Restricted reports do not involve military chain of command or law enforcement. Unrestricted reports, however, will include an investigation by command and/or law enforcement. In both cases, victims can receive a full range of advocacy, medical and counseling services.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, speak with a counselor or victim advocate at your local Fleet and Family Support Center, a healthcare provider at a military treatment facility, or a Navy chaplain about the options that are available to you. You may also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE, or visit www.thehotline.org for more information.

The Family Advocacy Program (FAP) is available to support families in the U.S. and overseas. FAP staff members are professionally trained, respond appropriately to incidents of abuse and neglect, support victims, and offer prevention and treatment services. An important part of the program is a collaboration among FAP staff, military units, law enforcement, medical and legal personnel, family service centers, chaplains and civilian agencies. This coordinated community effort is essential for success in preventing and responding to abusive behavior within military families.

 To find a Fleet and Family Support Center near you, or to inquire about the services that are available, visit 1.usa.gov/LnVW2m.

For more news from Commander, Navy Region Mid Atlantic, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnrma/.

Face of Defense: Military Couple Extends Family From Africa

By Army Sgt. Adrianna Barnes

16th Combat Aviation Brigade

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash., Sept. 26, 2012 – Adoptions can be both challenging and rewarding, but the challenges military couples face can be uniquely different due to frequent changes of duty station. For Army Maj. Peter Hathaway, 1st Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, and his wife, Kristen, overcoming those challenges was a must in completing their family.

Both Kristen and Peter wanted to adopt a child even before they met. When the couple first began dating, they said, one of the things that attracted them to one another was their desire to adopt a child with a special need for a family.

“We knew there were a lot of kids out there that need a family, and we just want to provide a family for a child,” Peter said. “We were lucky enough to find someone to fill that need for.”

Choosing the right time to take on the many challenges of adopting was essential. With their biological daughter, Amelia, now 2 years old, Kristen and Peter decided they were ready to adopt.

“So when we were married, we prayed about when the right time would be, and about seven months ago, we felt like God opened the doors and we began the process,” Kristen said.

While there is great need of families for children both domestically and internationally, the couple decided to adopt from Ethiopia, because Kristen had done missionary work in Kenya for seven months. She fell in love with the people and culture there, she said, and saw an immense need for adoption due to the orphan crisis in many African countries.

In Africa, a large majority of the children are orphans due to poverty or illness -- the most prominent being HIV and AIDS. Ethiopia has more than 100,000 orphans in the capital city, Addis Ababa, and more than 5 million in the country. About 800,000 are AIDS orphans.

“At that time [during missionary work], I knew Africa would be where I chose to adopt,” Kristen said. “Pete felt the same way about Africa, so it was natural for us to move in that direction when considering adoption.”

The couple began researching adoption agencies and identifying which programs they were eligible for, which brought on its own set of challenges due to Peter being in the military and the family moving so frequently. “Although all adoptions have some significant loss or grieving process, we felt the international route might be a better match for a military family,” Peter said.

After deciding on an agency, the couple began the adoption process with what many adoptive parents affectionately refer to as the “paper chase.” Essentially, they laid their lives out in paper form. Documents included birth certificates, marriage licenses, financial worksheets, letters of reference, and background checks from every state in which they had lived for the preceding five years.

A licensed social worker met with Kristen and Peter three times to assess them as prospective adoptive parents. Findings from the home study were put into a document that was sent to Ethiopia. Once the dossier was approved by the agency, the couple then waited for a referral.

For couples requesting to adopt an infant from Ethiopia, the waiting time is two to four years. For families wishing to adopt a child who is older or who has special needs, the wait ranges from one month to four years. The fastest way to adopt a child is to choose a child from a “waiting child list.”

Kristen and Peter said they chose to adopt a child from the list because they felt those children were most in need of a family. They chose an 8-year-old girl named Tshion, pronounced “See-on.” Once the referral was received and accepted, a court date was set to award them custody of the child. The court date was the couple’s first chance to meet their new daughter.

“She is a bright, funny, vivacious, caring, kind 8-year-old that has been through more things than most people can imagine,” Kristen said. “She is athletic and has a dream right now of becoming a supermodel. Seriously, she has her own runway walk made up. She is so excited to have a family, and we feel honored that we are going to be that family.”

When the Hathaways met Tshion, one of her first questions was “Where’s my sister?” Peter said Tshion and Amelia both seem very interested in being a sister. “She had a little pair of sunglasses she wanted us to give to Amelia,” he added.

