This post was inspired by International Men’s Day and a quest to find the truth on the internet. Are men in the US the majority of the victims of crimes?
This research was inspired by the above graphic. My initial research so far for the military backs these numbers so I feel that it is fair to say more men in the military are victims of crimes than women. We have more military men than women so that only makes sense. By the numbers we have roughly 85% males and 15% females. We know more military men have died by suicide or “non combat death” while in service than military women. We know male veterans make up the majority of the homeless mostly due to mental health and substance abuse issues. We don’t know the percentage of men in the military who have been murdered versus the number of female service members. But we do know that the research so far reveals more men are murdered than military women while serving. The number that may throw this off is how many military men are murdering their spouses and significant others and/or members of their family. So more research has to be done.
The Department of Defense hasn’t included the military spouses in the data thus far nor have they included civilians who have been victims of crime by military members. But we know they exist because we try to track all victims of crime perpetrated by a military member on this website in an effort to honor them. Today we featured 30 cases of domestic abuse that led to the homicide of a female spouse or soldier. We have concerns about domestic violence in general especially since we learned that upwards of 40% of males are victims of domestic violence in the United States. We believe it. Since the majority of members in the military are males, we have found multiple cases of men getting targeted by mostly female civilians and then abused and murdered for their benefits and life insurance. In some cases they reported the domestic violence but in most cases they don’t. Why are men less likely to report when they are a victim of domestic violence? Are they being threatened? For example, “I will ruin your career” comes to mind. This is something that needs to be explored further.
Our new concern is that military men are being falsely accused of sex crimes in an effort to make divorce go in the spouses favor or they have been exploited by a service member looking for a new assignment, to get out of a financial obligation, to get an early retirement, and also the Department of Veterans Affairs financial monthly benefits, about $3,000 a month for someone who is 100% disabled. Although sexual assault isn’t specifically mentioned in the above graphic, we also know that the majority of military men are victims of sexual assault and rape but are the least likely to report. We’ve also learned that about a 1/3 of female victims of crime in the military report and 60% of those females report they experienced both perceived personal and professional retaliation as a result of that report, in a lot of cases the report eventually ends the career. And this may be why so many victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape in the military do not report, specifically men. The military career is an investment that most of us don’t want meddled with.
The military career is our retirement plan, it’s a financial asset. We don’t want to risk losing our careers in the long run because we know a report of a crime or a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will make us “unfit for service.”
Our number one goal was to find out if more males are victims of violent crime than females, not that it matters because all people are important. But if you try to find the statistics out there, you will find that they are buried by media reports of how many women are murdered by intimate partner violence, pregnant women are especially at risk. Whereas males are more likely to be the victim of a crime perpetrated by a stranger. Make sure and check out The Red Pill trailer below to find out why Men’s Rights Advocates are fighting for their fellow males. Women do it all the time and there’s no reason they can’t either but they are getting judged, villianized, and demonized for their very important and necessary work. It’s time to step it up for men who die by homicide and suicide; and it’s time we teach them it’s okay to reach out for help whether they have combat PTSD or were a victim of crime.
