FORT MONMOUTH, N.J. -- It wasn't just dirty laundry. That clothesline you may have seen around the post this month was not someone trying to multitask and do their wash while they were at work. It was Fort Monmouth's addition to The Clothesline Project, a national network bearing witness to violence against women.

The first Clothesline Project consisted of 31 decorated T-shirts representing a woman's experience with domestic violence.

It was created in Hyannis, Mass., in 1990 by the survivors of domestic violence or those who cared about them. That single clothesline became the symbol of a national movement.

"When we learned about the program, we thought that we could do that here," said Susan Mullen, Army Community Service (ACS) Family Advocacy Program manager. "We invited the community--anyone touched by domestic violence to come by, paint a T-shirt and talk about their experience or what happened to someone they knew. We found that anyone who had any sort of encounter with domestic violence was shaken to the bone."

"Powerful, very powerful" was the phrase uttered again and again about the experience of coming together and recounting stories of friends, neighbors and family members who became victims of domestic violence at the hands of someone who was supposed to love them, not hurt them physically and emotionally.

"They came to paint a shirt. Some brought their own and some used ones we gave them. After they finished, they stayed to tell their story; each very personal. It was a real cross section of people from all walks of life," said Shannon Cunningham, ACS Family Advocacy specialist.

The purpose of the project was:

* To bear witness to the survivors as well as victims in the war of violence against women.

* To help with the healing process for survivors or for those who have lost loved ones.

* To educate, document and raise awareness of the extent of the problems caused by domestic violence.

* To provide a nationwide network of support, encouragement and information for others who wish to start their own clothesline project.

The Fort Monmouth Clothesline Project was on display in front of the ACS building, at Lane Hall, Patterson Army Health Clinic and the Myer Center.

According to facts collected by The Clothesline Project, one out of every two women will be in a violent relationship; one woman is raped every minute and before they turn 18 one in three girls and one out of five boys will be sexually assaulted or a victim of incest.

If you or someone you know is in a violent relationship, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800 799 SAFE (7233) for help.