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War, War, War See other War, War, War Articles Title: Female sexual assault: Military 1 in 3 – Civilian 1 in 6 Yep, that’s right. Women in the military are more likely to be raped in the military than on the street and they are more likely to be raped than killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read that again. And then realize that the Pentagon admits that 80% of rapes in the military are not reported. Forget the don’t ask, don’t tell hoopla – their choice to engage in sodomy is voluntary - address the women who are being forcibly sodomized against their will while voluntarily risking their lives for our freedom. Imagine what could happen/is happening/has happened to a lesbian service member when her military brothers decide that all she needs is a good f*ck. Veterans Administration has classified a subset of PTSD: Military Sexual Trauma. Should this be something women who volunteer to serve our country should have to suffer? Is not going into battle difficult enough? Going into countries like Iraq and Afghanistan where women are already thought of as chattel? What happens to them when they get captured? Even if they never are – the thought has to weigh heavily on them. Why should they have to fear their fellow soldiers as well? It is heinous. And what does the media focus on? Wanting to photograph flag-draped coffins. They have no concern for the walking dead. Here are some interesting comments from DAVID MARTIN: A Veterans Administration study found that one in sedical records of 125,000 war veterans, both men and women, showed 15 percent reported sexual trauma. That works out to nearly 2,600 veterans, almost all women. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, since the study covered only a fraction of the 870,000 veterans who have fought – and none still on active duty. 1 in 7 female veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan seeking medical care from the VA suffered sexual trauma – everything from harassment to rape. And: A recent survey by the Government Accountability Office of just 13 military bases found that 103 service members who say they’ve been sexually assaulted in the previous 12 months. And: And women who suffer sexual trauma are more likely to develop medical and mental problems. Studies show it ranks high – or higher – than combat as a cause of post-traumatic stress disorder. The chances of being found guilty? Congress mandated in 2006 that the military keep track of cases – prior to that there was nothing in place. Not a surprise. 2006: 2,974 cases of rape and sexual assault only 292 cases resulted in a military trial. Doesn’t say how many were found guilty and how many of them actually received punishment. 2007: Over 2200 servicemen investigated for sexual assault only 181 were prosecuted. How many women soldiers are going to fabricate a rape when to survive they are already trying to stay under the radar? Not happening. How many women after the investigation and court cases remain in the military vs the accused who got off? Katie Couric talked with one brave patriot, Jessica, who was one of three women in a unit with 60 men. Just weeks in she was sexually harassed by her superior and then she was raped by a soldier from another base. It’s one thing if the rapist is a stranger, an acquaintance, a family member, a religious man, a teacher, a person in a position of authority – but someone who you have sworn to risk your life for? Someone who has sworn to save and protect yours? Someone took the same oath of office and who is supposed to follow the same code of ethics? And what about the rest of the soldiers at his base? Did they turn him in or laugh and ask for details? It’s disgusting. And some of the rapists who are found guilty are not dishonorably discharged – they are given pay/rank reductions. What does the military code of conduct entail? And is it enforced conditionally? “I am gay” gets a soldier fired but being found guilty of sexual assault gets a demotion in rank or pay? The only way this is going to stop is if the band of brothers decide to make it stop. These rapists do not rape without at least one of their fellow brothers/rapists knowing. Those who say nothing and know about the crime should be punished in the same fashion as the rapist. Problem is – not very many of the rapist are being punished. Here is Katie Couric’s interview with the transcript below. Please take the 4:26 to watch. COURIC VOICOVER: They’ve become an integral part of modern warfare – 200,000 active duty women serving alongside their band of brothers. Jessica was one of those women. Born into a military family, at 24 she enlisted in the Army. Following basic training she was posted half a world away at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. She was assigned to an Apache helicopter maintenance crew, one of three women in a unit of 60 men. Jessica worked hard to blend into a very macho world, CBS News anchor Katie Couric reports. JESSICA: You figure out how to turn the guy off, and become one of the guys. That’s your safety mechanism. COURIC VOICEOVER: But that safety mechanism failed. Just weeks into her new assignment, her squad leader began making unwanted sexual comments. Then it turned physical when he tried to force himself on her. She was afraid to report it, tried to forget it, but the assault haunted her. In a completely unrelated incident when she was out one night, someone she knew from another base raped her. JESSICA: The betrayal issues to this day are still pretty deep. You know, I was like, ‘I’m willing to give my life for this guy next to me but how do I know that he’s not going to hurt me?’” COURIC VOICEOVER: Jessica’s story is not unique. One in three female soldiers will experience sexual assault while serving in the military, compared to one in six women in the civilian world. The Pentagon released a disturbing report Tuesday on sexual abuse in the military, saying that more than 2,900 sexual assaults were reported last year, up nearly 9 percent from the year