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Women who serve in the military face some challenges that many of their male counterparts do not. At the Oregon Women Veteran Conference, there will be workshops on accessing VA benefits, employment outside the military, and healing from sexual trauma. Sexual assault in the military is not restricted to women, but the majority of reports documented by the Department of Defense are from female soldiers.
A recent Defense Department report (pdf) shows 3,230 reported incidents of sexual assault involving service members were filed in fiscal year 2009. This marks an 11% increase since 2008 in reported incidents. The Defense Department says the increase reflects an improved reporting system and not necessarily an increase in sexual assault among service members. In 2005, the department created a sexual abuse prevention and response office and changed its policies to allow for "restricted reporting," which gives victims the option of reporting while remaining anonymous, provided they do not file criminal charges.
Sexual assault and harassment have wide-ranging definitions, a spectrum that goes from inappropriate comments to rape. The report from the Defense Department, which focuses on unwanted physical contact, shows that reports of sexual misconduct involving military personnel are often higher in combat zones than they are elsewhere.
Have you served in the military? How did your gender affect your experience?
What is life like for women who serve in the military?
Tagged as: military · ptsd · sexual harassment
Photo credit: Library of Virginia
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Thanks for your comment - and a good point to note years. You write: "I can say there is no more good old boy club that sweeps things under the carpet in my unit." Was there a sense of one when you joined in 2001? Did it entirely disappear?
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Good morning -- I was distressed just now to hear this morning's topic framed as "how does the presence of women in the military" create new problems, etc. When our conversations about a minority group in any environment suggest that the problem only started with the presence of that minority group, it puts all the blame on that group and stalls the progress of greater inclusion. I am sure, just as you note above, that sexual assault took place before the increased number of women in the military. Please: do not present the problem as being "the women," but rather as being the much more widespread and long-term issue of sex abuse and power inequities that go long unaddressed--until there's a critical mass of voices that bring attention to the matter that should have been addressed much earlier. Kudos to all those people--male, female, survivors, perpetrators, witnesses--people worthy of dignity and respect, all--who are speaking up and speaking out.
--Rev. Heather in Bend.
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I agree, this is an important distinction.
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+1
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Air Force 1988-1997
Rank plays a significant role when it comes to unreporting of sexual harrassment or assault. Higher ranking individuals use their power over those with very little rank and use intimidation to prevent the victim from reporting the crime.
I experienced this several times throughout my military career.
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Good morning,
I used to work in a domestic violence shelter were I provided services to victimes of sexual assault. As you already mentioned, sexual assault is always under reported but I am wondering if anyone on the panel knows how the U.S. ranks against other coutries in reported incidents of Military Sexual Trauma?
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I'm a civilian and I just wanted to write and thank your guest for her service. I admire her strength and courage, first to serve our country in the military, and second to speak out on this important issue today.
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You can discuss MSA all you want. But the big difference now, compared with prior wars, is the number of women in hazardous-duty assignments. Consider the Vietnam War, where eight female sevicemembers suffered combat-related deaths. That's eight out of a total of nearly 60,000 deaths. Through 2009, 121 women died in the GWOT. That's out of just over a total of over 5,000 deaths. So the female deaths, as a percentage of the total, is shockingly higher than our prior wars. Why don't you talk about that?
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Because that is a topic for a different show. Which would be good too, I think but this is an important and valuable topic today.
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She's right that the military has it's own culture.
I've thought about that a lot and I have wondered if they ought to have to live as civilians every five years or so in order to get an idea of how different they are and what normal citizens are like.
I was raised in a military family, living on bases most of my youth and it was amazing to me to realize how isolated military people are from normal people. They are very Conservative in their views and that is constantly reinforced by the military leadership overall. The whole structure is an old boy network.
The military lives under different laws from normal Americans, they don't even have the same Constitutional Rights.
I think they need lots of contact with civilians in order to help normalize them.
