Low Crawl is necessary in army training
Women accepts ever challenge in life. She compete the men even in army training. Low crawl is necessary for all army persons. Low Crawl is an exercice and a practice to learn how to save and secure self even in the rain of firing. Army Capt. Valerie Nostrant low-crawls under barbed wire during training at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Dec. 14, 2021.
Photo By: Markus Rauchenberger, Army
Expert in civilian personnel plans too
New Delhi: 3rd October 2020: (US Dod//The Women Screen)::
Ms. Julie Blanks is the Executive Director, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
In her previous capacity, she served as the Principal Director for Military Community and Family Policy, and assisted the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy with a broad portfolio that includes policy, advocacy, and oversight of all community support to service members and families including quality of life issues; family and casualty assistance; morale, welfare and recreation programs; Military OneSource program; and policy oversight of the Defense Department's commissary and exchange services.
Earlier, Ms. Blanks served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy where she was responsible for policy and oversight of civilian personnel plans, policies and programs that affect Department of Defense employees worldwide.
Ms. Blanks entered federal service in 2001. She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College where she earned a master’s degree in military strategy. She holds two additional master’s degrees, one in social work from the University of Alabama and the other in human resources management from Troy University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication at Auburn University.
Courtesy: US DoD
The DOD Safe Helpline is a hotline dedicated to members of the DOD community affected by sexual assault. Safe Helpline offers completely anonymous, confidential, 24/7 support available online at www.safehelpline.org or by calling 877-995-5247. In addition, the Safe Helpline Mobile App provides access to one-on-one support, peer-to-peer support, information, resources and access to self-care exercises 24/7, worldwide, on a mobile device. Safe Helpline personnel can provide crisis intervention support and – with their robust and verified database of resources across the nation -- refer members to care resources within their local community or to the closest SARC or SAPR victim advocate.
| By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2013 - Lauding Americans' increased outpouring to service members, their families and veterans, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, have vowed to continue leading the Joining Forces initiative during the next four years with a goal of creating a national culture of appreciation and support. The mission of Joining Forces is "to rally this nation to support our military families to make sure that we are supporting them – our troops and our veterans – as well as they have supported us," Obama said during an exclusive interview with Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Josh Hauser, a Pentagon Channel correspondent. "Our belief is that everyone can do something," she said. "And we have seen the country step up in ways big and small." Joining Forces has mobilized every sector of society by encouraging employers to hire veterans and military family members, promoting efforts to cut through red tape to transfer professional licenses as military spouses move between states with their loved ones, and giving teachers the tools to help military children, the first lady noted. "People have really reached out, and we have gotten such great response. We feel pretty good about that," Biden said. "And we are going to continue this for the next four years – to keep pushing that and plugging away. ... We hope this continues in our culture for years to come." As they prepared to kick off the presidential inauguration weekend by hosting a tribute to military families Jan. 19, Obama and Biden told Hauser they've seen increasing understanding among the American people of the contributions and sacrifices service members and their families make every day. "There is growing appreciation, but I think there is still more work to do," Obama said. "We want to keep shining that spotlight." Recognizing the end of U.S. military operations in Iraq and the drawdown in Afghanistan, the first lady said support for service members, veterans and military families is more important than ever. "That is not when it ends. That is when it begins," Obama said. "Because as families are making that transition to civilian life, it is going to be more important than ever before for us to show them how valued they are to us – and not just in words, but in deeds." Obama and Biden said they are struck as they meet with military families by their strength and resilience, and the maturity and adaptability of military children. "They are learning to juggle responsibilities, dealing with their emotions and dealing with the highs and lows of life in very stressful, emotional conditions," she said. "And they are succeeding. They are successful, smart, bright young people." The skills they are learning now will give them a leg up when they face other challenges in life, and an appreciation of the tradition of service that has made America great, Obama said. "Our military kids are the best that the country has to offer. So we want to make sure they know this, and they can talk about their skills in a positive way," she said. "And we want to make sure the country can appreciate and understand the uniqueness that these kids bring to any task, to any group, to any situation, so that we embrace that." Initiative during the next four years with a goal |
| Related Sites: Joining Forces Pentagon Channel Interview Special Report: Military Family Support Special Report: Inauguration 2013 |
| "Educating the community is really important," By Lisa Daniel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2012 - The Defense Department and each of the services are drawing attention to the plight of domestic violence because of people like Amanda Tenorio, a victim advocate for Army Community Services at Joint Base Henderson Hall, Va., and a domestic violence survivor.