before. Nearly two-thirds of the cases involved rape or aggravated assault. COURIC: How big a problem do you believe is rape and sexual assault in the US Military is right now? Principal Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness MICHAEL DOMINGUEZ: DOMINGUEZ: Sexual assault injures troops. Injures readiness. So regardless of the numbers we have, it is by definition too much. [Look at how uncomfortable he is just talking about it. Notice he said "troops". He didn't say women. He completely depersonalized them. And that it injuries 'readiness". It doesn't get more minimizing than that. Rape murders a woman's soul just as assuredly as an IED.] COURIC VOICEOVER: But how often does it happen? The Pentagon only started a comprehensive program to track incidents in 2006, and only after Congress mandated it do so. That year there were 2,974 cases of rape and sexual assault across the services. And of those, only 292 cases resulted in a military trial. And in 2007 there were even fewer prosecutions. COURIC: Of more than 2,200 servicemen investigated for sexual assault, only 181 were prosecuted? DOMINGUEZ: Yes, we absolutely have to get better. [Defense] Secretary [Robert] Gates himself is driving this initiative this year to improve our ability to investigate, to prosecute and convict. This is not where we want to be. COURIC VOICEOVER: And in a majority of cases, the punishment doesn’t seem to match the crime. Often most offenders only get a reduction in rank or reduced pay. [That's it. That's all - compared to the ruination of the female soldier and loss of her career. What woman is going to be able to serve effectively after her rapist basically ends up with a fine? And they get to keep their jobs. What type of incentive is that for a women to report a rape? They want to stop it - stiffen the penalty - summarily discharge if found guilty.] VIVIAN GEMBERA, a retired member of the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps: GEMBERA: These are major crimes, not misdemeanors. A lot of times what we see in the JAG court is very inexperienced, brand spanking new lawyers being given rape cases, murder cases. COURIC VOICEOVER: This month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for a military-wide “review of the training and experience’ of investigators and prosecutors for sexual assault cases. For many victims their assault remains a shameful secret. The Pentagon acknowledges that some 80 percent of rapes are never reported – making it the most under-documented crime in the military. CALLIE WIGHT, a military sexual trauma counselor for the Veterans Administration said victims haven’t come forward for a number of reasons. WIGHT: They didn’t report because they didn’t think they’d be believed. They didn’t report because they were ashamed and humiliated and they didn’t want anyone to know what happened to them.” COURIC VOICEOVER: The military is trying to reduce the stigma through increased awareness, education and guaranteeing confidentiality to victims reporting such crimes. The army has launched a national program called “I Am Strong.” Installations like Fort Irwin in California credit the campaign with driving assault numbers down. But for soldiers like Jessica any changes came too late. JESSICA: The worst letdown is people who didn’t believe in me to help get through this and keep me in the army. I really wanted to be a good soldier. COURIC VOICEOVER: Traumatized by assault and re-traumatized by inaction, she has left the military and is now trying to help other victims. *** In this bit – I don’t know if it was Jessica’s choice – Couric didn’t interview her and there was no grilling of Dominguez or interview of Gates. Pat Robertson/Colin Powell on Don’t ask, don’t tell Women in military more likely to be raped than killed UNITED FEMALE VETERANS OF AMERICA
Poster Comment: There is a video at the URL above.
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#1. To: Horse (#0)
Yep, War is a racket and most soldiers n generals r rapists and faggots.
The statistic is a bit skewed, like the usual Army recruiter lie about soldiers having better survival odds than civilians. The 1 in 6 for civilians includes women of all ages, sizes, and conditions, including those who stay at home all day and those who work in an office all day, or those who spend their time among children or the elderly. But military women are, primarily, young and in good condition, they don't have the protection of staying in their homes or office cubicles all day, and they work among young men who are also in prime condition, capable of taking them by force.
Excellent rebuttal. A+
Military women are young; in good condition? No, sorry most military women are lazy cows. They wouldn't be getting raped if they weren't in the military, so my advice is for the women to get out. Get out of the military, don't enlist or reenlist. Go home and get married and let us do the fighting. Women are not essential to the military. No sir, no how. We would be more effective if they were gone, even to the tune of 200,000. Good riddance, get gone. Women serving in the military are an abomination to American culture and to our warrior ethos. Send me a message tomorrow and I will tell you how I really feel!!
True. However they are there and the military has to deal with it.
However they are there and the military has to deal with it. Yes, we deal with it, just like a bear deals with a thorn in its paw.
I recall years ago in AF, whenever a new female came into the squadron, office work, there was always a mad race by the men to see who would score first. It was a contest.
It was a contest. Of course it is a contest. The military is all about competition and achievement, and of course testosterone. I would be surprised if contests did not develop. In my last unit, there was a female who was actually in good shape and could PT. Everyone's eyes were glued to her ass all the time. No one was able to claim her.
The other contest was to see who would score first, the men or the other females.
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