Those who serve in the armed forces provide an honorable service to the rest of the country. However, as we at the Law Office of Kristen L. Campbell, LLC, understand, not everyone enlisted in the military behaves with kindness and respect at home. There are some military marriages in Ohio and elsewhere in which spousal abuse is a regular occurrence. However, those in the armed forces are held to a high standard by their superiors. If your military spouse is abusing you, you should have effective recourse.
In any abusive marriage, the abused spouse can face constant fear of being intimidated, belittled, ridiculed, threatened and harmed. However, as you may be aware, certain factors unique to military life can complicate an already abusive and volatile situation, as in the following examples:
- Frequent deployments and the upheaval of periodic relocations causing stress in the marriage
- Combat situations resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder, which may trigger violent outbursts and anger
- Training and experience with deadly weapons and combat moves
- Easy access to firearms and other weapons
The American Bar Association points out that an enlisted spouse may face disciplinary action for domestic violence, including expulsion from the military. You may hesitate to report the abuse out of worry that a military discharge would leave your spouse unable to support you and your children, or fear of reprisal. However, you have the right to defend yourself and request assistance in escaping a violent marriage.
As our page on domestic violence explains, leaving an abusive marriage can be difficult. It is more complicated when your abuser is in the military, but you have legal and military resources to help.