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I always question people's use of the word 'normal.' Grouping individuals into categories of normal vs abnormal is laughable, afterall, what is normal anyway?
Secondly, the military has to operate as its own entity, separate from the civilian world; otherwise it wouldn’t be able to function. Call it a necessary evil if you will, but thankfully we have men and woman who are willing to give up their own freedoms in order to protect yours.
In response to scottmil, people have been fighting over territory since the dawn of man. Don’t blame the military for this phenomenon, blame humankind. I suppose we can all be thankful that we live in a country that isn’t war torn because it’s a horror that most couldn’t possibly fathom.
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It is hard to be sympathetic towards women in the military. Because, of course, the issue is one of men versus women, and women essentially entering a man's world. It is hard to care much, when you even question why the men would want to be part of the group. Then you have women wanting to be part of the group, the group that shouldn't exist at all in its present form. Hardly something to be celebrating. Of course women should be allowed to participate actively in the military, without harassment---that is almost beside the point.
In some ways I feel like, which is perhaps counterproductive, if you actually want to join the military you sort of get what you give. It is like making chicken coops more humane and pleasant, so when the chickens get slaughtered, we can feel better about it. How about you don't kill the chickens in the first place! How about women don't join the military in the first place, because they should want more from life!
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Wow, what a chauvenistic spewing that is. A woman who enlists because she wants to will always be a better soldier/sailor/airman than a man who is drafted into the military because she wants to be there.
I hope I never have to work with you. You and your thoughts are a big part of the problem.
Sneedle
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Women have been introduced into a man's world long ago when society decided that it requires two working parents to support a family. Women should not be degraded for choosing a profession that enables them to support themselves. When I served in the military, I served for the love of my country. How would you like it if I said that all men that work behind a desk should find a different profession?
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Is it wrong for a woman to want to serve her country?
How about the women who have served this country through all its wars, beginning with the War for Independence back in the 1770's? Molly Pitcher, for example, a water carrier, who brought water to the cannon crews, then stepped in to replace a fallen soldier, keeping the cannon crew in action? How about the many women who disguised themselves as men, binding their breasts and cutting their hair, so they could serve the Union (and the Confederacy) in the Civil War (there's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one)? How about the women who became pilots, and shuttled the new fighters and bombers from the factories to the air bases in WWII? The WACs, and WAVES, and WASPs.
(Just to name a few...hundred)
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I am not chauvinistic. Unless by chauvinistic, you mean having higher exceptions and greater faith in women then in men? Maybe so---admittedly, it is sort of reverse chauvinism. Wanting women to be smarter then men, because of all the years of oppression and repression women have faced. Thinking women would have learned something from that terrible experience, which still continues today. Oh, the irony of women wanting to join the group that personifies what has made men terrible throughout history. All the militaries throughout history that have rapped and pillaged countries, and races, and often women. Thinking women should want to fight in wars, killing folks for any government, particularly when much of the time, it is not in self-defense or even in defense at all. Oh, yes, women should have the right to act like the monsters men can be---without doubt, but I am not going to applaud it. I will extend the same disgust I do to the men.
And, most women don't join the military because they are powerful and strong, nor do men. They join because they are lost, and need conformity to get their lives in order. And are also willing to give their lives for a country---in the name of nationalism! Nationalism is never to be congratulated, it is the prime embarrassment of planet earth. People fighting over land and territory like dreadful animals. Lands that were originally used by others and then are taken away by force, and now need protecting---so some other army can't do exactly the same as we did, and take the land away from us. The military is hardly something to admire despite how our culture wants to spin it. No I won't celebrate women in the military, nor will I celebrate the men.
P.S. Can people read? Did I do that bad of a job? Maybe, so. I am certainly willing to admit my many weaknesses. But, it surprises me that anyone would think I am a chauvinist or anti-women. Weird.