Broad studies have revealed certain trends within crime and victimization patterns. Adolescents are most likely to be victimized. Men become crime victims more often than women do, and blacks experience more crime than other racial groups. –National Institute of Justice
More men are murdered than women, mostly gun violence
Men are more likely to be murdered by a stranger than a women
Women are more likely to be murdered by an intimate partner
Pregnant women are at most risk of homicide by an intimate partner
More men than women are raped and sexually assaulted in the military
More men than women in the US are raped if you include prisons
Men make up 40% of domestic violence cases in the US
“Death of LaVena Johnson. July 19, 2005. Balad, Iraq. Nineteen years of age and recently deployed to Iraq, LaVena Johnson had everything going for her. A great education, determination, goals, and a great family. In letters and calls to home, she seemed quite candid about conditions there, both the good and the bad, but was also looking forward to being home for Christmas. On July 19th, though, a grim discovery was made. LaVena was found in a contractor’s tent, dead from an apparent gunshot wound to her head. An aerosol can was used to burn printed emails from a recent boyfriend. The Army ruled her death a suicide. Upset over the recent breakup with her boyfriend she must have hit her breaking point. The first autopsy didn’t really find anything to question this as a suicide. The Johnson family had her exhumed and two additional autopsies would make some startling discoveries. LaVena Johnson had suffered a broken nose, loose teeth, a black eye, and chemical burns on her genitals just to name a few. The Johnson family never believed that LaVena would take her own life and despite the questions surrounding her death, no one seems to want to go beyond saying that this case is ‘inconclusive’. Join us for a difficult discussion of losing a loved one under mysterious circumstances, not getting answers from investigators, and the possible reasons for why LaVena Johnson died back in 2005 in Iraq.” –Death of LaVena Johnson, The Generation Why Podcast (November 19, 2017)
(Could not find this Unsolved Mysteries episode anywhere!)
3. Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack – Season 7, Episode 19 – Full Episode (Justin Burgwinkel, U.S. Army, California)
4. Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack – Season 5, Episode 20 – Full Episode (Chad Langford, U.S. Army, Alabama)
5. Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack – Season 3, Episode 13 – Full Episode (Mark Dennis, U.S. Navy, Vietnam)
6. Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack – Season 8 Episode 15 – Full Episode (David Cox, U.S. Marine Corps, Massachusetts)
7. Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack – Season 8 Episode 1 – Full Episode (Joe O’Brien & Kuwaiti Air Force fighter pilot Mohammed “Sammy” Mubarak, Iraq)
BONUS EPISODE:
8. Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack – Season 4, Episode 11 – Full Episode (Jeffrey Digman, U.S. Marine Corps, California)
Sgt. Ryan A. Curtis, U.S. Marine Corps (September 2, 1990 – October 19, 2017)
Sergeant Ryan A. Curtis, U.S. Marine Corps, age 27, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, formally of Hastings, passed away suddenly on October 19, 2017. Ryan was born in Hastings on September 2, 1990 to Richard A. and Linda A. (Ransome) Curtis.
Ryan was a very private, loving and caring person who would do anything for anyone; mentoring several close friends. He attended Thornapple Valley Church since the age of 4. He graduated from Hastings High School in 2009 and was in the Boy Scouts for a while.
He entered the Marine Corps in 2009 and graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego in September of 2009. He was deployed to Afghanistan for 2 tours in 2010 and 2012. He served his country for the past 8 years.
Ryan is survived by his wife of 5 years, Samantha; parents, Richard Dick & Linda Curtis; sister, Kelly; and his fur babies, Bear & Nigel.
Listen to a NYPD sting operation recording of Harvey Weinstein here.
Both “The Invisible War” and “The Hunting Ground” were documentaries produced and directed by Hollywood filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. The Invisible War was an unvetted documentary about sexual assault and rape in the U.S. military. It was lauded by the masses, showcased at the Pentagon, and apparently used to influence Senator Claire McCaskill’s military justice legislation. Before we could wrap our heads around how these filmmakers had silenced veteran’s voices (again), they released The Hunting Ground, another unvetted documentary about sexual assault and rape on our nation’s campuses. And now we are learning that these documentaries were both funded and distributed by “serial predator” and Hollywood movie executive Harvey Weinstein of the Weinstein Company. In the wake of this provable scandal, Amy Ziering came to the defense of the indefensible and admitted in an interview that The Invisible War resulted in thirty five pieces of legislation passed by Congress.
