With tears streaming down her face, Jennifer Norris, a former Technical Sergeant in the Air Force, describes her harrowing experience with sexual assault and the difficulty she had in seeking justice within the military chain of command, saying, “The system is rigged against the victims” and in favor of the “often higher-ranking perpetrators.” [VIDEO]
Hawaii Delegation Backs Reforms Against Military Sexual Assaults (May 16, 2013) by Kery Murakami, Honolulu Civil Beat
New legislation would make it easier for victims of sexual assaults in the military to come forward.
“WASHINGTON, D.C. — A burgeoning scandal over sexual assaults in the military is fueling calls from congressional lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to support a bill that gives victims greater confidence that they’ll get justice. At an emotional press conference on Thursday where former service members spoke of being sexually assaulted while in the military, Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard joined a bipartisan group in both chambers in pushing for reform. The issue was a personal one for Gabbard, who served two tours of duty in the Middle East with the National Guard. Though she was not available for comment Thursday, she told CNN earlier this month that rape culture was prevalent during her first deployment to Iraq, to the point where soldiers were trained on protecting themselves from other soldiers.”
At [the] press conference, Jennifer Norris said she was raped while serving in the U.S. Air Force. “At first I was too afraid to report my assault to my chain of command, but two years later I was forced to report due to the escalation of the behavior and the fear that I would be raped again,” she said. Norris…said she’d been reluctant to report the rape because, “in the Air Force, I witnessed first hand what happens to those who stepped forward to report their assaults. I did not want to be stigmatized for reporting my assault — as I tried to move forward with my career. Instead, the best option for me was to try and endure it, to suck it up and try and make it until I could get transferred somewhere else — only to have it happen over and over again, like a recurring nightmare.” –Honolulu Civil Beat (May 16, 2013)
Read more from Honolulu Civil Beat here.
In the News:
U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono was joined today by victims of sexual assault in the military and organizations who assist victims of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) to announce new bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would reform the military justice system by removing the prosecution of all crimes punishable by one year or more in confinement from the chain of command, except crimes that are uniquely military in nature, such as disobeying orders or going Absent Without Leave. -Mazie Hirono (September 25, 2013)
Senator Mazie K. Hirono joined a diverse coalition, led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), to call for the creation of a fair military justice system to reverse the systemic obstacles that sexual assault victims face. The Military Justice Improvement Act would remove the military’s chain of command’s sole decision-making power over whether cases move forward to trial. -Mazie Hirono (November 6, 2013)
Hirono Speaks In Support Of The Military Justice Improvement Act. -Mazie Hirono (November 14, 2013)
With Vote Looming, Hirono Urges Support For Military Justice Improvement Act -Mazie Hirono (November 20, 2013)
Before Senate Vote, Hirono Urges Colleagues To Pass Military Justice Improvement Act -Mazie Hirono (March 6, 2014)
PBS NewsHour: Hirono Fights For Military Justice Improvement Act -Mazie Hirono (March 7, 2014)
Senator Hirono Calls to Address Military Sexual Assault -Mazie Hirono (May 24, 2016)
Senator Hirono Presses Marine Corps Commandant for Commitment to Address Military Sexual Assualt -Mazie Hirono (March 14, 2017)
Related Links:
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Senate Armed Services Committee
S.967 – Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013
S.1752 – Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013
Rape victims testify about assaults in Military (March 13, 2013)
Hawaii Delegation Backs Reforms Against Military Sexual Assaults (May 16, 2013)
Tough military sexual assault bill introduced (May 17, 2013)
Hirono visits 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks (April 8, 2013)
Hawaii delegation supports bill on military sexual assault (May 17, 2013)
Women in Congress Leading the Charge on Changing the Culture of Sexual Assault in the Military (May 18, 2013)
