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Two dedicated professionals from 1st Marine Division were recognized at the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office annual awards ceremony May 21 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The awards ceremony acknowledges the dedication and outstanding contributions of individuals in combating sexual assault and destructive behaviors within the military.
The two members of the Blue Diamond received the Liz Blanc Exceptional Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Victim Advocate of the Year award and the Promoting Excellence in Prevention award.
The Liz Blanc Exceptional SAPR VA of the Year Award was presented to U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Elizabeth Hosie, a victim advocate with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division.
“Everything you do as a SAPR VA requires empathy,” explained Hosie, who also served as a supply officer with 1st LAR Bn. “As a SAPR VA, you learn the institution’s legal and medical proceedings, being the liaison between the affected individual and the resources they need.”
Hosie’s experience as an advocate traces back to her time at the U.S. Naval Academy as a peer educator for the Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Education program. As a peer educator, she would facilitate discussions about sexual harassment and sexual assault to empower her peers with increased awareness and active intervention skills. According to Hosie, becoming a SAPR VA was a natural transition from her responsibilities at the academy to the Fleet Marine Force.
“My goal was to be the best VA, to be a better platoon commander to the Marines and Sailors I was representing,” added Hosie, who recently was assigned to the office of legislative affairs at
Headquarters Marine Corps. “Developing the skills to excel in one role allows me to excel in the other.”
Over the past year, Hosie provided support to numerous survivors, ensuring they received comprehensive care and access to essential resources.
“As a SAPR VA you are in the background with hope that one day you are not a part of that victim’s life,” said Hosie. “The most rewarding experience is seeing a survivor heal and move on. It speaks to the resiliency of their character.”
Hosie’s approach is characterized by her deep empathy, coupled with a robust understanding of the unit’s environment. Her advocacy extends beyond individual support. Hosie was the only victim advocate for a battalion of nearly 1,000 Marines and Sailors for almost a full year, meaning she was the only one that could train them in annual and predeployment training.
“In general, there is bad rap for the workload of a SAPR VA – ‘you’ll be busy all the time’ is what I have been told,” said Hosie. “However, I was very lucky to have a chain of command that cares so deeply for the Marines, the Sailors, and the mission. The Marines’ desire to take care of each other is what makes the Marines at the division unique.”
While providing support as a SAPR VA, Hosie co-founded a women’s interest group that provided resources and social support for personnel. Her relentless dedication has had a profound impact on both the individuals she has supported and the Marines and Sailors she has led and trained at 1st LAR Bn.
“Lt. Hosie is easy to talk to, she is an approachable leader,” said Lt. Col. Alexander Navia, who served as the executive officer for 1st LAR while Hosie was with the unit. “Her lasting legacy was standing up a women’s group for Area 41. The purpose of the group was to ensure that
policies and resources available were understood, that the participants of this group were armed appropriately.”
The Promoting Excellence in Prevention Award, which recognizes outstanding innovative prevention strategies, was awarded to Morgan Humberger, from Headquarters Battalion, 1st MARDIV. Humberger has played a role in advancing initiatives aimed at reducing destructive behaviors within the Marine Corps.
“At the end of the day, I try to get ahead of all the destructive behaviors that we face here at the battalion,” explained Humberger, the embedded preventative behavioral healthcare specialist at HQ Bn. “It gives me a chance to help Marines get ahead of things in life that they don’t even think are problems, before those issues turn into problems.”
Embedded preventative care specialists provide commanders with a macro perspective, achieved through collaborative communications, integration of prevention activities, and streamlined analysis and information. Humberger’s primary role involves creating several training and educational programs aimed to reduce problematic behaviors within the unit.
“The most recent training program I have conducted is assertive communication training,” said Humberger. “This training program is provided to the Marines who have a hard time advocating for themselves. I teach them some techniques to communicate better.”
These types of training programs increase a Marine’s level of awareness and focus on developing the interpersonal skills of the Marine, skills required to effectively communicate, interact, and work with individuals and groups. Additionally, Humberger created an educational workshop, to include a trauma-informed leadership training program, taught during corporals course.
“Trauma-informed leadership is taught to Marines in leadership positions to become informed about adverse childhood experiences and how it impacts a Marine’s behavior, expanding on how, as leaders, they can help teach Marines regulation skills that they might not have gotten as a kid,” explained Humberger.
Humberger pulls from the experiences and stories of her family members who have served in the military, noticing the commonalities that contribute to the development of destructive behaviors.
“I grew up around the military and have seen glimpses of the culture and environment,” explained Humberger. “I’ve seen what happens to Marines who do 20 years and retire. Many become lost in this culture for so long they don’t have many life skills following them into the civilian world.”
These experiences influenced Humberger to create the training and educational programs to develop the interpersonal skills of Marines. Humberger aims to continue to foster an environment where prevention is a collective responsibility and shares her training programs with adjacent units.
“The training programs I have put together have been well-received, especially the trauma-informed leadership one,” said Humberger. “My goal is to spread that training to other units in the division to create wider behavioral health programs that can benefit the entire division.”
Hemberger’s dedication to the development of Marine’s interpersonal skills to reduce destructive behaviors incorporates a holistic approach to maintain the readiness of the Marines at HQ Bn.
The SAPRO annual awards ceremony serves as a reminder of the continuous efforts and commitment these individuals have for their units. This years’ recipients, Hosie and Humberger,
exemplify the extraordinary dedication and impact individuals can have in supporting service members.
“The most rewarding experience while fulfilling this role is the relationships that I have built with the Marines,” said Humberger. “A lot of these Marines, even after they leave, are going to stick with me for the rest of my life.”
The contributions of Hosie and Humberger are paving the way for a safer and more supportive environment within the 1st Marine Division
“This award is less about what I do personally and more about how VA’s make an impact, from the conversations had in passing to the predeployment training” said Hosie. “It’s nice to know our efforts add up.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2024 17:41 |
| Story ID: | 474939 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 154 |
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