CAMP PENDLETON -- While the number of U.S. troops now killed in Iraq is drawing worldwide attention, some of combat's most painful wounds can take place after troops return.

Families often unprepared for the harsh effects of battle cope with adjustment difficulties such as post-traumatic stress disorder and domestic violence.

Today, a "Heroes and Healthy Families" conference being held on Camp Pendleton addresses just such issues, and with a large wave of local troops due back next month, organizers say the timing of the conference couldn't be better.

The all-day event takes place at Camp Pendleton's South Mesa Club and is open to active-duty military, their spouses and family members, as well as support personnel on base.

"Camp Pendleton welcomed us with open arms," said Leslie Howard, a domestic violence coordinator with the Orange County Superior Court who helped put the conference together. "We approached them because we want to augment the wonderful services they have on base and connect them with outside resources in community."

While the conference provides participants easy access to resources, arranging the event was no small feat.

Howard and Orange County Superior Court Judge Pamela Iles, who handles domestic violence, child and elder abuse cases, began meeting with Camp Pendleton officials last September and they have spent the ensuing months arranging the event particulars. Organizers said they targeted the base to educate military families and on-base personnel about additional resources available.

"What we're trying to do is help give them the tools to identify any potential problems with returning Marines related to combat stress," Howard said. "It's totally preventative, and the exciting thing is that we're able to come in and provide resources and money they don't have."

Iles is no stranger to large-scale outreach programs aimed at abuse prevention. She initiated the Family Violence Project, a program now in its second year of U.S. Department of Justice grant funding. The grant provided $500,000 a year for three years for family crisis education and outreach efforts. The project has a teen violence prevention curriculum that will debut in six Orange County schools next month.

The conference, however, was outside the scope of the grant and was funded entirely by a single private donor, Stanley Ekstrom of Orange County, who paid the approximate $25,000 cost of the day's events, organizers said.

The conference's keynote speaker will be U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona. Among the other scheduled speakers is San Diego Assistant City Attorney Gael Strack, who manages San Diego's Family Justice Center.

Figures with respect to domestic violence on Camp Pendleton were not immediately available, public information officers at the base said Thursday.

"I think domestic violence is a grossly underreported crime, and any time we can get it out of the closet and can get people to talk about it, it's a wonderful thing," Strack said Thursday. "Any time you have a strong military presence in the community, you are going to see more of those cases.

"Domestic violence impacts all of us, whether you're on a military base, tribal land or any ZIP code in America, you're going to have domestic violence," she said.

The resources the conference will provide access to are crucial, Strack said, especially because victims' fear of what may happen to their spouse's military career may prevent some abuse victims from seeking on-base assistance.

"These people need to know how to access outside services if they need them, or they could either be killed or continue to suffer in silence because they don't know what resources are available to them," Strack said.

The afternoon will be focused on specific areas of concern, with nine sessions on subjects including the effects of domestic violence on children, alcohol, drugs and rage, family intervention, sexual assault and healthy, post-deployment reunions.

Because of the heavy nature of the conference's subject matter, prizes will be awarded to attendees to help lighten the mood. Prizes include tickets to Disneyland, premium seats at an Anaheim Angels game, one-night stays and dinners at local casinos, gift certificates and the day's grand prize, a 42-inch plasma television.

Learn More

The following numbers provide confidential, 24-hour assistance for victims of domestic violence.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:

(800) 799-SAFE (7233)

The Family Justice Center of San Diego:

(888) DV-LINKS (385-4657)

Laura's House, a San Juan Capistrano-based domestic violence shelter, family crisis and counseling center.

(949) 498-1511

Contact staff writer Anne Riley-Katz at (760) 731-5799 or ariley-katz@nctimes.com.