Women in the Senate Confront the Military on Sexual Assaults (June 3, 2013)
Senate set for battle over military sexual assault (June 12, 2013)
Diverse coalition behind Gillibrand sexual assault bill (July 16, 2013)
Military Sexual Assault Bill Would Reassign Authority (July 21, 2013)
Military Sexual Assault Bill Would Reassign Authority (July 21, 2013)
Hirono Joins Colleagues To Announce Bill To Stop Sexual Assault In The Military (September 25, 2013)
Hirono Calls For Fair Military Justice System For Survivors Of Sexual Assault (November 6, 2013)
Hirono Joins Bipartisan Group of Colleagues to Call for Fair Military Justice System for Sexual Assault Survivors (November 6, 2013)
Group of senators begin push to remove sex assault cases from chain of command (November 6, 2013)
McCaskill, Blunt seek to reform military sexual assault proceeding law (November 12, 2103)
Hirono Speaks In Support Of The Military Justice Improvement Act (November 14, 2013)
Rekha Basu: An epidemic of sexual assault in the military (November 19, 2013)
With Vote Looming, Hirono Urges Support For Military Justice Improvement Act (November 20, 2013)
Gillibrand, McCaskill Resume Military Sexual-Assault Debate (February 6, 2014)
Before Senate Vote, Hirono Urges Colleagues To Pass Military Justice Improvement Act (March 6, 2014)
PBS NewsHour: Hirono Fights For Military Justice Improvement Act (March 7, 2014)
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand And Claire McCaskill Begin To Take On College Sexual Assault (April 4, 2014)
U.S. Senators Serious About Sexual Assault (April 21, 2014)
Retaliation Against Victims of Military Sexual Assault Still Persists (December 4, 2014)
Senators demand transparency in US military justice system (December 8, 2015)
Pentagon data on child sex crimes in the military doesn’t show full picture (January 4, 2016)
Senator Hirono Calls to Address Military Sexual Assault (May 24, 2016)
Senator Hirono Presses Marine Corps Commandant for Commitment to Address Military Sexual Assualt (March 14, 2017)
Hirono, Gillibrand Re-Introduce Legislation to Address Crisis of Military Sexual Assault (November 16, 2017)
Military Justice Improvement Act Targets Sex Assaults (November 20, 2017)
Defense Department targets Air Force Academy’s use of mental diagnoses to oust cadets who report sexual assault (March 1, 2018)
Pentagon IG opens evaluation of Air Force Academy sexual assault prevention office (March 1, 2018)
Senators Hirono, Gillibrand Reintroduce Legislation to Bring Justice to Survivors of Sexual Assault in the Military (June 14, 2019)
Senate Armed Services Committee Members & House Armed Services Committee Members (June 21, 2019)
Hirono Calls For Fair Military Justice System For Survivors Of Sexual Assault
Hirono Joins Colleagues To Announce Bill To Stop Sexual Assault In The Military
Senator Hirono Calls to Address Military Sexual Assault
Senator seeks to reform military’s ‘unacceptable’ sex abuse policies
A New York senator introduced a bill Thursday that aims to remove sex crimes from the military’s chain of command — a bid to transform an insulated culture that tends to dampen sex-assault reporting, leaving many victims feeling helpless or hopeless.
Under the Pentagon’s current justice system, less than 1 percent of accused sexual perpetrators in the military were convicted last year while during 2012 just 9.8 percent of sex-assault victims reported the incidents, according to a Department of Defense report. Many victims feel powerless because their superiors can control everything from whether a case proceeds to whether a guilty verdict is eventually overturned.
“When the officer in charge of preventing sexual assault in their ranks is himself arrested for sexual assault — clearly, the strategy we have in place is not working. Twice in just the last two weeks this has happened,” Gillibrand said.
Read more from NBC News here.
CBS News: Former Air Force Sgt. Jennifer Norris, a rape victim, said, “Blaming a civilian hook-up culture for the epidemic does nothing but contribute to victim blaming, excusing perpetrators, and it belittles the serious nature of these crimes.”
She said the system is rigged against low-ranking service members. “Commanders who are responsible for the resolution of these cases are far too often biased in favor of the often higher-ranking perpetrators,” she said.
Norris spoke at a press conference at which Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and other members of Congress pushed legislation that would allow victims to bypass their commanders.
