MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Lisa Walz has been feeling like she has been walking on eggshells for weeks.
How did it get this bad?
It has been almost three months since Lisa and her husband, Sgt. Dan Walz, arrived at their new duty station here.
Living overseas was a first for both of them and Dan didn’t seem to be adjusting well.
Little disagreements were suddenly out of control arguments and that was the least of Lisa’s problems.
Dan was becoming increasingly controlling and he was drinking a lot.
At first, it seemed as though Dan was looking out for Lisa’s best interests. He would tell her not to get a job so she could go back to school or how he thought skirts complimented her looks.
Now he tells her how there isn’t enough money to go to school and she’s too stupid anyway. He now forbids Lisa to wear pants.
He dismisses her input, ideas and makes decisions for the both of them.
She feels like a servant more than a wife. Nothing she does is right.
Lisa is starting to believe she’s crazy and has no one to turn to.
Dan never acknowledges his behavior. He claims she is overreacting and acts as if nothing had ever happened.
Lisa’s never been so far away from home, and making new friends has proven difficult for her.
As she reaches for the refrigerator door, she looks down at her wrist. The bruises are still visible and it had been a week since the incident.
She stops for a moment to think. Why is she putting up with this behavior?
Lisa married for love and she didn’t put up with Dan’s behavior out of obligation to her vows. It was because she wanted to.
She kept thinking back to their wedding day and all the wonderful memories they shared together, but Dan was making things difficult. Lisa has started to question the way she feels.
The memories were starting to fade as his recent behavior occupied her thoughts.
Lisa hears the door open and flinches. Dinner wasn’t ready yet.
Dan walks in and throws his bag on the floor.
“Hey, don’t I get a greeting?” he yells.
This is a good sign Lisa thought. Usually, when Dan returns from work she only hears the TV switch on as he yells for a beer.
She walks over to him and smiles. She barely opens her mouth before Dan snatches her by the wrist and pulls her close to him.
He whispers through clenched teeth, “Dinner isn’t ready is it?”
Dan has already been drinking. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes sends chills down her spine and a tear wells up in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers back to him. “I just started coo…”
The pain interrupts Lisa as Dan wrenches her wrist back.
She hoped this wasn’t going to happen again. Lisa had so much faith in Dan. She loved him so much. She kept thinking, “how could he do this to me?”
October is domestic violence awareness month. To bring light to some issues that some experience, this is just one scenario of domestic violence incidences, which occur every day.
Domestic violence is one of the most chronically unreported crimes in the U.S. but there are many resources on the station available to anyone suffering from domestic violence.
Next week will give an overview of resources available, different ways to get help and consequences of domestic violence. If you are in immediate danger, call 911/119. If you are using a cell phone, dial 082- 721-7700.