Tag: 2013

Only the truth will save us: Society fails when victims of sexual assault are stigmatized

On By AdministratorIn Military Policy, Sexual AssaultLeave a comment

Rape Culture Cycle

Only the truth will save us: Society fails when victims of sexual assault are stigmatized

Another story about rape and football.

Two girls say they’re raped in small town Missouri. Felony charges are leveled against a high school football player, then dropped. Under what influence? One juvenile offender is convicted on a lesser charge. The social media bullying begins. Local authorities shrug as the victim is run out of town. Or attempts suicide. Months later, the whole rotten story appears in the Kansas City Star, and under even greater political pressure those authorities are forced to consider taking the matter up again. Sound familiar?

As it is in Annapolis, where two football players face court-martial. As it is in Nashville, where a football player pleads guilty to covering up the gang rape allegedly committed by his teammates. As it is in Steubenville, where two football players commit rape and the community harasses the victims. So it is in Maryville. Is football culture rape culture?

Read more: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/9845262/society-fails-victims-sexual-assault-stigmatized

National Guard working toward a better future for sexual assault victims

On By AdministratorIn Military Policy, Sexual AssaultLeave a comment

Air National Guard SealNational Guard working toward a better future for sexual assault vicitims

A month ago the 122nd Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard had a stand down, or stop of military action, to discuss the topic of sexual assault. It was part of a national military stand down on the topic since 2005.

Capt. Rebecca Metzger, wing executive officer/sexual assault response coordinator, led a series of discussion groups to train the 900-some guard members at the Fort Wayne-based 122nd about the topic. Each section had anywhere from 90 to 150 people in it. The idea Metzger explained was to inform and spark discussion on what is often an uncomfortable topic.

Read more: http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130927/NEWS/130929743/-1/LIVING

USMC Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Campaign Plan

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USMCUSMC Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Campaign Plan

“Sexual assault is an ugly mark on our proud reputation; it goes against  everything we claim to be as United States Marines … it is a crime … and we  will eradicate it from the Corps,” said General James F. Amos, Commandant of the  Marine Corps.

The Marine Corps recognizes that sexual assault is a  problem within our ranks and we are taking action now to change our culture to  prevent and eliminate this crime. This is not who we are as a Marine Corps. As  Marines, we pride ourselves on iron discipline and combat excellence. We know  sexual assault damages lives, erodes trust and unit cohesion, and dishonors all  Marines past and present. We are accountable as individual Marines and leaders  at every level. Americans join our Corps with the faith that we will treat them  with dignity and respect, and we will address any misconduct or criminal  behavior with swift and fair justice.

Marines must also have confidence  that, if assaulted, we will immediately provide compassionate victim support and  hold offenders accountable. When it comes to sexual assault prevention, all  Marines know we have fallen short.

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/115309/sexual-assault-prevention-response-campaign-plan#.UmILICLD_mI

Navy nominee seeks to clarify remark

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Jo Ann RooneyNavy nominee seeks to clarify remark

The woman nominated to be the No. 2 civilian in the Navy is seeking to  clarify a statement she made on sexual assault in the military that sparked  outrage among victim advocacy groups.

Jo Ann Rooney, tapped by President Barack Obama to be the next undersecretary  of the Navy, says she never meant to suggest military commanders shouldn’t weigh  the evidence when deciding whether to prosecute allegations of sexual  assault.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/jo-ann-rooney-navy-nominee-remark-98504.html

Ex-Calif military prep administrator arrested for alleged sexual abuse of former students

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Ex-Calif military prep administrator arrested for alleged sexual abuse of former students

Carlsbad police say 55-year-old Jeffrey Barton was taken into custody late Thursday and was booked for investigation of sexual assault. Barton was responsible for academic and residential programs at the Army and Navy Academy, a private college-prep academy that has more than 300 male cadets in grades seven through 12. He resigned earlier this year.

Read more: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/9f4c0d516244455aa822346b5be7624d/CA–Military-Administrator-Arrest

Veteran says Fort Harrison VA is not qualified; Gatlin: Office near Helena ‘incompetent’

On By AdministratorIn Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental IllnessLeave a comment

Veterans AffairsVeteran says Fort Harrison VA is not qualified; Gatlin: Office near Helena ‘incompetent’

WASHINGTON –  The Veterans Board of Appeals heard oral arguments Wednesday by a disabled vet who charged that the Fort Harrison Veterans Affairs office near Helena is “organizationally incompetent.”

Charles Gatlin, a 38-year-old graduate student at the University of Montana, is a Ranger-certified Army captain retired on a disability. After being awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, Gatlin was retired from active duty with a 70 percent disability rating for traumatic brain injury (TBI) suffered in Iraq by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).

But the VA at Fort Harrison ignored three batteries of neuropsychological testing by the Department of Defense and dropped Gatlin’s 70 percent TBI disability to 10 percent and then added another 30 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Read more: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20131017/NEWS01/310170012?odyssey=mod%7Cmostcom&nclick_check=1

Wilkerson: Demotion, ouster politically motivated

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USAF SealWilkerson: Demotion, ouster politically motivated

Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, the former Aviano Air Base, Italy, inspector general whose overturned sexual assault conviction triggered calls for change to long-standing military law, called his forced retirement and demotion to major an unfair and politically motivated decision.

“I emphatically disagree with [the] decision and believe my service record provides clear proof that I honorably served in the rank of lieutenant colonel, so much that I was promoted to colonel,” Wilkerson said in a statement to Air Force Times.

It is the first time Wilkerson has spoken publicly about his case.

Read more: http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131018/NEWS/310180012/Wilkerson-Demotion-ouster-politically-motivated

DOD Bolsters sexual assault victim advocacy with new initiatives

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Department of DefenseDOD Bolsters sexual assault victim advocacy with new initiatives

WASHINGTON – The Defense Department continues to take steps to improve victims’ confidence in sexual assault advocacy through a multi-pronged approach, said the deputy director for DOD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, Oct. 3.

Air Force Col. Alan R. Metzler, SAPRO’s deputy director, emphasized that the first step to stopping sexual assault in the military is through prevention and working to reinforce cultural imperatives of mutual trust and respect, team commitment, and professional values.

Read more: http://www.dolphin-news.com/articles/2013/10/17/life/doc525ec223e3833716250594.txt

Congress Still Dragging Its Feet On Military Sexual Assault Reform

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Seal of CongressCongress Still Dragging Its Feet On Military Sexual Assault Reform

Proposals to address a major flaw in the military’s policy for reporting rapes have languished in Congress.

(New York)– Every May, the U.S. Department of Defense issues statistics on rapes and sexual assault charges in the military in its Annual Report on Sexual Assault. In FY 2012, 3,374 sexual assaults were reported. That’s only part of the story. Those who work to treat and heal sexual violence, whether as survivors, advocates or therapists, say they know there is always underreporting.

In the same report, an anonymous survey of service members found 26,000 reports of sexual assault, 14,000 of which came from men. Many victims never come forward, fearful of repercussions in their military careers, and the ones that do often find their cases are dismissed or ignored, or they are told not to push the complaint.

Read more: http://www.mintpressnews.com/congress-still-dragging-its-feet-on-military-sexual-assault-reform/170734/