Sexual Assault Permeates U.S. Armed Forces

CBS Evening News: Shocking Report On Frequent Attacks, Low Rate Of Investigation, Prosecution

(CBS)  They've become an integral part of modern warfare - 200,000 active duty women serving alongside their band of brothers.

Jessica was one of those women. Born into a military family, at 24 she enlisted in the Army.

Following basic training she was posted half a world away at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. She was assigned to an Apache helicopter maintenance crew, one of three women in a unit of 60 men. Jessica worked hard to blend into a very macho world, CBS News anchor Katie Couric reports.

“You figure out how to turn the guy off, and become one of the guys,” she said. “That’s your safety mechanism.”

But that safety mechanism failed. Just weeks into her new assignment, her squad leader began making unwanted sexual comments. Then it turned physical when he tried to force himself on her. She was afraid to report it, tried to forget it, but the assault haunted her. In a completely unrelated incident when she was out one night, someone she knew from another base raped her.

“The betrayal issues to this day are still pretty deep,” she said. “You know, I was like, ‘I’m willing to give my life for this guy next to me but how do I know that he’s not going to hurt me?’”

Jessica’s story is not unique. One in three female soldiers will experience sexual assault while serving in the military, compared to one in six women in the civilian world. The Pentagon released a disturbing report Tuesday on sexual abuse in the military, saying that more than 2,900 sexual assaults were reported last year, up nearly 9 percent from the year before. Nearly two-thirds of the cases involved rape or aggravated assault.

Couric asked Michael Dominguez, principal under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, how big a problem sexual assault is in the military.

“Sexual assault injures troops,” he said. “Injures readiness. So regardless of the numbers we have, it is by definition too much.

But how often does it happen?

The Pentagon only started a comprehensive program to track incidents in 2006, and only after Congress mandated it do so.

That year there were 2,974 cases of rape and sexual assault across the services. And of those, only 292 cases resulted in a military trial.

And in 2007 there were even fewer prosecutions.

“Of more than 2,200 servicemen investigated for sexual assault, only 181 were prosecuted?” Couric asked Dominguez.

“Yes, we absolutely have to get better,” he said. “[Defense] Secretary [Robert] Gates himself is driving this initiative this year to improve our ability to investigate, to prosecute and convict. This is not where we want to be.”

And in a majority of cases, the punishment doesn't seem to match the crime. Often most offenders only get a reduction in rank or reduced pay.

“These are major crimes, not misdemeanors,” said Vivian Gembara, a retired member of the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. “A lot of times what we see in the JAG court is very inexperienced, brand spanking new lawyers being given rape cases, murder cases.”

This month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for a military-wide “review of the training and experience' of investigators and prosecutors for sexual assault cases.

For many victims their assault remains a shameful secret. The Pentagon acknowledges that some 80 percent of rapes are never reported - making it the most under-documented crime in the military.

Callie Wight, a counselor for the Veterans Administration said victims haven't come forward for a number of reasons.

“They didn’t report because they didn’t think they’d be believed,” said Wight, a military sexual trauma counselor. “They didn’t report because t hey were ashamed and humiliated and they didn’t want anyone to know what happened to them.”

The military is trying to reduce the stigma through increased awareness, education and guaranteeing confidentiality to victims reporting such crimes. The army has launched a national program called “I Am Strong.” Installations like Fort Irwin in California credit the campaign with driving assault numbers down.

But for soldiers like Jessica any changes came too late.

“I think the worst letdown is people who didn’t believe in me to help get through this and keep me in the army,” she said. “I really wanted to be a good soldier.”

Traumatized by assault and re-traumatized by inaction, she has left the military and is now trying to help other victims.

[littlesmit]

The issue of sexual assault in the military is not addressed well at all. Yes, the military talks about its sexual assault program and resources available to survivors of sexual assault. It talks the talk, yet fails to walk the walk or walk and talk in taking care of sexual assault survivors. Instead of seeking prosecution for the perpetrators of such a violent act and crime, the military reprimands the victims that do come forward and attempt to seek help. There is something seriously wrong. Sexual assault survivors tend to get discharged from the military for trying to use a program designed to help them while their perpetrator keeps on preying. What a shame. Sexual assault is a crime, yet how does the military find it to be acceptable and allow perpetrators to keep on preying?