As far as how to make that happen, the senator said, “Allow them to report directly to a military lawyer, a trained prosecutor, someone who understands sexual assault, and is the one who will do the investigation and then decide whether or not to bring it to trial.”
Read more at CBS News here.
Virtually all media attention on a Pentagon report last week focused on an increase in service members’ claims of sexual abuse in an anonymous survey, but unmentioned were statistics showing that a significant percentage of such actually investigated cases were baseless. -Washington Times
Related Links:
False reports outpace sex assaults in the military
Victims of sex assaults in military are mostly men
Shameful: Washington Times Column Blames Female Service Members for Assault, Calls Them Liars (Miranda Peterson, Protect Our Defenders)
Sexual Assaults and Cultural Confusion in the Military’s New Gender Order
More On Sexual Assault In The Military
Victims of Sex Assaults in Military are Mostly Silent Men
National Security Expert: Women in Combat May Lead to More Sexual Abuse
U.S. military pressed to design special line of combat boots just for women
APA Retracts Shocking Military Male Rape Study
Study On Male Military Sexual Assault Rates Retracted
Military Sexual Trauma: Prevalent and Under Treated
The Air Force ‘Chief Of Sexual Assault Prevention’ Just Got Busted — For Sexual Battery
An allegedly inebriated Air Force Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski has been arrested under suspicion of sexual battery for an incident that occurred in Arlington May 5.
At 12:35 a.m., according to the police report, “a drunken male subject approached a female victim in a parking lot and grabbed her breasts and buttocks. The victim fought the suspect off as he attempted to touch her again and alerted police.”
Read more from the Business Insider here.
Related Links:
Rowan County Police Arrest Marine Recruiter for Sexual Assault
Police: Marine charged with sexually assaulting female recruits
Marine arrested for sex crimes in Rowan County
Marine accused of sexually assaulting women recruits in Rowan County
Marine recruiter charged in sexual assaults Bond set at $100,000; one young female says he threatened to kill her
Marine Corps Sergeant Derek Craig Percival Accused of Sexually Assaulting Teen Recruits
Recruiter charged
in sexual assaults
Marines recruiter arrested on sex charges
Marines recruiter arrested on sex charges
Marine recruiter arrested after allegations of sexual assault
Marine Recruiter Accused of Assaulting 2 Recruits
NC Marine Recruiter Accused Of Sex Crimes
Marine recruiter ‘sexually assaulted two teen recruits’ at his office and home where he lives with wife and two children
Marine Sergeant Allegedly Assaulted Teen Recruits At His Home And Office
Tell Anyone and I Will Kill You | Military Corruption
North Carolina Marine Charged with Assaulting Recruits (Marine Corps Times)
North Carolina Marine Charged with Assaulting Recruits (FB: Marine Corps Times)
Whistleblowers expose hidden culture inside the California National Guard
Behind the Gates of the Guard
‘The California National Guard has a long history of serving the country in critical times of need. Its members have fought wildfires, responded to Hurricane Katrina and recently assisted with rescue efforts in super storm Sandy. It is a reserve military force of 23,000 guard members—the largest in the nation—where “integrity first” is a guiding principle. But a joint-investigation by NBC Bay Area and KNBC-TV in Los Angeles has uncovered a disturbing hidden culture in the California National Guard where some guard members say sexual assault and racism at times go unchecked, and where retaliation is a frequent method of discipline. During the past six months reporters spoke with nearly two dozen men and women from the California Guard who have found no solution inside and now want to expose what they say is the truth.”
Read more from NBC Bay Area here.
