By Ens. Angelique Therrien, Naval Air Station Pensacola public affairs
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Terry ‘Village’ Shashaty joined members of the installation’s Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) and the commanding officers of tenant commands to sign a proclamation Oct. 3 denoting a continued and unified recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, themed this year as ‘United Against Domestic Abuse.’
Although a national initiative observed annually in October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, designed to raise awareness on domestic violence and inform about domestic violence prevention efforts and reporting options for victims, is a mainstay at NAS Pensacola, something Shashaty said is a critical function of ensuring mission capability.
“We respect, support and defend victims of domestic abuse,” he said. “We want to ensure that all military members, civilian employees and families know that we are here to support them. Our Navy has a strong community network of services available them that includes options they have to report any incidents.”
Domestic abuse, as defined by the Department of Defense (DoD), is violence or a pattern of behavior resulting in emotional or psychological abuse, economic control and/or interference with personal liberty directed toward a person who is a current or former intimate partner or involved in a social intimate relationship.
“Domestic abuse is not just about physical violence and it’s not just between husbands and wives. When anyone is verbally debased, socially or financially controlled or emotionally traumatized by their intimate partner, domestic abuse has occurred,” Sam said. “It’s critical that everyone knows how domestic violence can erode mission confidence and the steps they can take individually to ensure that they – or someone with whom they work – know of programs which can provide assistance.”
Shashaty further added that more than 10 million Americans are victims of physical violence each year, about 20 individuals every minute, and stressed that awareness of domestic violence reporting procedures is a key element of both an organizational and individual response to domestic violence scenarios, and ensuring all NAS Pensacola service members and civilian employees are aware of how a potential incident is handled is a shared responsibility.
According to Celeste Reeves, the installation Family Advocacy Program (FAP) Representative, there are different types of reporting for incidents of domestic abuse: restricted (sometimes referred to as private or confidential reporting) which can preserve the privacy of victims and limit who is involved; and unrestricted reporting, where victims can enlist law enforcement to investigate the incident, which includes contacting the alleged abuser. Additionally, the Navy’s Family Advocacy Program (FAP) provides clinical assessment, treatment and services for service members and their families involved in incidents of domestic violence/abuse and child abuse/neglect.
“It is important that all military personnel and especially leaders are trained in recognizing and reporting domestic abuse. We all have a responsibility to uphold fleet readiness and that includes ensuring the well-being of Sailors,” she said.
NAS Pensacola FFSC FAP employees can connect interested personnel to emergency services, counseling and emotional support, housing and shelter, and financial and legal services. Additionally, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (www.thehotline.org/) at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
NAS Pensacola, referred to as the “Cradle of Naval Aviation,” is designed to support operational and training missions of tenant commands, including the Naval Aviation Technical Training Center (NATTC), Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC), the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT), Marine Aviation Training Support Groups (MATSG) 21 and 23 and is the headquarters for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).