"Educating the community is really important," Tenorio said in a recent American Forces Press Service interview. "A lot of people know someone in that situation, but they don't know how to handle it." Kathy Robertson, the department's Family Advocacy Program manager, said the programs, which are on all military installations and include more than 800 clinical social workers, are designed to help couples through problems before they turn violent, but also respond to emergencies that require health care, police and shelter interventions. "Our whole focus is on treatment and intervention and trying to help both the victim and the abuser," she told AFPS. The services are focused on training all leaders, from platoon sergeants to installation commanders, Robertson said, to recognize problems and encourage help before violence occurs. Military leaders and domestic violence workers worry about increases in domestic violence during what is a volatile time for Americans, Robertson said. People in stressful situations, whether related to the economic recession, military downsizing, or dealing with the aftermath of combat are at greater risk for violence, she said. "War doesn't necessarily make you more violent, but it does change you," she said. "And we're all very concerned about this financial situation. When you lose your job and your mortgage has gone under and you're just making ends meet, things can get out of hand." Case workers are trained to help manage stressful situations before they boil over, Roberston said. They start with a safety assessment of the couple, then tailor intervention to meet their needs, she said. Treatment may mean learning how to talk through problems, practicing taking a "time out" when angry, or swearing off alcohol, which makes some people more violent, she said. "Everyone has rough times in a relationship. We want to help them get those communication skills to work with each other." If violence has occurred, it can be reported to a family advocacy office either as a "restricted" report, which means the command and police will not be notified, or "unrestricted," which means they will, Robertson said. A restricted report is kept confidential except in cases in which an advocate determines a victim is in imminent danger, she said. Robertson stresses that family advocacy programs are not involved in discipline and a report of domestic violence to a commander doesn't necessarily mean a service member will be disciplined. "What the commander often does is take that service member out of the home for 72 hours just to keep [the victim] safe," she said. An abuser who shows concerted effort to get better "goes a long way" in a commander's decision about discipline, she added. In fiscal 2011, military family advocacy social workers supported 14,237 people in response to domestic violence reports. Victim advocates worked with 18,055 during that time, Defense Department records show. The family advocacy program, Military OneSource, and military family life counselors supported many more who sought help without a report being filed, Robertson said. She also noted that half of all reported cases were from a female service member abused by a civilian man. Domestic violence cases involving a service member or one of their family members usually are handled in the civilian system if they happen off base and military family advocates also coordinate for services in the civilian system, such as temporary shelter, which the military does not provide, Robertson said. Victim advocates are available 24/7 -- many are personally familiar with domestic violence -- and have worked with the civilian system, she said. Tenorio, an Army contractor whose case did not involve the military, uses herself as an example to break down stereotypes of domestic violence victims. "Everybody has an image of a poor, uneducated, drug abuser," she said. In fact, Tenorio has a bachelor's degree in social work and sociology and worked as an intern in domestic violence. The fact that she didn't see the relationship for what it was underscores the denial and rationalization that happens with domestic violence, she said. "I was aware it was domestic violence, but I was not calling it that in my mind," said Tenorio, who was working as a travel agent in the Washington, D.C., suburbs after taking several years off to be home with her children. Eventually, Tenorio said, "I reached point where I knew this was not going to get better." She recalled what a frustrated police officer told her when she wouldn't cooperate to get her abuser locked up: "The next time this happens, one of you is going to end up dead." "I didn't want it to reach that point where I was dead and he was in prison," she said. "I was to the point where I would rather go to prison, but I never got to the point, mentally, where I could see myself killing him." Far from killing him, Tenorio said, she didn't even fight back -- until the end -- because even blocking a blow in self-defense would agitate him more. "If I did nothing, his aggression would die down quicker," she