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Thank you for this discussion. Sexual assault is clearly a growing problem in our Armed Services, likely due to the twin components of more women serving and increased reporting (though I'm confident that not all incidents are reported). It is also a problem plaguing women in the civilian world as well (though, again, under-reported). I appreciated your guest's use of the children's game "Red Light, Green Light" as a metaphor for explaining how assailants select their targets.
And thank you to your other guest for her service to Our Great Nation. I respect your courage to serve, and your courage to come forward with your story.
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I served from 1991-1994 until my base was closed. I was in the medical field and in the USAF, so women in my career field actually outnumbered us men. This wasn’t a bad thing from my perspective, being an 18 year old male. However, even back then there were changes afoot in the AF, more focus on training and identifying sexual harassment and abuse. Most of my close friends that worked with me were women, and none of them would ever admit when it happens, to keep a tough front. And likely because I could not sit idly by and they knew that. These are my sisters, you mess with them, you mess with me.
But even in this much different environment with a large number of women than the rest of the military, it happens. I know that RHIP and many people firmly believe that, no matter what. The unquestioned authority of the military is the main reason this continues and has continued for so long. BTW – I am sure women aren’t the only ones that experience sexual harassment and abuse. I am glad to hear that reporting rates are on the increase.
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As a former Marine (53-58) I view this rape- in- the- military madness as I do most everything that happens to us as a people, as self inflicted. During my service (while stationed briefly in Arlington) I dated a WAVE and a Women Marine. Both lived in barracks where male dates could meet and later leave off the young ladies in a supervised rec room. The sexes were separated in dorms and in messing arrangements. I never heard of a single instance of rape. These young women were treated EXACTLY as they wished to be treated.
A retired Navy captain wrote a few yrs back on the forum of the Naval Institute that the numbers of female sailors that become pregnant or suffered assault on board ship was a figure the Navy guarded more carefully than the number of nukes on a carrier.
During WWII, only the Russians used females soldiers in combat zones. They did it only because they were running out of men. A proven accusation of rape against a fellow Russian soldier was summarily dealt with by a firing squad. This tended to keep the number of rapes within their services rather small. I would bet that a similar practice in our own services would have the same effect. But, of course, that isn't going to happen.
Like allowing in homosexuals, putting females in combat zones when our manpower situation clearly does not require it is to further complicate and weaken our forces to a greater degree than the current enemy (of choice) have been able to manage. Both of these liberal and unforced acts of sheer craziness are symptomatic of a nation that has lost its collective mind.
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Shout out to Mandy! Thanks for sharing your voice and standing up for women and speaking out against sexual assault. You go girl!
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I am a veteran who served in the military for 3 years from 1997-2000 and then I returned to Active duty again for only 3 month beginning in October 2008. I understand speaking from my own experience why many rapes in the military go unreported. 10 years ago If a female soldier in my chain of command reported a rape somehow everyone in our company would know about it. Privacy was definately an issue. There was the fear of embarrassment, humiliation, and perhaps and unsupported chain of command. Perhaps the reporting process has improved since then but I'm sure there are till some flaws.Instead of reporting my rape and have my chain of command what I assumed would make matters worse for me, I handled the situation on my own. When I reenlisted in 2008 , I found myself in a worse situation the second time. When I was in-processing at a military base in Oklahoma, all female soldiers had to authorize a blood test that would test for pregnancy and to determine what vaccinations were needed. To make a long story short, after completing the alternative basic training while having stomach complications which was assumed to be "gastritis" almost the entire time,being given various vaccinations pains" I came to find out that I was "pregnant" The doctor in South Carolina confirmed that my pregnancy test taken in Oklahoma was positive, I didn't know! they never told me, I should not have been given vaccinations "which by the way those records disappeared" I was suppose to be released. I was 3.5 months pregnant when I found out and then my chain of command in South Carolina didn't "approve" prenatal care even though I was bleeding with a threatened miscarriage! I went 6 weeks without prenatal care before I decided I wanted to be let out because my commanders were procrastinating on making a decision as to what they were going to do with me. On January 25, 2009, 5 days after I was released from active duty I lost my son Ernie I was 5 months pregnant. Due to a law called the FERES DOCTRINE the military can't be held accountable for ANY acts of medical negligence. Soldiers and Veterans, Both Men and Women are not given the respect they deserve and it's shameful. There's a lot to the military that can benefit a persons life and I'm sure it has for many people, but there is definitely room for a lot of improvement.
