Table Of ContentBATTLE CRIES ON THE
HOME FRONT
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Judith D. Mercier, a former social worker, received a B.A. in communications from
the University of New Haven, a M.A. in English from Old Dominion University in
Norfolk, Virginia, and is currently completing her M.F.A. in creative writing at Old
Dominion University. In addition to having taught writing and literature courses at
Christopher Newport University, Old Dominion University, and St. Leo College,
she has been the nonfiction and managing editor for the Dominion Review, Old
Dominion University's national literary journal. Her articles, profiles, and reviews
have appeared in Tidewater Directions, Virginia Woman, and Nova. At present, she is
working on a collection of nonfiction stories about Duck, North Carolina, and a
book-length critical study of contemporary literary nonfiction.
Peter J. Mercier, a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, has
a B.S. in criminal justice administration from the University of New Haven, a M.A.
in applied sociology from Old Dominion University, and 16 years of law enforce
ment experience. A former adjunct instructor at Old Dominion University, St. Leo
College, and City Colleges of Chicago, he is working on research in domestic vio
lence and computer deviance. He recently wrote a chapter entitled "On-line Crime:
In Pursuit of Cyber Thieves," which appears in Criminaljustice Technology in the 21st
Century, edited by Laura Moriarty and David Carter (1998, Charles C Thomas).
BATTLE CRIES ON
THE HOME FRONT
Violence In The Military Family
Edited by
Peter J. Mercier, M.A.
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
and
Judith D. Mercier, M.A., M.F.A.
Old Dominion University
Charles CT homas
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ISBN 0-398-07034-2 (cloth)
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Printed in the United States ofA merica
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.
Battle cries on the home front : violence in the military family / edited by
Peter J. Mercier and Judith D. Mercier.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-398-07034-2 --ISBN 0-398-07035-0 (paper)
1. Family violence--United States. 2. Families of military personnel.·
United States. 3. Military spouses--Abuse of·-United States. 4. Children
of military personnel--Abuse of--United States. I. Mercier, Peter J. II.
Mercier,Judith D.
HV6626.2 .B28 2000
362.82'92'088355--dc21
99-050281
Dedicated to the Memory ofP eter Neidig,
"Whose Research on Domestic Violence in
the Military Community Paved the Way for Others
DISCLAIMER
The views, Opl1l10nS, and findings contained throughout this book are
those of the authors and editors and should not be construed as official
Department of Defense positions, policies, or decisions, unless so designated
by other official documentation.
CONTRIBUTORS
Leana C. Allen is a graduate student in the Department of Criminology and
Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. Her research interests
include domestic violence, criminological theory, and sentencing. She is cur
rently collaborating with Sally Simpson andJoel Gamer on an evaluation of
the Maryland preferred arrest policy for domestic violence cases.
Leasley K. Besetsney is the research and data program manager for the U.
S. Air Force Family Advocacy Program at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. He
is responsible for child and spouse abuse treatment and prevention program
evaluation projects.
Albert L. Brewster was formerly the director of Family Advocacy Research
at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas.
Raymond V. Burke is the director of parent training programs at the
National Resource and Training Center, Father Flanagan's Boys Home, Boys
Town, Nebraska. He and his staff have trained more than 1600 parent train
ers throughout the United States and Europe. He is also on the faculty at the
University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Dianne Cyr Carmody, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of
Sociology and Criminal Justice at Old Dominion University. Her research
interests include police response to domestic violence, media depictions of
violence against women, and campus crime. Dr. Carmody's work has
appeared in the Journal of Family Violence, the Journal of Marriage and the
Family, and Violence and Victims.
Loretta Cepis, a major in the U.S. Air Force, is a clinical nurse specialist.
She received her M.S. in nursing from the University of Maryland. Her
research interests include domestic violence and perinatal health outcomes.
