Sexual Abuse By Military Recruiters

More Than 100 Women Raped Or Assaulted By Recruiters In Past Year

(CBS/AP)  More than 100 young women who expressed interest in joining the military in the past year were preyed upon sexually by their recruiters. Women were raped on recruiting office couches, assaulted in government cars and groped en route to entrance exams.

A six-month Associated Press investigation found that more than 80 military recruiters were disciplined last year for sexual misconduct with potential enlistees. The cases occurred across all branches of the military and in all regions of the country.

"This should never be allowed to happen," said one 18-year-old victim. "The recruiter had all the power. He had the uniform. He had my future. I trusted him."

Barry Vogel represents a young woman who wanted to become a Marine, CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano reports. But now she's suing the Marines.

"He said to her, outright, if you want to join the Marines, you have to have sex with me," Vogel said. "She was a virgin. She was 17 years old."

The ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services panel has responded to the investigation, saying "outrageous" misconduct by military recruiters needs tougher penalties.

At least 35 Army recruiters, 18 Marine Corps recruiters, 18 Navy recruiters and 12 Air Force recruiters were disciplined for sexual misconduct or other inappropriate behavior with potential enlistees in 2005, according to records obtained by the AP under dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests. That's significantly more than the handful of cases disclosed in the past decade.

The AP also found:

The Army, which accounts for almost half of the military, has had 722 recruiters accused of rape and sexual misconduct since 1996.

Across all services, one out of 200 frontline recruiters — the ones who deal directly with young people — was disciplined for sexual misconduct last year.

Some cases of improper behavior involved romantic relationships, and sometimes those relationships were initiated by the women.

Most recruiters found guilty of sexual misconduct are disciplined administratively, facing a reduction in rank or forfeiture of pay; military and civilian prosecutions are rare.

The increase in sexual misconduct incidents is consistent with overall recruiter wrongdoing, which has increased from just over 400 cases in 2004 to 630 cases in 2005, according to a General Accounting Office report released this week.

The Pentagon has committed more than $1.5 billion to recruiting efforts this year. Defense Department spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke insisted that each of the services takes the issue of sexual misconduct by recruiters "very seriously and has processes in place to identify and deal with those members who act inappropriately."

In the Army, 53 recruiters were charged with misconduct last year. Recruiting spokesman S. Douglas Smith said the Army has put much energy into training its staff to avoid these problems.

"To have 53 allegations in a year, while it is 53 more than we would want, is not indicative of the entire command of 8,000 recruiters," he said. "We take this very seriously and we take appropriate action as necessary to discipline these people."

Congressman Ike Skelton of Missouri is reacting to an Associated Press investigation that found dozens of disciplinary actions in the past year for recruiter misconduct, ranging from rape to consensual romantic relationships.

Skelton says such abuses are "absolutely unacceptable" and he proposes a military-wide adoption of a "No One Alone" policy. The prohibition against recruiters being alone anywhere with female enlistees was recently adopted by the National Guard.

Skelton says he'll also seek an Armed Services Committee hearing to explore new penalties for recruiters who violate the military code.

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©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Add a Comment

by ncjoy August 19, 2006 7:12 PM PDT

Nothing New -- In August 1974, when I was 18 and going through the process of enlisting into the Army, my recruiter drove me to all of my appointments and bought me meals and was very nice and professional, until he asked me for a picture of me in a bathing suit and then took me to a drive-in movie and made out with me the night before I was leaving for basic training. Of course, that was only the first of many times, in my 12 years of service, that senior NCOs and officers (most of whom were married at the time) wanted to get in my pants. I had to constently work to keep things professional and not let myself be used by them. Many female soldiers loved getting that kind of attention. My roommate in Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon had an ongoing affair with her Drill Instructor from basic (a married man) and I did end up going out with my First Sergeant and then marrying him and then divorcing him after he started having *** with another married female soldier in his unit. *** in the service happens a lot. It happens more than people realize. There is a lot of flirting going on between the sexes and the girls usually only report anything when they've thought that they were going to get more out of it than they did (such as special treatment or even marriage) and then they feel cheated and want to get even.