Related Links:
NBC Bay Area: California Guard Tries to Serve Firing Papers to Member After Suicide Attempt (June 25, 2013)
NBC Bay Area | Military Women: We Got Fired for Being Raped (August 21, 2014)
NBC Bay Area: California National Guard Military Sexual Assault Bill Becomes Law (August 21, 2014)
“Our daughter was taught to trust the uniform.” -Retired Chief Navy Petty Officer
DNA evidence linked Army officer 1st Lt. Aaron Lucas to a string of child sex crimes in three states: Colorado, Alabama, and Texas. Aaron Lucas was a 4th Infantry Division Army artillery officer stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. He is married with two children. According to reports, Lucas had a glowing resume and received countless awards including the Bronze Star after a deployment to Afghanistan. On October 23, 2012 Aaron Lucas was arrested by Colorado civilian authorities and accused of indecent exposure, kidnapping, and rape of children during the 2009-2012 time frame. He was also accused of committing child sex crimes in Alabama in 2007 and Texas in 2009. 1st Lt. Lucas was charged with 20 counts of sexual abuse in Colorado. It appears that Lucas preyed on and targeted children in the nearby communities while stationed at Fort Carson. Some he kidnapped and raped. Investigators also noted that Lucas was linked to 11 attempted abductions in Colorado and all the crime appeared to cease when he was deployed to Afghanistan. Victim testimony revealed that Lucas attacked most of his victims while in military uniform. Aaron Lucas has an identical twin brother Brian whose DNA is a near identical match to his. Therefore Aaron attempted to use the ‘evil twin defense’ and blamed the crimes on his brother who was also accused of committing his own list of crimes. Although investigators concluded that there was no evidence uncovered to link Brian Lucas to the crimes as he wasn’t even in the same states where the crimes occurred. In November 2013, Aaron Lucas dropped the ‘evil twin defense’ and pleaded guilty to the crimes prior to the trial because he loved his family and didn’t want to put them through it. He also begged the judge to get him treatment. The defense noted that it is difficult to argue someone else committed the crimes when you can’t put the person at the scene of the crime. Prosecutors argued that treatment does not work for someone who repeatedly and deliberately makes the decision to prey on children. Aaron Lucas was sentenced to 20 years to life. In his defense, Aaron’s father claims his son is a hero and that combat stress prompted the crimes. According to his father, Lucas is also a victim of sexual assault. In other news, Brian Lucas was convicted of sodomy and sexual abuse charges in February 2015 in Alabama.
Related Links:
Fort Carson Investigates Possible Sexual Assaults
Prosecutor: DNA evidence links soldier to Colo., Ala. assaults
Soldier arrested on sex charges possibly connected to AL crime
Decorated Army Officer Faces Child Sex Charges
Fort Carson GI held on sex assault, child luring charges
Madison Co. sheriff’s investigators working with Colorado authorities in Army officer sexual abuse case
Army officer charged with more than 20 counts of sexual abuse in Colorado to be investigated in Madison County
Authorities: DNA connects suspect to Texarkana kidnapping cold case
DNA evidence links 2007 Madison sexual assualt case to soldier in Colorado
Warrant sought in local assault case
Fort Carson investigates ‘several’ soldiers in sexual assaults of girls
Sex assault suspect: My evil twin did it!
Sex-assault suspect blaming twin brother for attacks
Army Officer blames sex crimes on twin brother
Army officer is blaming DNA match in assaults on his twin brother
Suspect Blames Twin for Sexual Assaults: DNA Evidence Implicates Army Lt. and Brother
Bronze Star Army officer accused of ‘trying to abduct and sexually assault young girls’ will claim his TWIN was behind attacks
Aaron Lucas Accuses Twin Brother of Sexual Assaults He is Charged With
Sibling DNA Twist in Serial Rape Trial
Is a Decorated Soldier Being Tried for His Twin’s Sex Crimes?
Judge: Suspect Allowed To Blame Identical Twin In Sexual Assault Case
Judge: Sex assault suspect allowed to blame twin
Judge allows Colorado soldier’s defense of citing twin as potential suspect
Judge allows “Evil Twin” Defense In Rape Cases!