The problem is the only laws passed were Senator Claire McCaskill’s bills. By taking credit for Claire McCaskill’s legislation (that military and veterans did not want), Ziering is admitting to undermining veteran’s efforts to secure due process rights for service members. We wanted them to have due process rights in the military justice system AND with non judicial punishment, retaliation, mental health, security clearance, and discharge. There’s nothing to take credit for unless you back Senator Claire McCaskill’s flawed military sexual assault legislation. Veterans resoundingly wanted the Military Justice Improvement Act sponsored by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and supported by multiple bi-partisan Senators including conservatives who saw the constitutional issues with the command directed approach. BUT it was railroaded by Senator Claire McCaskill, Senator Carl Levin (now retired), and Senator Kelly Ayotte (now fired). And obviously backed by the filmmakers of a documentary about sexual assault funded and distributed by the very serial predator veterans were trying to hold accountable, especially the leadership tasked with implementing Senator McCaskill’s bills.
The connection has been made. In the wake of the flawed and failed policy in both the military and on college campuses, what these folks felt they knew was best actually created new victims. And it isn’t coincidental that the legislation passed in the military mirrors the unconstitutional use of preponderance of the evidence (50%+) on college campuses. This 2011 guidance came from Obama’s Department of Education Office of Civil Rights and Senator Claire McCaskill and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand are trying to get the policy codified as law with the CASA Act. In a stunning twist, newly appointed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reversed the harmful policy and reinstated due process protections for the accused on campus. The days of believe all women OR ELSE and holding institutions of authority hostage if you don’t believe the alleged victim are over on our college campuses. Campuses are able to reverse the harmful policy guidance but veterans have to reverse 35 pieces of sexual assault specific legislation that have had devastating consequences on military members and their families.
For all of its flaws and fabrications, “The Hunting Ground,” Harvey Weinstein’s activist documentary film about sexual assault on college campuses, finally succeeded in helping to actually identify a real predator — the filmmaker himself. And, although some of his apologists like filmmaker Rob Reiner tried to excuse Mr. Weinstein’s predatory behavior by saying that he should be lauded for having funded the film to expose the epidemic of rape on college campuses, “The Hunting Ground” helped to fuel a moral panic about sex abuse that directly led to Mr. Weinstein’s own professional demise…The good news is that as more and more powerful people become swept up in the hysteria surrounding sexual assault and people see themselves as vulnerable to such charges, the panic will end as spontaneously as it began. In some ways, a moral panic can be viewed as a “correction” — not unlike a market correction. We needed to bring attention to the Harvey Weinsteins lurking among us. Perhaps now we can now begin to look at sexual assault more rationally — identifying the “real” predators among us. Prof. Anne Hendershott, Washington Times
Fort Hood Army Master Sergeant Alva ‘Joe’ Gwinn, 39, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on October 12, 2017 near the Williamson-Bell County line in Texas. Although the exact set of circumstances that led to MSG Gwinn taking his own life are unknown, the media reported that MSG Gwinn took his own life during an exchange of gunfire after leading the Killeen Police Department (KPD) on a high speed car chase. Prior to the incident, a concerned family member contacted the Fort Hood chain of command to report that Joe was experiencing a mental health breakdown and may be suicidal. The command contacted the military police who then asked the Killeen Police Department to do a ‘welfare check’ on MSG Gwinn. According to the KPD, MSG Gwinn was located in his car but took off when approached; they said MSG Gwinn then led police on a high speed car chase. According to reports, Alva fled on foot after pulling over, there was an exchange of gunfire with the KPD, and MSG Gwinn ended his life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. An officer involved shooting investigation was launched because gunfire was exchanged. Joe left behind two sons from a previous marriage and a wife and family who loved him very much. He is missed dearly.