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Does anyone connected to the military have the guts to actually calculate the costs in terms of overall effectiveness on our forces due to the deploymentof women to combat zones? The practice of putting women in combat zones is prompted solely in the interest of political correctness and the dictates of radical feminism.
The military at every level of command is constantly distracted and compelled to divert time and attention from war fighting to personnel/discipline issues related to having female soldiers and their problems to deal with. Once again, it is our own open ended culture we have to blame for many, if not most of these problems.
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There are 2 kinds of strength: brute strength, and strength of character. It is fairly well established that men overall can have more brute strength than women (obviously there are individual exceptions). I am unaware of any studies that have been done to suggest that women have more strength of character than men, but I would suggest that men raping women is an example of lack of strength of character on the part of the rapist. In a combat situation, I'm not so sure that brute strength is more important than strength of character, particularly in modern warfare, which is waged using machines and equipment. Certainly endurance and overcoming hardship are not gender-specific.
With regard to rape, who can be said to be stronger, the brute with no strength of character, or the woman who endures the rape and survives?
Also, I'm curious if there are any statistics for sexual assaults on men in the military?
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siduri,
There are stats in the pdf file in the OPB text.
During Operation Desert Storm, more than 41,000 women were deployed, representing 7% of the deployed forces.
There are more than 100,000 who have served in the Iraq combat theatre, with 62 killed, of which 42 were under hostile conditions.
Today, there are approximately 194,930 women on active duty and over 146,000 serve in the Guard and Reserves.
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US ARMY 1991-1995 Multi post #1
I am going to be posting some documentation that I feel is important to understand before even getting into the conversation.
My comment about "sex" in the military - is that this is NOT sex, but a crime of power over an individual, and perhaps should have been titled "Gender in the Military" or "Military Sexual Assault/Trauma" (MST)
My background:
Fifteen years voluntarily helping men (who are raped, and constitute a higher number of assaults than the total number of women assaulted) and women who have been assaulted. I have worked with 3,000+ men and women from WWII to today (only 2 new clients so far, and it isn't noon yet) both veterans and active duty.
If the crux of the issue is not addressed this will never change.
_______________________________________________________
Here is one of the big problems in the military with regards to MST:
This document was created to "help" law enforcement decide whether a rape allegation is credible. Very telling.
McDowell’s foundation work is used in the military and in civilian police departments, as McDowell himself testified in 1985 US Congressional Hearing on the rape of children, that children and military women are comparable in their honesty, they lie about being raped! According to McDowell’s testimony; of 1,218 cases studied, 460 were forcible rapes; 212 false allegations using this checklist, 546 could not be determined as rape or not, yet, McDowell put the 546 undetermined cases into the false allegation category or not raped. He “analysed rape investigations between 1970 – 1984, approx 341 of those cases were false reports.” Thus making McDowell’s stats of 60% of military women lie. But, McDowell’s false reports went from 212, to 341, and or plus 546? Hard to know how McDowell was counting. -
US ARMY 1991-1995
Multi post #2
Here's the Checklist:
RAPE ALLEGATION CHECKLIST
Created by the US Pentagon and
Charles P. McDowell, Ph.D. USAF, OSI
Initial Complaint
Points
1 Was the complaint timely? Y N N=0.5
2 Was the initial complaint made by the victim to a friend? Y N Y=0.5
3 Were law enforcement authorities notified by someone other than the victim? Y N Y=3.0