Judge allows Colorado soldier’s defense of citing twin as potential suspect
Accused rapist allowed to raise identical twin defense at trial
Army sex assault suspect is allowed to blame twin
Judge: Sex assault suspect allowed to blame twin
Army Officer To Use Identical Twin In Defense Of Sexual Assault Charges
Army Officer Uses Evil Twin Defense In Sexual Assault Case
Twin Brother Of Aaron Lucas Arrested On Sexual Abuse Charges
Twin Brother of Aaron Lucas, Brian Arrested on Sexual Abuse Charges
Twin Brother of Aaron Lucas, Brian, Arrested Again For Sexual Abuse
‘Evil twin’ defense dropped, Fort Carson officer to plead guilty to sex assault
Army officer drops ‘evil twin’ defense, pleads guilty to sex assaults
Army Officer Drops ‘Twin Defense’ for Sexual Assault
Man pleads guilty to assaults, won’t blame twin
Man pleads guilty to assaults, won’t blame twin
Army officer who blamed twin for sexual assaults pleads guilty
Aaron Gregory Lucas, Army Officer Who Blamed Twin For Sexual Assaults, Pleads Guilty
Army officer Aaron Lucas who blamed twin for sexual assaults pleads guilty
Colorado soldier who named twin as sex crimes suspect pleads guilty
Hero ex-Army officer who tried to blame his twin for string of sex attacks on children is jailed for 20 years – as twin is held for the SAME offenses
Former Army officer sentenced to 20 years in prison for child sex assaults after admitting his twin didn’t do it
Ex-Army officer gets 20 years in child-sex cases
Ex-Army officer gets 20 years in child-sex cases
Former Fort Carson soldier sentenced for sex crimes
How do you convict an identical twin of rape? A new DNA test hopes to clarify evidence
Lucas parents say sexual abuse turned their son into child rapist
Violent Crime, Suicide & Non Combat Death at Fort Carson, Colorado (US Army)
“If Estacio had been convicted of sexual assault or wrongful sexual contact, the Air Force would have been required to notify state officials so he could be placed on a sex-offender registry, said Lt. Col. Mark Hoover, an Air Force training command attorney.” -My SA
SSgt Kwinton Estacio was a basic military training instructor as Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He was one of the 35 instructors courts martialed in what is referred to as the Lackland Sex Scandal. SSgt Estacio was accused of a sexual assault and wrongful sexual contact with a trainee. The judge found him not guilty of sexual assault as there was not enough evidence to support the charge. A sexual assault conviction carried a maximum sentence of thirty years. A jury found him not guilty of wrongful sexual contact. Sexual assault and wrongful sexual contact indictments could have landed him on the sex offender registry. SSgt Estacio pleaded guilty to an unprofessional relationship, disobeying a direct order, and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to one year in prison and received a bad conduct discharge. He appealed his sentence but the appeal was denied. Although the actions for which he was found guilty were unprofessional and in fact UCMJ infractions, they were not criminal in nature yet he was sentenced to 1 year in prison. SSgt Estacio had the sixth longest prison sentence in the Lackland scandal. SrA Christopher Oliver had the fifth longest sentence at 2 years for unprofessional relationships and adultery. SSgt Craig LeBlanc had the fourth longest sentence at 2 1/2 years for unprofessional relationships & adultery. SSgt Eddy Soto had the third longest sentence at 4 years for rape but Soto’s conviction was later overturned by the Air Force Criminal Court of Appeals. The rape charge lacked sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. SSgt Luis Walker and MSgt Michael Silva both received 20 year sentences for rape and sexual assault.
Related Links:
Air Force trainer pleads guilty in sex scandal
Lackland training instructor pleads not guilty to sexual assault charge
Air Force instructor in Texas acquitted on sex charge
Air Force trainer acquitted in sexual assault at Texas’ Lackland
Former Lackland trainer receives 1-year sentence
Air Force trainer is spared a 30-year penalty
Air Force boot-camp instructor sentenced to prison in sex scandal
US v. SSgt KWINTON K. ESTACIO, US Air Force, ACM 38256, 11 June 2014
The Lackland Air Force Base Sex Scandal, Texas (2011)
A Complete List of the 35 Basic Military Training Instructors Court Martialed in the Lackland Air Force Base Sex Scandal
