Speaker calls for action on domestic violence

By Kevin Fleming, ASC Public AffairsOctober 14, 2015

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1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Keynote speaker Russell Strand, chief of the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division, U.S. Army Military Police School, discusses the seriousness and the difficulty of addressing domestic violence at Rock Island Arsenal's Domestic Violenc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Keynote speaker Russell Strand, chief of the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division, U.S. Army Military Police School, removes his suit jacket to make a point about what he called people's "third persona" at Rock Island Arsenal's Domesti... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Keynote speaker Russell Strand, chief of the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division, U.S. Army Military Police School, discusses the seriousness and the difficulty of addressing domestic violence at Rock Island Arsenal's Domestic Violenc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Keynote speaker Russell Strand, chief of the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division, U.S. Army Military Police School, paces in front of the Rock Island Arsenal's command group during his speech at the RIA Domestic Violence Awareness Mon... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- Keynote speaker Russell Strand, chief of the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division, U.S. Army Military Police School, discussed the seriousness and the difficulty of addressing domestic violence during Rock Island Arsenal's Domestic Violence Awareness Month Symposium, Oct. 8.

Strand said it is important to change the way that people in society see domestic violence.

"The prevalence rates for domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse has not decreased one iota in the past 40 years I have been in law enforcement" he said. "This has to change, for if we don't change our direction, we're likely to end up where we are headed, and that is simply unacceptable."

Throughout his speech, Strand attempted to connect with his majority Soldier audience by talking about his own experiences as a non-commissioned officer. He used military language like "casualty" instead of "victim" or "survivor" to describe those adversely affected by domestic violence.

"The battlefield is our homes, families, and communities -- it couldn't be more personal because the casualties include our family members, friends and co-workers," he said.

Strand also talked about what he called the "theory of the third persona," where the first persona is a public "mask" that others tend to judge favorably whereas the third persona is the hidden private "mask."

"We believe that most offenders are masters of the first persona, and have superior skills to hide the third persona," he said. "Understanding the application of this theory is essential in understanding how otherwise 'nice' people could be capable of committing such horrific acts of domestic violence."

Following this point, Strand removed his suit jacket to reveal a tattered shirt with words like "liar," "rapist" and "alcoholic" written across the front and sleeves. Strand said that too often in the courts and in day-to-day life, people judge perpetrators when their coats are on, but the victim sees the person with the coat off.

Strand emphasized the need for people to understand how the trauma caused by domestic violence can affect victim's behaviors. He said that trauma victims often struggle with remembering time-ordered sequences, distance, and the "who, what, when, where and how" of events.

"Trauma victims often mimic what we have been taught to look for in people who are deceptive," he said. "This is why trauma victims are often misunderstood as being deceptive."

Strand said trauma victims are better at remembering sights, sounds, smells and feelings. He also said that police should focus more on other physical evidence when investigating potential crimes.

Strand closed his speech by encouraging the audience to "build a world that doesn't exist" by choosing to be a part of the solution and by helping those in need.

Attendees at the keynote speech said that Strand's speech was impactful.

"I think the event was entirely appropriate and maybe even should be done more often," said Chaplin (Lt. Col.) Jeffrey Botsford, U.S. Army Sustainment Command, command chaplain. "There are so many things [Strand] brought up that were important, and I've been around this stuff for years."

About 55 people attended the keynote speech, and most of them were Soldiers.

"I can't speak for those who were unable to be here for whatever reason, but to me it is imperative -- I want to be a part of it," said Botsford, who is also one of the leads in the new Community Health Promotions Counsel Behavioral Health Working Group. "Those who didn't come, they missed out."

The event was sponsored and hosted by RIA's Family Advocacy Program. Chassity Morse, domestic violence victim advocate with the RIA's FAP, said that having events like this one is important to improving the health of the community.

"Any time we offer an educational opportunity to people in the community, we increase their capacity to change and learn," she said. "We increase their ability to move forward in a positive direction in their relationships, and to look at their own patterns of behavior to see if there is something that maybe they can improve upon."

The symposium included two afternoon sessions with three optional classes for each session.

Strand ran a class about the stark realities of intimate domestic violence including rape.

Wendy Navarro, Illinois domestic violence and sexual assault supervisor, SafePath Survivor Resources, ran a session about ways bystanders might intervene to prevent domestic violence.

Nicole Barnes, Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois Trauma Informed Care Consortium, taught a class about understanding domestic violence and trauma in military families.

Linnea Thompson, Rock Island County court judge, and police Maj. Eugene Fomby, deputy chief, RIA Police Department, ran a session about the local effort to address domestic violence.

Lindsey Hornbaker, community education program manager with the Child Abuse Council, taught a class about how domestic violence affects children psychologically throughout their lifetimes.

Maj. Gen. Kevin O'Connell, commanding general, ASC, attended the keynote speech. O'Connell has stated several times over the past year that issues related to domestic violence remain a priority for his command and the Army.

Other notable attendees included: Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Bryant, command sergeants major, ASC, Kathryn Szymanski, chief counsel, ASC, Col. Elmer Speights Jr., garrison commander, U.S. Army Garrison, Melanie Johnson, executive director, Army Contracting Command-Rock Island, and Brig. Gen. Stephen Farmen, commanding general for the Joint Munitions Command and the U.S. Army Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command.

Related Links:

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Army Sustainment Command Flickr page

Rock Island Arsenal Homepage

Army Sustainment Command YouTube page