Domestic Abuse Awareness Month begins Published Oct. 1, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Dennis L. Sloan Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst community recognized Domestic Abuse Awareness Month with a proclamation ceremony at Tommy B's Community Activities Center Oct. 1. JB MDL major mission partner commanders will sign the proclamation demonstrating their commitment to preventing domestic violence. Lt. Col. Erik Simonsen, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron commander, and Master Sgt. David Bryden, 32nd ARS first sergeant, will speak about integrating mission and family. Both Simonsen and Bryden, along with their wives, will share their experiences of balancing family life with military life. "Our squadron is one that demands our servicemembers to be flying constantly," said Bryden. "With such a demand on servicemembers, their families feel the brunt just as much as they do. We want to let spouses know that when their husband or wife is gone they are not alone. For a servicemember to be truly prepared to carry out the day-to-day mission they must be mentally and physically healthy. A stable family life will help servicemembers prevent domestic violence in the home." More than 20 events are scheduled for the month of October; each is geared toward bringing awareness to the JB MDL community. "The goal of these events is to promote public awareness about domestic violence prevention and provide a broad spectrum of resources that everyone can use to prevent domestic abuse from occurring," said Melodye Giovanni, 87th Medical Group Family Advocacy Program Outreach manager. "Along with providing information and resources for domestic violence prevention, we also support survivors of domestic violence and hold those that have committed domestic violence accountable for their actions." For more information regarding Domestic Abuse Awareness Month events, contact the JB MDL Family Advocacy Program at 754-9680.