Nature of the Allegation
4 Does victim report being abducted? Y N Y=0.5
5 Does victim report being intoxicated at the time of the assault? Y N Y=3.0
6 Does victim’s recollection of the details of the assault seem overly broad? Y N Y=0.5
7 Does victim report offering vigorous resistance to her assailant? Y N Y=3.0
8 Is victim able to identify or locate the scene of the assault? Y N N=3.0
9 Does victim report passing out or losing consciousness during the assault? Y N Y=0.5
10 Does victim report waking up (or coming to) and finding her assailant engaging in intercourse with her? Y N Y=0.5
11 Does victim have difficulty in describing the sexual details of the assault? Y N Y=0.5
12 Does victim report anal sex (sodomy)? Y N N=1.0
13 Does victim report forced oral sex (fellatio)? Y N N=0.5
14 Does victim’s story contain any significant changes in subsequent retelling? Y N Y=2.0
15 Does victim describe the assault in flat, unemotional tones? Y N Y=0.5
16 Does victim describe the assault with a sense of relish or enthusiasm? Y N Y=0.5
17 Does victim report being assaulted at gunpoint? Y N Y=3.0 -
US ARMY 1991-1995
Multi post #3
RAPE ALLEGATION CHECKLIST
Created by the US Pentagon and
Charles P. McDowell, Ph.D. USAF, OSI
Suspect Description
18 Does victim report being assaulted by multiple assailants? Y N Y=0.5
19 Does victim report her assailant(s) as being of a different race or ethnic group? Y N Y=0.5
20 Does victim report keeping her eyes closed during the assault (and therefore not able to identify her assailant)? Y N Y=0.5
21 Does victim describe her assailant as having an unsavory appearance? Y N Y=0.5
22 Does victim report her assailant wore a mask? Y N Y=0.5
23 Does victim report her assailant wore gloves? Y N Y=0.5
24 Does victim describe her assailant as a person she knows or who is familiar to her but can’t provide a good physical description? Y N Y=3.0 -
US ARMY 1991-1995
Multi post #4
Physical and Medical Evidence
25 Is the crime scene consistent with the story? Y N N=3.0
26 Does victim display any minor sharp weapon injuries (lacerations)? Y N Y=3.0
27 Is the condition of victim’s clothing consistent with her story? Y N N=3.0
28 Does victim present bruises from the assault which are inconsistent in color (age) with the time of the assault? Y N Y=0.5
29 Does victim display any cross-hatching scratches to the face? Y N Y=5.0
30 Does victim display shallow scratches to the face, neck, breasts, thighs or stomach? Y N Y=5.0
31 If scratches are present on the face or breasts, do they cross the eyes, lips or nipples? Y N N=3.0
32 Do any lacerations include hesitation wounds? Y N Y=5.0
33 Does victim display any writing on her body allegedly done by the assailant? Y N Y=5.0
Victim’s attitude
34 Does victim seem ambivalent toward her injuries? Y N Y=0.5
35 Does victim appear to feign emotions when relating details of the assault? Y N Y=0.5
36 Is victim reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement authorities? Y N Y=0.5
37 When telling about the assault, does victim have difficulty explaining anomalies or inconsistencies? Y N Y=0.5
38 Does victim demand to be treated by a female physician or interviewed by a female police officer? Y N Y=1.0
39 Does victim express a desire to “drop” the whole matter or otherwise indicate she does not want it investigated? Y N Y=1.0
40 Does victim become outraged when asked to corroborate her assault? Y N Y=1.0
41 Does victim try to steer the interview into “safe” topics or those that will engender sympathy? Y N Y=0.5 -
US ARMY 1991-1991
Multi post #5
RAPE ALLEGATION CHECKLIST
Created by the US Pentagon and
Charles P. McDowell, Ph.D. USAF, OSI
Assailant’s Communications
42 Does victim report receiving obscene phone calls prior to the assault? Y N Y=1.0
43 Does victim report receiving phone calls from the assailant after the assault? Y N Y=1.0
44 Does victim report receiving any kind of written communication from her assailant before, during, or after the assault? Y N Y=1.0
45 If victim has received a written communication, was it a “cut and paste” note? Y N Y=3.0
46 If victim has received written communication, does it contain any kind of rhyming scheme or take the form of poetry? Y N Y=3.0
47 Does victim report being watched (surveilled) by her assailant prior to the assault? Y N Y=0.5
48 Does the victim report being complimented by her assailant during the assault? Y N Y=0.5