Reply to this comment

by limonator August 20, 2006 10:30 AM PDT

Thanks lindajholt about the real nature of some females in the military- I was a senior NCO in the army and the females that were under my command, scared me more than any enemy we faced. They flirted and would wear *** items under their uniforms. I would try and counsel them, even take corrective action. But, the advice from my superiors was be very carful - if you make one mad... sexual harassment, ect ect. The big question was "do I really want to end my career today" for some female recruit. I will thank all the females I did serve with that were professionals.

Reply to this comment

by rickkeelean August 20, 2006 12:05 PM PDT

It's sad. Ever since High School, we have been taught about equal rights & equal treatment. The big problem here is: Some (repeat SOME not most or not all) women utilize their sexuality and sensualness to acquire "something". Yet, when they are done or bored, then they jump and claim assault, rape, sexual improprieties, etc. & our Justice System accepts their version with more weight than the accused. Don't take this wrong, YES, there are MALE manipulators who will and do take certain advantages upon women, BUT, it's not all men!It's really sad when a claim has been made and (after years of defending theirselves and being publicly "convicted") the accuser either is found to be false or admits to being false.The accused is RUINED beyond repair and the accuser is just set adrift to be forgotten. How is this just? As before, I agree that "some" accusations are true & should be prosecuted, but, what about the false ones? If we are going to teach equal, then let's get to equal!

Reply to this comment

by whatithink-2009 August 20, 2006 4:17 PM PDT

- dippydoole

This is clearly not a racial issue, but some people prefer to turn EVERYTHING into a racial issue. Besides, your spelling is horrible.

Reply to this comment

by judyreed151 August 21, 2006 11:49 AM PDT

My daughter is a U.S. Marine and was raped by her recuiter. she was promised if she told the truth she would not be punished. Truth is she was punished. Her pay was taken away and she was restricted to the barracks. She was the victum here, yet she was punished. She was raped while her recuiter was in Calif. on charges of rape for a 14 and 16 yr old girls. She believed in this man and looked up to him, saying someday I want to be as good a Marine as he is. I don't know what happen to him other than he does have jail time. How much is unknown. He still called her from jail but she would not report it for fear of getting in more trouble. Lord help these young girls to tell the truth and get these men out of our armed forces. Judy Reed

Reply to this comment

by dmp68 August 21, 2006 4:57 PM PDT

This is nothing new. I remember in the mid-80's when I went to inquire about joining the recruiter(s) were the same way. It's sad and wrong, but it's common.

Reply to this comment

by panban August 21, 2006 7:25 PM PDT

Regarding Mr. Keelan%u2019s post. Rape is an emotionally charged issue for both sexes. For example, boys who have sexually abused sisters may undergo tremendous psychological duress, a small % of men have been raped, and, indeed, men who are falsely accused of any crime, including rape, suffer unjust and painful consequences. But, in no where in the article does it state that all men are rapist or have the urge to rape women. Conviction rates for the small % of men who are rapist, factoring in the > 50% of cases not reported, are 1/16, meaning 15/16 rape victims receive no justice. The effects of rape on a victim's life include increased alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and thoughts of suicide, not to mention the effects it may have on relationships with community, family, and friends. These factors rival the effects of false accusations on men's lives. Where the real question of equality comes in, though, the likelihood that %u201Cfalsely accused men" will be convicted. Given they have a 16.3% chance of ending up in prison, a very low % of rape charges are actually false (~2%), and both the "victim" and the "rapist" are subject to a similar degree of public scrutiny due to the court's recent willingness to forgo rape shield laws, we are again met with a situation that seems to favor the %u201Crapist%u201D, falsely or justly accused. As such, I iterate Mr. Keelan's astute statement "if we are to teach equal, then let's get equal". Information taken from www.rainn.org.

