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Domestic
violence prevention is crucial to the Army mission.
It is a mandated part of our Family Advocacy Program, and the regulations
that govern family advocacy. Each October, we put a special focus on the
prevention of domestic violence in the Army, to remind ourselves that
this is a year-round mission.
This
year, our theme is “Preventing Domestic Violence: It’s Everyone’s Duty.”
It is central to the Family Advocacy mission, which strives to achieve
the outcomes of “safety, self sufficiency, personnel preparedness, and
community cohesion. ” From the Commander’s perspective, family advocacy
in behalf of domestic violence prevention is the responsibility of every
individual at this installation.
Our command commitment to domestic violence prevention is total. We want
toprevent it from occurring in the first place, and we will intervene
decisively and effectively when it does occur. Our twin slogans for this
year’s campaign spell it out in a dramatic way: “Prevent Domestic Violence:
Preserve Domestic Tranquility”. This reflects our conviction that prevention
is the best strategy. Many of our mobilizations in the 1990’s have been
driven by humanitarian concerns, and we have worked heroically to restore
peace and tranquility in troubled places around the globe. We are motivated
to maintain tranquility in our own family lives so we are always ready
and able to serve our country whenever we are called.
“Stopping Domestic Violence: Its Not Just a Good Idea — It’s The Law.”
This reflects our commitment to intervene when prevention fails, and to
use the full weight of our authority to assure that when domestic violence
occurs, we will move decisively to stop it from re-occurring. Everyone
in this community is responsible for assuring the safety of all who live
and work here. Self-sufficiency is only possible when all soldiers and
families are strong and adaptable — positive assets to our Army. The
combination of thorough training and having your home life and every part
of your life in order is at the heart of what we mean by personnel preparedness.
Soldiers, commanders, civilians and families — all need to be committed
to Army life in order to maintain community cohesion. When domestic violence
occurs anywhere in the life of our community, it undermines our community
and our mission. In domestic violence prevention, community cohesion is
a driving force for us to form partnerships with civilian agencies off
post — law enforcement, shelters, advocacy groups, and others.
The bottom line is that “domestic violence prevention begins with me”
–and you, and every individual in this community. Our duty and responsibility
call on us to succeed in this campaign against domestic violence and in
favor of domestic tranquility – it is not just a good idea, it is the
law.
To further these ends, I hereby declare October 1999 Domestic Violence
Prevention Month at (Name of Installation) and call on every member of
this community to join in the campaign for the balance of this year, and
throughout the Year 2000.
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