[FormerJAG]

I am repeatedly disappointed at the poor news reporting on military sexual assaults. Katie reported the small number of cases prosecuted in relationship to the number of reports, but failed to report the conviction rates of the cases that were prosecuted. That is where the story is, not in the decision to prosecute. The problem does not lie in the inexperience of the JAGs. Rape cases are typically given to the most experienced trial attorneys and many of those JAGs practiced in civilian courts before joining the military. The reason so few cases are prosecuted has a great deal to do with the likelihood of success in achieving a conviction and the desire of the victim to not participate in the process. I've seen cases with strong evidence result in acquittals because military juries simply do not like to convict men of date rape, which is the majority of the sexual assault cases. A victim is likely to experience additional emotional trauma from participating in the court process, thus, many victims choose not to proceed for their own mental health. Especially since the USAF Academy scandal in 2003, the decision to not prosecute a case is thoroughly documented and the reason for not prosecuting is part of the data that has been tracked since 2006. Katie didn't report that breakdown. Katie also incorrectly gave the impression that statistics for reported sexual assaults were not available before 2006. That simply is not true. Each of the services had a way of determining the number of reported sexual assault cases prior to the congressional mandate in 2006 for a central, comprehensive tracking system. Katie also cannot say without a proper statistical analyses what the cause for an increase in sexual assault reports and the decrease in the proportion of prosecutions. In 2006, the reporting requirements for sexual assault significantly changed which is possible cause of an increase in reports. An increase in reports does not mean that these events met the legal definition of a sexual assault or that sexual assaults increased in the military. The decision to prosecute a case is extremely complex and this report gives a slanted and cursory view of the process.

[grobertson34]

OMG, this has totaly got me worried. My daughter is 22 in the US Navy. She is stationed at NAS Sigonella, Sicily. She is being harassed by fellow sailors. They have harassed her so much that worry for her safety. They have made the comments that if they make her suicidal that would boost their morale. I have emailed the president 9 times and my congressman 4 times. No reply from the presidents office and shrugged off by my Congressman. My God what can I do to help my daughter. I just want her home and away from an employer that does not worry about her safety!

Ginger Robertson

[westwind05]

My comment is in response to the posting by greensthings-2009. I can not in my wildest imagination, grasp what that experience must have been like for you. I am so sorry that you had such a horrendous experience. You do not deserve to be treated in that way...no one does. I am a male, and an 81/2 year veteran...I served with women, and treated them with respect. In my eight and a half years I only heard of one rape case, and the individual responsible disappeared from the unit that I was stationed at as soon as word got out. I commend you for sharing, I would immagine that while being terrifing, it must also feel like a tremendous load is made a little lighter being able to process it by talking/writing about it. You are an amazingly couragous person. I truly wish you peace and healing.

[specialistdemos]

FIRST I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR REPORTING ON SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE MILITARY. I AM A SURVIVOR. ON A FRIDAY NIGHT IN NOVEMBER 1974, ANOTHER MILITARY FRIEND AND MYSELF WERE ABDUCTED BY GUNPOINT, AGAINST OUR WILL, BEATENED, RAPED AND ASSAULTED REPEATIVELY FOR 8 HOURS.
PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED ANY HELP WITH STOPPING THE VIOLENCE. I AM IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL UNTIL THIS HORRIFIC VIOLENCE STOPS.
PLEASE HELP US BRING ALL OF US TOGETHER, MEN, WOMYN, AND CHILDREN TO PUT A STOP TO MILITARY SEXUALLY/ASSAULTING, MULTILATING OTHER MILITARY PERSONNEL. WE HAVE TO PROTECT OUR OWN. WE HAVE TO PUT A STOP TO THE UNITED STATES MILITARY RAPING OUR OWN MILITARY. I SAY NO MORE RAPE. WE NEED EVERYONE TO JOIN IN UNTIL THIS VIOLENCE STOPS. KEEPING THE VIOLENT PERPERTRATORS OFF THE STREETS AND OUT OF OUR MILITARY. WE NEED TO BE A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR OTHER COUNTRIES. INSTEAD SOME OF OUR MILITARY MEN ARE ASSAULTING GIRLS FROM THE COUNTRIES WE ARE SUPPOSE TO BE FIGHTING FOR.
PLEASE CONTACT ME AT [e-mail].
Sincerely,
VALINE DEMOS

[tsnelson01]

Why is this still a problem at so many levels within the military services??
It's been over 15 years since Tailhook; 12 years since numerous drill sergeants were accused (and some found guilty) or raping recruits; 10 years since the Sgt. Major of the Army was accused of sexually harassing 6 women (and found not guilty in a court-martial on all counts except obstruction of justice) and 5 years since the DoD Care for Victims findings were announced--followed by the development of the Sexual Assault and Prevention Program.

Since then, the 'no tolerance' policy has not changed, yet countless numbers of women and men are still being sexually harassed and raped by their peers with very little consequence to the perpetrators but continued blaming of the victims. In 2002, I published the findings of an international study on the topic based on feedback from military victims. The victims comments today are not that different. Sadly, even though there are excellent programs now in place, victim treatment, barriers to reporting, and minimal sentencing of offenders leads me to believe that we still have a long way to go.