The Hathaways’ process has been simple and easy compared to what some families have experienced, they said. Their biggest challenge was the quick time frame -- from the start of the process to bringing her home will be right at nine months, they said.

Going through the process so rapidly has created some financial strain, they acknowledged, but they said they receive support from their family and friends, and had set aside savings just for the fees associated with adoption.

“Right now, the hardest part is the waiting. We will hopefully have her home by the end of October,” Kristen said. “It is hard being away from a child that is legally yours. It is hard not being able to care for her when she is sick and not being able to remind her every night of how loved and desired she is.”

At 8 years old, Tshion is very aware of her situation and circumstances. She speaks little English, so Kristen and Peter want to keep her close to home for a while before sending her off to school. They said they are as eager to teach their new daughter English and American culture as they are to learn and embrace her Ethiopian culture.

“Family is not just about blood, color or anything else that we like to separate ourselves by,” Kristen said. “It is about loving another human being. It is about living out your life sacrificially for another person so that they might see their worth or beauty.”

Defense Department Studies Families Mourning Service Members

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – The Defense Department’s Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is conducting the nation’s first large-scale study of the impact of a service member’s death on surviving family members.

The university’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, based in Bethesda, Md., received funding through DOD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to conduct the five-year study to fill a void in understanding the myriad ways families are affected by a service member’s death ranging from the emotional impact to loss of benefits, Dr. Stephen J. Cozza, director of the center’s child and family program and a principal investigator of the study, said today.

“This is an opportunity for recognizing that military service has certain unique challenges, certain strengths, certain risks or potential protective factors,” Cozza said in an American Forces Press Service interview. “So this is an important opportunity to really understand the experiences of surviving family members and by understanding, to inform future policies.”

In the first phase of the National Military Bereavement Study, the center is seeking about 3,000 participants through its website whose family member died while on active duty since 9/11, Cozza said, noting that several hundred participants already are lined up. One-third of those deaths have been combat-related, one-third have been from accidents, and a significant number have been from illnesses and suicide, he said. The study will include any causes of death, and participants may be spouses or ex-spouses, parents, siblings or children by birth, marriage or adoption.

Participants will be asked to fill out a questionnaire in the study’s first phase. Then, they will be asked if they and their families will participate in the second phase, which studies families, including children ages 6 to 18, with in-person interviews.

In the first phase, participants also will be asked if they are willing to provide a saliva sample to provide genetic information to help understand whether a genetic factor applies to risk and resilience, Cozza said.

“Most people after a death – adults or children – have clear and significant mourning,” he said. “Over time, most return to healthy functioning, even if they continue to harbor grief and sadness. … But there does seem to be some population of adults and children where there are more complicated courses of bereavement. … We want to understand the likely risk factors for that.”

The study will follow families over the course of two years to understand how bereavement changes over time, Cozza said, adding that investigation of families isn’t well-known in the civilian world either.

“No two people’s experiences are the same,” Cozza said. “We really want to give as broad a description of these surviving family members as possible in all these relationship categories.”

The center has several nonprofit partners with the study, including the National Military Family Association, the Military Child Education Coalition, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and others.

A Hero’s Hero: Recognizing Signs of Trouble

In the life of a service member, family support is crucial.  The loved ones at home who offer comfort and encouragement in the midst of a sometimes chaotic military experience are vital to a service member’s well-being. But there’s another family in the life of a service member that is intimately acquainted with the rigors associated with military service.

The military family is the one in which comrades stand shoulder-to-shoulder in operations and combat.  It is the family that shares up-close-and-personal daily challenges and it’s also the one that strives to honor the mantra to never leave a fallen service member.

Hope is always antithetical to despair. And as our brother’s keeper, recognizing the indicators that may signal trouble for a fellow service member can literally mean the difference between life and death.

The Centers for Disease Control has published a list of risk factors which will help service members recognize potential signs of danger.

• Family history of suicide

 • Previous suicide attempt(s)

 • History of alcohol and substance abuse

 • Feelings of hopelessness

 • Impulsive or aggressive tendencies

 • Cultural and religious beliefs (e.g., belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma)

 • Isolation, a feeling of being cut off from other people

 • Loss (relational, social, work, or financial)

 • Unwillingness to seek help because of the stigma attached to mental health and substance abuse disorders or to suicidal thoughts

Visit www.RealWarriors.net for additional information and resources.

