Amidst purple ribbons and tears of sadness for a former colleague who was a victim in a domestic violence homicide earlier in the year, Navy Installations Command (NIC) held a proclamation signing and remembrance event Oct. 5 to help bring in October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The remembrance event was held at the Washington Navy Yard, where Commander, Navy Installations Command, Vice Adm. Dixon Smith signed the proclamation to help educate personnel on the dangers and effects of domestic violence.

"Our dedicated Fleet and Family Support Centers' staffs encourage our Sailors, their families and the whole Navy community to nurture healthy relationships while providing programs and services to prevent domestic violence," said Smith.

According to the proclamation, Domestic Violence Awareness Month is intended to inform the community about the damage caused to individuals, children, long-term health care, work productivity and community safety from domestic violence.

Before the signing, a formal tribute event was held in honor of former NIC employee Naomi Howell, who lost her life in January to domestic violence. Howell was remembered with a ceremony that included a moment of silence, and the attendees were asked to keep an electric candle lit on their desk today to "let her light shine throughout the day" and represent all victims of domestic violence.

William Kellibrew, a victim of domestic violence when he was 10 years old, was the guest speaker and spoke of his personal tragedy.

"My mother's boyfriend shot my mother in front of me, and then he proceeded to shoot my brother," said Kellibrew. "Then he came to me and he put the gun to my head and I said, 'Please don't kill me' and for some reason he pulled the gun back and told me I could leave."

Navy Installations Command has a wide variety of resources to support Sailors and their families and wants everyone to know about those services that may be of help. Support services are for family members, and not exclusively for someone who is in trouble. Many times an individual may know of someone who needs help and can provide a tremendous amount of support by knowing where and how to get them in touch with the right person or program.

"Family advocacy is a congressionally-mandated program that provides prevention and intervention to military families that are involved in domestic abuse," said Lolita Allen, Family Advocacy program manager. "We provide services in terms of treatment for offenders and victims, and for children who have witnessed domestic violence."

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence:

* In America, one woman is fatally shot by a spouse, ex-spouse or dating partner every 14 hours.

* On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.

* 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime.

* 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

* 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime, to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.

* Three to 10 million children are witness to domestic violence in their homes, and research has shown children who witness domestic violence and do not get help are more likely to become victims or perpetrators of future abuse.

* Nearly 3/4 of Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence.

Installation Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSCs), located across the Navy both within the United States and overseas, have licensed clinical counselors who can provide services and support to help couples build their relationship skills and work through common relationship problems -- for example, parenting challenges through every stage of a child's life, according to Allen.

For more information about where to go for assistance, individuals may call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or visit http://www.thehotline.org/.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Commander, Navy Installations Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.