She has been in the Air Force for 16 years and is currently stationed in San
Antonio, Texas.
vii
viii Battle Cries on the Home Front
Beth Gering, a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, is a perinatal clin
ical nurse specialist. She received her B.S. in nursing from Clemson
University and a M.S. in nursing from the University of Maryland. Her
research interests are domestic violence and perinatal health outcomes. She
has been in the Navy for 13 years and is currently stationed in Roosevelt
Roads, Puerto Rico.
E. Heath Graves received his M.A. in criminal justice from Virginia
Commonwealth University. He has served as a pilot and as a security offi
cer in the U.S. Air Force for six years, serving in Texas, North Carolina,
Cuba, and South Korea. Presently, he is a captain at Andrews Air Force
Base, California.
Marilyn D. McShane, Ph.D., is professor and chair of the Criminal Justice
Department at Northern Arizona University. Her research interests include
corrections and criminal justice management. She has co-authored several
books in criminological theory, community corrections, and correctional
management, as well as co-edited The Encyclopedia of American Prisons. Dr.
McShane has also participated in a number of federal-and state-funded
research projects with the National Institute for Corrections, San Bernardino
County Probation Department, and the California Department of
Corrections, Parole Division.
David Marshall obtained his Masters in criminal justice from California
State University, San Bernardino. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S.
Marine Corps, where he worked in training and the development of domes
tic violence policy. He is currently employed in local law enforcement in
Michigan.
Joel S. Milner, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology, Distinguished Research
Professor, and Director of the Center for the Study of Family Violence and
Sexual Assault at Northern Illinois University. He has received research
funding from federal agencies such as the National Institute of Mental
Health, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the Department
of Defense. He is the author or co-author of more than 140 book chapters
and articles; his recent programmatic research has focused on the description
and assessment of child physical and sexual abusers and on the testing of a
social information processing model of child physical abuse.
Willard W. Mollerstrom, Ph.D., is director of the Clinical Investigation
Facility and Senior Biomedical Science Corps Advisor to the Commander,
David Grant Medical Center, Travis Air Force Base, CA. He oversees 250
Contributors
IX
research protocols, a staff of 28 personnel, and coordinates career progres
sion for 77 biomedical officers assigrted to the center. He has numerous pub
lications in the family violence arena and has taught graduate research cours
es as an adjunct clinical research professor. His experience includes private
practice in clinical social work and state and federal level program and pol
icy administrative positions.
Laura J. MOriarty, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of
Criminal Justice and Assistant Dean, College of Humanities and Sciences,
Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. She has a Ph.D. in crim
inal justice from Sam Houston State University. Dr. Moriarty is the co-author
(with R. A. Jerin) of the textbook Victims of Crime (Nelson-Hall, 1998). Her
research interests include violent crime, victimology, and domestic violence.
Her published work has appeared in the Americanjournal of Criminaljustice,
journal of Criminal justice Education, Criminal justice Policy Review, Criminal
justice Review, journal of Contemporary Criminaljustice, among others. She is
also the co-editor (with R. A. Jerin) of Current Issues in Victimology Research
(forthcoming, Carolina Academic Press) and (with David Carter) of Criminal
justice Technology in the 21st Century (1998, Charles C Thomas).
Michael A. Patchner, Ph.D., is Professor and Associate Dean at the School
of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh. For the past 20 years, he has served
as a faculty member or administrator at three universities where he engaged
in social work teaching, research, and administration. He has numerous pub
lications and is the co-author of two research methods texts, Planning for
Research and Implementing the Research Plan. He has administered a number of
publicly funded research projects and has served as a consultant to various
human service organizations, including the U.S. Air Force Family Advocacy
Program.
Nancy Raiha, a colonel in the U.S. Army, is currently chief of social work
service and director of the Behavioral Science Service Line at Madigan
Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington. She has previously served as
chief, Social Work Service, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Colonel Raiha
received both her M.S.W and Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of
Washington in Seattle.
Penney R Ruma is a senior data analyst for youth information services at
Father Flanagan's Boys Home in Boys Town, Nebraska. She has been instru
mental in the research and evaluation activities for the Common Sense
Parenting program.