On March 21, 2018, the media reported that a “Bell County Grand Jury reviewed the completed investigation done by the Texas Rangers and decided no indictment should be returned to the deputy in connection with the events leading to the death of a Fort Hood soldier.” MSG Gwinn’s home of record was listed as Richwood, West Virginia. MSG Gwinn served in the Army National Guard from 1996-1999 and then enlisted in the active-duty Army in September 1999 as a combat engineer. At the time of his death, MSG Gwinn was assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade at Fort Hood since April 2012. MSG Gwinn served in the military for over twenty years and was eligible for retirement. When the media reported on the death of MSG Gwinn, they also mentioned a sexual assault accusation lodged against him in June 2016. They reported MSG Gwinn was scheduled to go to court in November 2017 as if they were implying there was a connection between the suicide and the court date scheduled the following month. One media source reported MSG Gwinn was a highly decorated combat veteran who was known for being a perfectionist and respected by his peers. MSG Gwinn deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan a total of five times while he served with the U.S. Army.
Editor’s Note: The circumstances that led to MSG Gwinn’s suicide inspired us to include him in a Fort Hood status of forces presentation we prepared for congressional representatives in Washington D.C. We believe things could have been handled better and we hope authorities learn from this experience in an effort to prevent it from happening again. We also found it in poor taste that the media mired MSG Gwinn’s reputation at the time of his death with an accusation of which he had not been found guilty of.
Areas of Concern:
On October 12, 2017, family informed the chain of command that MSG Gwinn was experiencing a mental health breakdown & may be suicidal; at the request of the chain of command, the military police asked the Killeen Police Department to do a ‘welfare check’ on MSG Gwinn; according to the KPD, they located MSG Gwinn in his car but he took off when approached and then led them on a high speed car chase that ended with an exchange of gunfire and MSG Gwinn taking his own life
How can we prevent a ‘welfare check’ from turning into an officer involved shooting, suicide by cop or suicide? Why was the high speed car chase necessary?
According to media reports, in June 2016, MSG Gwinn was arrested, indicted and charged by civilian authorities with “aggravated sexual assault” of a 12-year-old girl in 2012; the accusations surfaced in the midst of a child support and child custody case; MSG Gwinn maintained his innocence but a potential trial loomed and his military career and child visitation rights were on hold; Joe loved his family
The accusations negatively impacted MSG Gwinn’s military career and ability to spend time with his two sons; this in turn negatively impacted his mental health; the stress of the child custody case & accusations took their toll; up until this point, MSG Gwinn had a stellar military career and had never been accused of any crimes
According to local media, Alva was facing a trial in November 2017 and they made a loose connection between a pending trial date and MSG Gwinn’s suicide
What prompted the media to mire MSG Gwinn’s memory with an accusation when they reported on his death? Is that fair when the accused can’t defend themselves?
Whether guilty or innocent, this is a tragic end for a man accused of a crime
What does the Army do with the accused who are awaiting criminal trial?
Is Fort Hood responsible for the mental health of those accused of crimes?
What is the military’s policy on child visitation when a military member is accused of a crime against a child other than their own?
From the Author:The book documents the long history of gang members (street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and domestic terrorist – extremists) with military training in parallel with the history of the United States. Gang members have served in the military in each of the wartime eras and they continue to serve today. Some are trying to use the military to get out of the gang life – many are not. The criminals not only tarnish the reputation of the military, they increase the dangerousness of our communities.
Description:Over the past several decades, there has been a continuous and growing focus on street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and domestic terrorist and extremist groups. Many of these groups have members with military training, and some actively recruit from current and former military veterans and retirees. That military experience adds to the dangerousness of veteran gang members, as well as those groups they associate with.
In the News:
Gangs in the Military (Fort Hood). -Carter F. Smith (April 18, 2011)
“An internal report, obtained by Military.com through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows that gang members were tied to dozens of Army felony law enforcement reports and more than 100 criminal investigations in fiscal 2018, the latest year for which data is available. While these reports and investigations make up less than 1% of all Army law enforcement incidents, the new report shows that the little-discussed problem of military gang activity continues to be a headache for base commanders and other service leaders.” –Army Street Gang Activity is Increasing, Internal Report Report Shows, Military.com (August 17, 2020)
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 