said. Looking back, Tenorio said, she sees "classic red flags" from the start of their relationship: his jealousy, possessiveness, talking down about her while inflating himself, and a temper that exploded over things like lost car keys or her cell phone ringing. The violence started three months in and followed what Tenorio and Robertson say are classic domestic violence patterns of abuse followed by "honeymoon" periods of perceived remorse by the abuser: apologies, professions of love, and promises of change. But, Tenorio said, as the relationship went on, the honeymoon periods were replaced with accusations of "Why do you make me do this to you?" or outright denial. "He asked me, 'Who did this to you?'" she said. Control often is a centerpiece of abusive relationships, Tenorio said, and hers was no different. "If he saw that he was losing control of me, that would set him off." Tenorio said victims often feel isolated, as she did. She lived with her abuser and was fairly new to the area and had no local family, while he had a network of support in parents and friends. Much of the abuse took place in public and, while most witnesses ignored it, some called police, Tenorio said. In one instance, local police pressed charges, but Tenorio agreed to go along with a lie her abuser and his mother concocted to have the charges thrown out, she said. "I told [police] we got in a fight and I just want my things and want him to go and leave me alone," she said. "But it's never that easy. It's easy to say it, but with classic abuser, that's losing control of me and he wouldn't allow that." "I thought the best thing for me to do was to stay on his good side," she said. Tenorio said she had little faith in police and courts because her abuser had a history of criminal problems and had gotten out of all of them. Each time they separated, he always found her, even when she moved, she said. Perhaps the worst abuse Tenorio describes was a two-day ordeal in which her abuser bound, gagged and blindfolded her in a chair in a motel room, then poured gasoline around the room, promising to set it ablaze if she upset him. He eventually released her, but after another beating and a series of events involving her trying to escape and some witnesses attempting to help, she said, he drove them out a long, dark road at night repeatedly smashing her head against the windshield and passenger window until they broke. She managed to get into a convenience store when he stopped for gas and the cashier locked the door behind her and called 9-1-1. Tenorio laid down on the store tiles and slipped into a coma. She awoke in a hospital two days later, she said, with a name plate that said "Carla Doe." Still, Tenorio stayed with her abuser a year longer, even nursing him back to health after he was shot in a drug deal, and suffering more beatings until finally escaping and calling police. She was taken to a domestic violence shelter and her abuser was put in jail without bail, she said. Tenorio's abuser is serving a 15-year sentence in a Virginia prison and recently was extradited to Maryland to face multiple felonies next month related to the violence that put her in a coma, she said. With the help of a local police domestic violence officer, she rented a new home, got a new job as a program manager while volunteering with civilian domestic violence groups. She also gained custody of her two children and last summer began working for the Army's victim advocate program. "I think everything played out for me the way it was supposed to," Tenorio said. "The detective knew what was going on from the first time she saw me, but she knew I was in victim mode and something just had to click in my mind" to leave the relationship. With her social work degree, her personal struggles and her understanding of the system, Tenorio is passionate about helping others. "It sounds so easy to say 'just leave,' but you can't really comprehend someone's fear until you've been through it," she said. Tenorio's experience shows how domestic violence is complicated by the psychological state of the victim and the abuser, Tenorio and Robertson said. Getting a protective order may seem obvious, but it often leads to more violence, they said. Robertson said she is glad to have Tenorio and other survivors of domestic abuse as part of the military's family advocacy program. "Domestic violence is hard," she said, and advocates must understand the complexities. "You can help them leave, but victims still have a tie to that person," she said. "There's a whole cycle of the honeymoon period and the flowers and the 'I'm-so-sorries.' It's a very vicious cycle." Early intervention by family advocates can prevent violence, Robertson said. And, she said, bystanders can help, too. "Let that person know there are resources out there," she said. "Acknowledge that you heard something [or saw something], and let them know there is help." Military Works to Prevent Domestic Violence | ||
| Related Sites: Military OneSource Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network |
