Battleland

Living-Room War: Stressed-Out Marines

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We noted a couple of weeks ago the Navy’s efforts to try to reduce sexual assaults in the ranks by getting rid of the so-called “bystander mentality.” That’s where people – in the instant case, sailors – look the other way when some of their shipmates prey on some other of their shipmates. Turn bystanders into watchstanders, the thinking goes, and there’d be a lot less sexual assaults.

We suggested that this tolerance is a sad indictment, in part, of the nation’s parents, who send their kids off to the fleet without the backbone to fight such abuse.

Now the Marines are doing something similar.

But they’re seeking to tame domestic violence among Marine families by calming the stress that often fuels it:

The United States Marine Corps, Headquarters Marine Corps, Marine and Family Programs Division is seeking to identify any sources with capabilities or prior experience than can provide training and support for up to 26 Prevention and Education Specialist and Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) Prevention and Education Program Manager on the proper use and protocol on how to deal with stressors at work and at home…

Objectives: To support the mission of prevention of domestic and child abuse, the USMC Family Advocacy Program (FAP) needs to provide prevention and Education Specialist with the education and training to conduct effective, evidence-based, stress management classes for Marines and their family members.

It’s a problem. In October, the corps highlighted domestic-violence awareness month with this chilling phrase: “Keepin’ our homes combat free.”

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who oversees the Marines as well as the Navy, has stepped up to the deckplate to try to deal with such soul-eating challenges. Recognizing the problem is the first step toward getting a handle on it.

It’s something to keep in mind that as we focus so much attention on women in combat, there are military members — and military family members — in combat far from the war zones.

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