Personality and Lifestyle Issues
49 Does victim report engaging in high risk behavior prior to her assault? Y N Y=2.0
50 Does victim have a history of alcohol abuse? Y N Y=3.0
51 Does victim have a history of financial problems? Y N Y=1.0
52 Does victim have a history of mental or emotional problems? Y N Y=3.0
53 Does victim have a significant medical history? Y N Y=2.0
54 Does victim report prior rapes or assaults? Y N Y=2.0
55 Does victim have a history of work-related problems? Y N Y=2.0
56 Does victim have problems in her interpersonal relationships (i.e., with her husband, boyfriend, or others)? Y N Y=3.0
57 Does the allegation solve a problem for the victim? Y N Y=5.0
McDowell’s first premise 60% of women are lying about being raped, despite the FBI’s national stats of 8% are false allegations.
* According to McDowell’s checklist the victim must score below a ZERO to be considered telling the truth about being raped.
SCORING SCALE:
0 - 15: EQUIVOCAL
16 - 35: ALLEGATION PROBABLY FALSE
36 - 75: FALSE ALLEGATION
76 + UP: OVERKILL -
US ARMY 1991-1995
Multi post #4
RAPE ALLEGATION CHECKLIST
Created by the US Pentagon and
Charles P. McDowell, Ph.D. USAF, OSIPhysical and Medical Evidence
25 Is the crime scene consistent with the story? Y N N=3.0
26 Does victim display any minor sharp weapon injuries (lacerations)? Y N Y=3.0
27 Is the condition of victim’s clothing consistent with her story? Y N N=3.0
28 Does victim present bruises from the assault which are inconsistent in color (age) with the time of the assault? Y N Y=0.5
29 Does victim display any cross-hatching scratches to the face? Y N Y=5.0
30 Does victim display shallow scratches to the face, neck, breasts, thighs or stomach? Y N Y=5.0
31 If scratches are present on the face or breasts, do they cross the eyes, lips or nipples? Y N N=3.0
32 Do any lacerations include hesitation wounds? Y N Y=5.0
33 Does victim display any writing on her body allegedly done by the assailant? Y N Y=5.0
Victim’s attitude
34 Does victim seem ambivalent toward her injuries? Y N Y=0.5
35 Does victim appear to feign emotions when relating details of the assault? Y N Y=0.5
36 Is victim reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement authorities? Y N Y=0.5
37 When telling about the assault, does victim have difficulty explaining anomalies or inconsistencies? Y N Y=0.5
38 Does victim demand to be treated by a female physician or interviewed by a female police officer? Y N Y=1.0
39 Does victim express a desire to “drop” the whole matter or otherwise indicate she does not want it investigated? Y N Y=1.0
40 Does victim become outraged when asked to corroborate her assault? Y N Y=1.0
41 Does victim try to steer the interview into “safe” topics or those that will engender sympathy? Y N Y=0.5 -
PTSD Physical Symptoms:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome - chronic diarrhea and/or constipation
Bruxism - Grinding teeth
GERD - acid reflux
Migraines/Headaches -
General pain -
shortness of breath - chest pain
Mental Symptoms:
Agorophobia
Loss of Focus and Concentration
- Intrusive, upsetting memories of the event
- Flashbacks (acting or feeling like the event is happening again)
- Nightmares (either of the event or of other frightening things)
- Feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma
- Intense physical reactions to reminders of the event (e.g. pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating)
- Avoiding activities, places, thoughts, or feelings that remind you of the trauma
- Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
- Loss of interest in activities and life in general
- Feeling detached from others and emotionally numb
- Sense of a limited future (you don’t expect to live a normal life span, get married, have a career)
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Irritability or outbursts of anger
- Difficulty concentrating
- Hypervigilance (on constant “red alert”)
- Feeling jumpy and easily startled
- Anger and irritability
- Guilt, shame, or self-blame
- Substance abuse
- Depression and hopelessness
- Suicidal thoughts and feelings
- Feeling alienated and alone
- Feelings of mistrust and betrayal
- Headaches, stomach problems, chest pain
