Sailors, family members, and civilians from the local community gathered to mark the beginning of October with a silent witness walk and candlelight vigil at Jackson Park, Sept 30, in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

After a 45 minute walk around military housing in Jackson Park, participants gathered at the Jackson Park chapel for a vigil focusing on a traveling memorial of silhouettes honoring victims of domestic violence who have been killed by their abusers in the Kitsap county community. On each silhouette, there is a name, age and a story of a person killed during a domestic dispute.

“It’s good to be aware of domestic violence, because people often think it’s not going to happen to them,” said Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Amanda Edwards, Naval Base Kitsap security officer. “Being informed about the warning signs, as well as some of the horror stories of what has happened to victims here in the Northwest is important.”

The candlelight vigil began with an introduction by Naval Base Kitsap Commanding Officer, Capt. Mark Olsen, who spoke of the Navy’s involvement both past and present in preventing, educating, and stopping domestic violence.

“In the 1980s, the Navy realized the need for improved family support, better family service programs and the subsequent realization that family matters like domestic violence had to be brought out of the darkness and fully addressed,” said Olsen. “This walk, this vigil are pure indicators that we here at NBK are aware of the standard to our family life. We are educating our family members.”

Former Navy Region Northwest Chief of Staff, Capt T.J. Dargan, also spoke, providing many statistics as well as his insight into the nature of domestic violence as it pertains to the military community.

“There are some cultural issues and risk factors for domestic violence associated with military families,” said Dargan. “Among Navy recruits, 54 percent of our female Sailors and 40 percent of our male Sailors witnessed parental domestic violence prior to enlistment.”

Deployment reunification also creates a unique stress on families in the military,” Dargan added. “Deployments require the partner left at home to assume new roles. Long separations can also foster distrust between the family and uncertainty about the future.”

Region Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Schneirla, alongside songwriter and musician, Caroline Pierce, sang “Try to Say Goodbye” and “Into the Garden”, both written by Pierce about her family’s experience with domestic violence.

One by one the silhouettes were brought to the front of the chapel and their stories were read aloud.

“The issues that I help people work through are very profound and intense, but it’s very rewarding because I think that our treatment programs really make a difference,” said Kathy Selves, Navy Family Advocacy Program counselor. “I see the men and women who come out of our program making much better choices and feeling better about their lives and their relationships.”