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Fort Hood, Texas — Fort Hood single Soldiers have a robust Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program providing them with ways to interact, fun activities and life skills. The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation also provides single Soldiers with life skills lessons in dating through the Expect Respect for Single Soldiers dating class.
“The single Soldiers dating class is specifically targeted for all ages,” said Monica Garza, Family Advocacy Program educator with Army Community Service. “The class we did today was for adults 18 and over, and the class is to give them tools to assist with identifying red flags for dating violence, how to identify green flags, what good healthy dating looks like versus unhealthy dating.”
Garza said the purpose of the class is to prevent intimate partner violence and domestic violence, as well as giving Soldiers the education on what to look for when they are starting to date.
Esmirna Adams, FAP educator, ACS, facilitated the class by giving tips on healthy dating.
So, what are some of the red and green flags Soldiers should look out for while dating?
Adams noted some specific positive and negative behaviors to look out for when navigating dating.
Jealous When You Talk to Other People
Many Soldiers felt this was a red flag and indicates controlling behavior and makes it difficult to maintain peace.
“If you have that security and that safety and you feel comfortable with that partner you have, you should be OK with it, right,” Adams said. “People need to understand when they come into a relationship, there’s people who they’ve been with before. … That’s part of your past. It shouldn’t affect your current relationship.”
Constantly Checking Your Phone
Adams said checking a partner’s phone shows a lack of trust and invasion of privacy.
“This is a red flag,” she said. “It is a respect factor and your independence.”
Makes You Feel Unsafe and Scared
“You should definitely try to be safe, feel safe and be comfortable with the person we are in a relationship with,” Adams said. “If we feel scared, then we know that that person is not the right one for us.
“You feel like you can’t speak your mind, you can’t go hang out with your friends because something might happen or you’re going to get into that fight,” she continued. “That does put a lot of stress on you. It takes away from your day-to-day activities, and then you can’t focus on what you’re actually trying to do.”
Continually Comes by Uninvited
Adams said when a key to the home is given, a person is saying it is OK for the recipient to be at the house. She says it comes down to the boundaries set for personal space.
“You should feel comfortable in your own place,” she said. “You should feel that you can be in your own element without having anybody show up. You should have that respect for your privacy and your time.”
Name Calls and Insults You
The discussion within the class emphasized a person that cares and respects their partner should not make them feel unwanted and would not insult them.
“So, it is a red flag — that respect for your partner is an important thing. So, if they’re calling you out of your name, that respect is no longer there,” Adams said.
Adams made sure the class was well rounded by also including green flags Soldiers should expect in their relationships.
Wants You to be Happy in What You Do
A partner should want their partner to be their best self.
“It helps you build that communication,” Adams said. “It helps to build that person — who you are and what are those things that you like to do. So, it should help them grow.”
Trusts You and Does Not Show Jealousy
Again, trust is a major factor in a healthy relationship. Some Soldiers expressed difficulty establishing trust in relationships due to their careers and lack of understanding from their partners.
“Trust is a very important thing to have,” Adams said. “It is a foundation of our relationships. Jealousy is a normal human feeling, an emotion. However, we don’t want to cross that line. If you’re with
somebody, you have to make sure that you have a solid relationship when you can trust that person, or you don’t have to worry about something else on top of everything you have going on yourselves and vice versa.”
Does Not Force You to do Things
Adams continually stressed the need for partners to be independent and that included making their own decisions.
It’s a green flag, she conveyed.
“(A partner who) doesn’t force you to do something you don’t want to do is a good thing,” Adams said. “You have to have your independence and know for yourself what you want to do.”
The FAP has many relationship classes to help Soldiers and their families stay safe. From teenage dating to establishing and maintaining healthy family relationships, FAP accomodates every lifestyle. Commanders can request a class for their footprint. The class hosts males and females, so the discussions can be fruitful for all. According to Garza, each battalion has their own FAP educator that can schedule this class for them.
“We work for the Soldiers and their families,” Garza said. “We have many, many resources available if anyone ever has any questions, even if it’s not regarding the classes. We, as FAP educators with FAP prevention through Army Community Service, are able to be a point of contact for them, so they can always reach out to us for any type of information, and we’ll be more than happy to assist them.”
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2025 09:48 |
| Story ID: | 548679 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Dating tools made easy for single Soldiers at Fort Hood, by Derika Upshaw, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
