When former Air Force Academy cadet Eric Thomas faced a disciplinary board in August 2012, a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations said he would come to explain how Thomas worked dozens of cases as a confidential informant and had been of great service to the Air Force.
The agent never showed up, and Thomas was expelled from the academy eight months later. On Friday, an active-duty member of the Air Force Academy with direct knowledge of the case said the agent, Brandon Enos, did not show up because he was told not to by the local OSI commander, Lt. Col. Vasaga Tilo.
Facing pressure to combat drug use and sexual assault at the Air Force Academy, the Air Force has created a secret system of cadet informants to hunt for misconduct among students.
Cadets who attend the publicly-funded academy near Colorado Springs must pledge never to lie. But the program pushes some to do just that: Informants are told to deceive classmates, professors and commanders while snapping photos, wearing recording devices and filing secret reports.
For one former academy student, becoming a covert government operative meant not only betraying the values he vowed to uphold, it meant being thrown out of the academy as punishment for doing the things the Air Force secretly told him to do.
An Air Force Academy cadet has been convicted by a court martial panel on a sexual assault charge and kicked out of the military.
Air Force Academy cadet Jamil Cooks, who pleaded guilty last week to unlawfully entering women’s dorm rooms at the academy, was convicted by a court martial panel on a charge of abusive sexual contact, the academy announced Sunday morning.
The Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs holds a hearing, “Sexual Assault in the Military.” Here Subcommittee Chairman John Tierney gives opening remarks. -Nancy Pelosi
The Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs holds a hearing, “Sexual Assault in the Military.” Panel one is Reps. Louise Slaughter (NY-28) and Jane Harman (CA-36). -Nancy Pelosi
The Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs holds a hearing, “Sexual Assault in the Military.” Panel one is Reps. Louise Slaughter (NY-28) and Jane Harman (CA-36). -Nancy Pelosi
The Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs holds a hearing, “Sexual Assault in the Military.” Panel two is Ingrid Torres, MSW, CSW and Mary Lauterbach, Mother of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach. -Nancy Pelosi
The Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs holds a hearing, “Sexual Assault in the Military.” Panel two is Ingrid Torres, MSW, CSW and Mary Lauterbach, Mother of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach. -Nancy Pelosi
The Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs holds a hearing, “Sexual Assault in the Military.” Panel three includes representatives of the Defense Department, the Army, and the GAO. -Nancy Pelosi
The Other PTSD – Sexual Abuse of Women in the Military -NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (May 4, 2007)
Congress takes on the Department of Defense in the first oversight hearing held this year by the subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs on sexual assault in the military. Some House members are accusing the DOD of a cover up. -American News Project (August 2, 2008)
According to recent GAO survey, a female soldier is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than die by enemy fire in Iraq. David Martin reports on this startling increase. -CBS Evening News (October 28, 2008)
MST: Military Sexual Trauma -CBS Evening News (October 28, 2008)
Katie Couric investigates an alarming trend in the U.S. military, as more and more female soldiers have come forward with tales of sexual abuse at the hands of male soldiers and superior officers. -CBS News (March 17, 2009)
Women and men from all branches of the US military spoke out in Washington Tuesday about sexual assault in the ranks. They were all military sexual assault survivors — appearing at a summit held to call attention to the issue. The US military has announced new efforts to combat these crimes. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti brings us the issue through the eyes of two women, both survivors of alleged sexual attacks. -VOA News (May 8, 2012)
DAYTON – The military is fighting another battle, an “invisible war” on sexual assault. Today, Congressman Mike Turner talked about an award-winning documentary that sheds light on that very topic. -WKEF/WRGT (September 5, 2012)
New provisions handed down from the Department of Defense are giving sexual assault victims in the military rights they never had before.It’s all thanks to the fight from Congressman Mike Turner and a local mother. -WKEF/WRGT (August 15, 2013)
A major hurdle cleared for sexual assault victims in the military.Congress passed a bill that would give victims rights and protection they never had before.The push came after the tragic murder of local marine Maria Lauterbach and her unborn son.Maria’s mother, Mary, was thrilled when she heard the news that the bill had passed the Senate. -WKEFandWRGT (December 20, 2013)
Sexual assault in the military is being reported more and more everyday.But our military is now learning how to protect themselves and teaching civilians the same thing. -WKEF/WRGT (March 10, 2014)
DAYTON — Today, Congressman Michael Turner (R-OH), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, hosted Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D-MA), at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Turner says he and Tsongas have worked together since 2007 to eliminate sexual assault from the U.S. military. Bother co-chair the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus. -WKEF/WRGT (September 9, 2014)
It is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Congressman Mike Turner was in town to talk about ways to cut down on sex assault in the military. Turner led a meeting with top brass from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Wright State University in hopes of continuing open conversations about the issue. The objective is to educate everyone on how to prevent sexual assaults from happening in the first place. -WKEF/WRGT (April 21, 2015)
Law protecting military victims of sexual assault discussed -WDTN TV (May 1, 2018)
Congressman Mike Turner changed the laws to make women serving in the military safer. -Mike Turner (August 20, 2018)