Several options available for combating suicide in the ranks

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

Suicide by service members is a limited but difficult threat to engage and defeat - but not impossible.

"I really believe, if there is a glimmer of hope, that someone considering suicide can be saved," said Staff Sgt. Dana Cowell, the Wisconsin National Guard's Suicide Prevention Program manager.

Part of keeping that hope alive is to kindle the understanding that the person contemplating suicide is not alone. The Department of Defense theme for this year's Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is "Stand By Them" - a prompt to get involved when a friend or loved one seems distressed.

Jacqueline Garrick, acting director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, said she encourages military family members concerned about a loved one's state of mind to contact commands, chaplains' offices, community services, or any other means of help they can reach.

"One of the key features that we're working on right now is with the Department of Veterans Affairs," she said. "For several years, they have been working on the Veteran's Crisis Line, and we have been working with them to rebrand [it] as the Military Crisis Line so that our men and women in uniform know that the Military Crisis Line - the '1-800-273-TALK(8255) number, press 1 if you're military' - is for them as well."

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia - senior enlisted advisor to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - said service members, family members and veterans in need of assistance, either for themselves or for a loved one, can call the number day or night to speak to someone.

"That someone, who will answer will be a medical health official ... with the background and expertise to make some immediate assessments," he said. "That phone call has complete confidentiality."

Cowell said one of the first courses of action the Wisconsin National Guard follows is to determine the service member's veteran status. Those who have deployed overseas are connected with resources such as the Vet Centers or VA hospitals.

"First, we call ahead to the VA to let them know that a service member is coming in, so they can be there to greet them," she said. "We usually provide an escort - we want a warm handoff so they know they're never alone."

Cowell acknowledged that there are fewer services for non-veteran service members.

"We really rely on local law enforcement, local hospitals and emergency rooms," she said. Other available resources include Bob Evans, the Wisconsin National Guard's resident director of psychological health, and Military Family Life Consultants such as Nan Gardner and Ruth Price.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno characterized suicide among service members as one aspect of a range of health-of-the-force issues, during a Sept. 10 address at the 134th National Guard Association of the United States General Conference in Reno, Nev.

"The most important thing is about creating an environment, a culture, where people feel comfortable, [and] can come forward and get the help that they need," Odierno said. He also cited screening people before, during and after deployments as one of a plethora of programs aimed at helping service members.

"These problems are not self-correcting," said Gen. Frank Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau, on Sept. 11. "They will not just go away. They require the collective action of leaders across the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs and the private sector."

Garrick acknowledged there is a common belief among military members that seeking help for mental health issues can damage their careers.

"Not seeking help is going to harm your career even more," she said. "So even if you have to take a medication, or you can't deploy, or you have to go for further testing, ... there are benefits to treatment. Treatment works."

Mental health support "that we know works" is available across the services through military treatment facilities, community mental health services and chaplains' offices, Garrick said.

"That will benefit your career in the long run," she added. "And it will benefit your life in the long run, because this isn't just about your military career - it's about your family well-being, it's about your safety, and it's about what your long-term plan is for your future."

Cowell said that relationship issues, legal or financial problems remain among the most significant stressors that can lead to thoughts of suicide. Evans explained that, in his experience, suicides generally result from two main factors - hopelessness and personal humiliation.

"Usually if a person is discovered with suicidal ideation, they have not yet reached a decision to kill themselves and are at some level accessible to intervention," Evans said. He develops an intervention strategy related to the issues behind the suicidal thoughts. For example, if the issue is a failed relationship he determines how to help the individual understand the reasons behind the breakup and how to more objectively evaluate why it happened.

"Engaging service members about dealing with suicidal ideation really results in having a basic understanding to what is driving this ideation, and displaying alternatives that the service member will view as viable," Evans said.

"I think the first key factor is to understand the signs and symptoms of suicide, and not to be afraid to ask the question," Garrick said. "It's a myth that if you ask somebody, 'Are you feeling suicidal?' that you'll put a thought in their head. And that's just not going to happen. If somebody's really in distress, … the first thing we want people to know to do is ask the questions, 'Do you feel like you could hurt yourself,' 'Do you have a plan?,' and 'How can I help [you through this crisis]?'"

Cowell said Wisconsin National Guard members can access a Risk Reduction and Resilience Library on the Wisconsin National Guard portal (internal network) for additional resources on identification and intervention.

Sgt. 1st Class Jim Greenhill of the National Guard Bureau, and Karen Parrish and Claudette Roulo of American Forces Press Service contributed to this report.