Sexual Assault Awareness Month Published April 7, 2010 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Keesler joins the rest of the Air Force in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month during April. "We put up a flag display on Larcher Boulevard April 1 near the entrance of the new base exchange and commissary complex with the help of five Airmen awaiting the start of their training," said program specialist Barry Newman from the base's sexual assault prevention and response office. "We put up 546 flags to represent the 546 Air Force victims that reported being sexually assaulted in fiscal 2009. That figure comes from the Department of Defense report to Congress that was recently released." Plans call for the flag display to move to the Triangle Monday. Comedian Bernie McGrenahan brings his Happy Hour message on a return visit to Keesler Friday. Shows are 8 and 10 a.m. for permanent party members and 3:30 p.m. for nonprior service students only. As part of Keesler's victim advocate training next week, Tuesday's Commitment to End Violence seminar in the Sablich Center Auditorium features two guest speakers. Heather Wagner, special assistant district attorney general and director of the domestic violence division discusses state and federal domestic violence and sexual assault laws. Shalotta Sharp from the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault provides a briefing on emergency department care for victims of sexual assault from a military perspective. Four "target hardening" self-defense classes for women are planned to cover certain situations where risk of sexual assault is high and strategies to avoid those situations, along with tools to deal with potential attacks. Nonprior service Airmen can attend training from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and April 17 at a location to be announced. April 29, two sessions are planned for permanent party members and civilians - 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. For more information about any of the events, call Mr. Newman, 377-8635 or e-mail barry.newman@us.af.mil.