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Good Afternoon, I am a female Veteran having served in the Marine Corps from 2001-2009, and having completed a tour in Iraq from 2007-2008 as part of OIF. As a woman serving, I found that it did affect my experience. As a Sgt serving in Iraq, I was in a position of small unit leadership. I was a team leader in charge of small squad of both men an woman who looked to me for guidance. It was a huge responsibility as their lives were literally in my hands. There was no time to let emotions get in the way of judgment in life or death situations, and this is a challenge for a lot of woman, including myself. Most of the woman I served with were more than capable, both physically and mentally, yet I saw them removed from their leadership positions with no explanation given, and placed into jobs that were essentially created on the spot in order to keep them "occupied."
In some ways the military is similar to the civilian workforce, in that as long as you are competent at your job, you can earn respect whether you are male or female. The caveat is that with job mastery (or in many cases even without) comes upward mobility, and the issue now facing the military is that more and more woman are being placed into positions of leadership. In these positions woman face a far greater challenge than simply serving among their male peers. They must lead their male counterparts who are often resentful at this.
I agree with the statement that there is positive change. Cases of harassment are taken seriously, and while they may be on the rise, they are certainly not tolerated. My main concern is accountability; there is no system in place to keep qualified woman from being removed from positions of leadership when men become uncomfortable having them there.
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Military sexual trauma is not limited to females. In 1968 while traveling with three grunts in Vietnam they gang raped a Vietnamese female. I stuffed that event for over 30 years. That rape has influenced my attempts to have intimate interpersonal relationships with women to this day.
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Odd remark. Wasn't the 'female' Viet..a female like American women are female? If you were an observer and could do nothing to stop it why the suffering for 30 yrs?
The prevelance of violence is our society is a purposefully engineered outcome. It is officially promoted so our youth will be prepared to sally forth and slay the enemy-men, women and children our Govt creates abroad. Once that callous on a child's sensibilities starts to form only more of the same morally insensitive stimuli satisfies what in effect becomes an addiction.
The video games we allow our children to buy and play are violent, TV and films are bloody and violent, the comics, the rap and other music is violent (ugly and stupid as well). The media positively celebrate and promote violence while raising public ignorance to an art form. Rape is simply one more form of the mayhem our socially influencial institutions encourage.
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As an example of engineered violence aimed at preparing our kids to kill...
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=133845
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Comments are now closed.
If you post today I request you put your dates of service in to give a better understanding of your frame of reference.
Army 2001-Present
I am a man in the military, I can see a major changes in the Army EO program. Unit Victim Advocates, and Equal Opportunity representilves are appointed and trained in every unit. A strong command emphasis is placed on having an enviornment free of comments, actions, and behaviors like Sexual Harassment, Assault, Hostile work enviornments and so forth.
I think the changes are positive and while reported numbers may be up, I think this could just be a symptom of the system actually working, and letting those who have been assualted / harassed feel comfortable reporting the incident. I can say there is no more good old boy club that sweeps things under the carpet in my unit.
The Army has changed drastically in the last 9 years. We have conducted EO/POSH (equal opporttunity / prevention of sexual harassment) for the 4th time this year and I am deployed in Iraq. This shows a committment to change when we re-enforce appropriate behavior in a Comabt Zone!