If the military really wants to deal with this issue effectively, they will. They did it in the 1970s with racial harassment and they can do it again with this issue. Time will tell. Until then, I encourage victims to seek help. There are good people out there who will believe you. Go to the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator or the VA Sexual Trauma Counselor for vets. We must carry on until this issue is fully addressed, once and for all.
Terri Spahr Nelson, www.tsnelson.com

[fta2001]

THE U.S.ARMY DISGUSTS ME.

In my situation, my chain of command dismissed my rape as sexual misconduct on my behalf. Warning me that my "extracurricular activities" will not be tolerated in army aviation, period. As an AH-64 helicopter mechanic, I was confused as to why ALL my supervisors refused to believe me. I went to one of my supervisors room for a "platoon meeting" my first week in Korea. After the meeting, a drunk male soldier grabbed me and more followed. About half the room stayed and the other half left. I was fully aware of what was going on and being overpowered by about 11 men, I couldn't move. I was there being raped over and over again for hours. I couldn't scream loud enough because I was gagged. Every time I managed to remove my gag, and try to scream, I was beaten. I remember everything. Faces. Laughter. Smells. Voices. Alcohol. The smell of the strong pine cleaner they used to scrub me clean of all evidence. The hard liquor that was poured all over me as everyone laughed. The threats I got from everyone if I spoke to anyone about this. NCO's and Officers alike. I was only 18 and just out of basic training/AIT. I reported the rape minutes after they let me go. Not one person believed me. Soldiers in other companies and on other bases called me a ***** and asked when they can have their turn with me. I was alienated and continuously harassed by my fellow soldiers. I begged for a discharge and when I wasn't granted one I worked hard to learn how to do my job, made the terrible mistake of reenlisting. 8 years later this incident still haunts me. On occasion, I see a face or two from that night and try not to relive it. After years of therapy, I still freeze when I see those faces.

In 2001, the U.S. Army failed me. The U.S.Army continues to fail today with prosecuting rapists, sexual assaulters and not to mention sexual harassment acts.

Women in the aviation field and any other male dominant fields beware of your surroundings. The most trustworthy male soldier is no longer that trustworthy friend or soldier if he is consuming alcohol. I made that mistake once.

Bottom line is the Army, no matter how much they say they care and how much they are trying to fix this problem, can't. By joining the Army, you risk becoming that 1-in-3 statistic.

[amjtlj]

POLICE AT MILLINGTON NAVY BASE BEATS DISABLED WOMAN

On Friday, March 27, 2009 a disabled woman was in her car at the Millington Navy Base where she has frequent as an Army retiree for years. A Navy base police officer pointed a gun at her. The officer dragged her out of her vehicle, slammed her against the car repeatedly, the woman screamed, ?You are hurting me, I am disabled?, the Officer told her to shut up and bend over. He then pressed her against the trunk of her vehicle, handcuffed her. She was detained for several hours to be release with a seat belt summons. Her car was ramshacked, they opened sealed boxes, and they dismantled everything in her car when they illegally searched it. They violated her. They violated her 4th amendment right when they patted her body down and searched her car. They tortured her when she was beaten up and handcuffed and shoved into a squad car and dragged to an unknown location and placed in a room still handcuffed. All with no probable cause. The police officer that assaulted her said they arrested her for not wearing a seatbelt on a military base. Although this officer took her seatbelt off her before he dragged her out of her vehicle. The woman suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, arthritis, damaged disk in her neck. She also is a survivor of Military Sexual Trauma.

PLEASE HELP GET THIS STORY OUT. ALSO THERE IS A VIDEO OF THE POLICE BRUTALITY. THE VIDEO PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT CANNOT BE EASILY DISMISSED.


Lynn

P.S. THERE ARE OTHERS ON THIS MILLINGTON NAVAL BASE THAT HAVE BEEN ASSAULTED BY THE POLICE. THIS IS A COMMON OCCURANCE. SOMEONE NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS FACILITY

[veteransadvocate]

This issue is not addressed and we all know it. I hate too use this forum for such a question, but I need help with a related project. I am giving a presentation to the counselors at my school. My talk will cover everything from enlisting in the service to coming home. The goal is to address ways to treat PTSD caused by combat, sexual assault, and other stresses of being in the service. There is a hole in my presentation. I don't have more than two person accounts of sexual assault to discuss. If you read this and can offer your story to me and any suggestions of how to cope with these traumatic experiences, you will be able to help others. Also, there are many of us taking action and the process is difficult. I am calling on all to stand up and speak out. Also, please do not keep such a weight on your own shoulders. Talk to someone about it and work through it. Find your strength and good luck. [e-mail]

[Andi1990]

This is it. The last straw that I can stand! People can't continue to treat others this way and I'm tired of men getting away with it! I'm tired of the men getting special treatment in the military and not getting punished for somthing this savage! I'm trying to think of a way around this, please help me do this. E-mail me with any ideas you may have at [e-mail]. I can't willingly stand by and watch and read these things happen anymore!

Andi.