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[ncjoy]

Nothing New -- In August 1974, when I was 18 and going through the process of enlisting into the Army, my recruiter drove me to all of my appointments and bought me meals and was very nice and professional, until he asked me for a picture of me in a bathing suit and then took me to a drive-in movie and made out with me the night before I was leaving for basic training. Of course, that was only the first of many times, in my 12 years of service, that senior NCOs and officers (most of whom were married at the time) wanted to get in my pants. I had to constently work to keep things professional and not let myself be used by them. Many female soldiers loved getting that kind of attention. My roommate in Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon had an ongoing affair with her Drill Instructor from basic (a married man) and I did end up going out with my First Sergeant and then marrying him and then divorcing him after he started having *** with another married female soldier in his unit. *** in the service happens a lot. It happens more than people realize. There is a lot of flirting going on between the sexes and the girls usually only report anything when they've thought that they were going to get more out of it than they did (such as special treatment or even marriage) and then they feel cheated and want to get even.

[limonator]

Thanks lindajholt about the real nature of some females in the military- I was a senior NCO in the army and the females that were under my command, scared me more than any enemy we faced. They flirted and would wear *** items under their uniforms. I would try and counsel them, even take corrective action. But, the advice from my superiors was be very carful - if you make one mad... sexual harassment, ect ect. The big question was "do I really want to end my career today" for some female recruit. I will thank all the females I did serve with that were professionals.

[rickkeelean]

It's sad. Ever since High School, we have been taught about equal rights & equal treatment. The big problem here is: Some (repeat SOME not most or not all) women utilize their sexuality and sensualness to acquire "something". Yet, when they are done or bored, then they jump and claim assault, rape, sexual improprieties, etc. & our Justice System accepts their version with more weight than the accused. Don't take this wrong, YES, there are MALE manipulators who will and do take certain advantages upon women, BUT, it's not all men!It's really sad when a claim has been made and (after years of defending theirselves and being publicly "convicted") the accuser either is found to be false or admits to being false.The accused is RUINED beyond repair and the accuser is just set adrift to be forgotten. How is this just? As before, I agree that "some" accusations are true & should be prosecuted, but, what about the false ones? If we are going to teach equal, then let's get to equal!

[whatithink-2009]

- dippydoole

This is clearly not a racial issue, but some people prefer to turn EVERYTHING into a racial issue. Besides, your spelling is horrible.

[judyreed151]

My daughter is a U.S. Marine and was raped by her recuiter. she was promised if she told the truth she would not be punished. Truth is she was punished. Her pay was taken away and she was restricted to the barracks. She was the victum here, yet she was punished. She was raped while her recuiter was in Calif. on charges of rape for a 14 and 16 yr old girls. She believed in this man and looked up to him, saying someday I want to be as good a Marine as he is. I don't know what happen to him other than he does have jail time. How much is unknown. He still called her from jail but she would not report it for fear of getting in more trouble. Lord help these young girls to tell the truth and get these men out of our armed forces. Judy Reed

[dmp68]

This is nothing new. I remember in the mid-80's when I went to inquire about joining the recruiter(s) were the same way. It's sad and wrong, but it's common.

[panban]

Regarding Mr. Keelan%u2019s post. Rape is an emotionally charged issue for both sexes. For example, boys who have sexually abused sisters may undergo tremendous psychological duress, a small % of men have been raped, and, indeed, men who are falsely accused of any crime, including rape, suffer unjust and painful consequences. But, in no where in the article does it state that all men are rapist or have the urge to rape women. Conviction rates for the small % of men who are rapist, factoring in the > 50% of cases not reported, are 1/16, meaning 15/16 rape victims receive no justice. The effects of rape on a victim's life include increased alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and thoughts of suicide, not to mention the effects it may have on relationships with community, family, and friends. These factors rival the effects of false accusations on men's lives. Where the real question of equality comes in, though, the likelihood that %u201Cfalsely accused men" will be convicted. Given they have a 16.3% chance of ending up in prison, a very low % of rape charges are actually false (~2%), and both the "victim" and the "rapist" are subject to a similar degree of public scrutiny due to the court's recent willingness to forgo rape shield laws, we are again met with a situation that seems to favor the %u201Crapist%u201D, falsely or justly accused. As such, I iterate Mr. Keelan's astute statement "if we are to teach equal, then let's get equal". Information taken from www.rainn.org.