With Obama’s call for increase service, both military and non military, I’m wondering if his administration is going to help clear some of the debris off the path of service, making the path less hazardous for women?
The Lavena Johnson case has yet to be reopened, the Army refusing to acknowledge the large lie in which they had the audacity to categorize the brutal murder post rape of this 19 year old honor student from Missouri, only weeks into her service in Iraq, as suicide. Comforted only by the gratuitous posthumous PFC promotion given to her, how easy it must have been for them to throw a bone to the family of their murdered soldier like this, Lavena’s family still has no answers, no truth.
They can give all the classes they want, review and revamp their policies, it takes only a few clicks of the mouse to see that for years there have been calls for revamping and renewing commitments to address and correct the pervasive problem of sexual abuse and brutality toward women in the military, yet in real life it doesn’t appear anything has changed. From this article written in 1995, Sex Abuse of Military Women Alarming rates of harassment, rape reported, to Colonel Ann Wright’s Sexual Assault in the Military: A DoD Cover-Up, we continue to see no progress, if anything it appears to be getting worse.
As jobs become more difficult to come by military service is going to become an ever more attractive option for those whose alternatives are limited, those who feel they have no other option. As they dangle the carrot of education in front of women who might otherwise not be able to afford it, those with fewer resources for recourse should they be put in a situation where they suffered a sexual assault or worse, I wonder if they will willingly flaunt the history of sexual misconduct and abuse along with the record of how they deal with those situations.
In an Oversight Hearing on Sexual Assault in the Military last summer Rep. Jane Harman cited Veterans Administration statistics that one in three women in the military has been sexually assaulted, but prosecution rate of those accused of raping fellow military service members is abysmally low,with only 8 percent of the cases ending in court-martial of the perpetrator.The statistics are alarming, but even if you look and say “ah that’s not so bad”, woman considering military service should be made aware of both the statistics and the history of the military in dealing with sexual assaults of their own soldiers.
The Sharp Program is useless when deeds go unpunished or unacknowledged. Here is to the hope that in the future women will be able to serve in our military without fear of being sexually assaulted, and to the hope that the practice of falsifying the cause of death of any our soldiers, male or female, becomes a thing of the past.
In Their Boots — Angie Peacocks Story
Army Sergeant Angela Peacock joined the military in February 1998. She wanted to travel, serve her country and gain some life experience. In 2001, while deployed in South Korea, Angie was raped by a fellow soldier. She was encouraged by her command not to tell, so she held it in, and in 2003 she took it to Iraq with her. She led her unit courageously, but silently struggled until she couldn’t stay quiet any longer.
Victims of sexual abuse in military share stories.
Congress Hears Voices of Sexual Assault Survivors in Military.
War With Ourselves: Sexual Violence In The Military. Contains a list of practical policy solutions.
Sexual assault in military ‘jaw-dropping,’ lawmaker says
Lavena Johnson Site
An addendum link added thanks to Melissa’s commet, Stop Military Rape Dot Org. Please check it out.
excellent article. thank you
Melissa, I have not been to your site until today. I will certainly book mark it and take a look around. It looks like a site which should be read by the masses.
Here, here. It is something worth considering if you are female and thinking of service, as you said, especially with this new call to serve from President Obama.
There should be no going in blindly.
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Of course but how many people do you think have no idea this is going on?
Selfish, but I’m glad I’m not in that position. I wish it were easier with less of that for women. I don’t understand why it hasn’t changed? I don’t understand the military culture I guess.
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The culture seems to be stuck in some dark forgotten past of Attila the Hun, or at least one would hope it is stuck because what is scarier is pondering whether or not the attitude of the military is really just reflective of our societal attitude in general.
If I had a daughter of that age and she was considering non commissioned service I’d be very much against it. From what i’ve read this has been a known problem at least since the separate “women’s” corps were disestablished.
Do you think it only started then. I would guess not.
Great post. I have always wanted a two year national – in America compulsory service. Our country could use the help; it would help young women and men learn skills and maybe pay for college
I wanted that since high school so it’s not “it would be great for another generation not me”
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In America seem preferable to military duty, at least for women, at this time.
To me military service is ominous because real life rules don’t seem to apply there. I can’t imagine it from a female perspective. The Lavena Johnson thing is what? Three years old and nothing has been done?
Serving in other ways is going to be the popular choice.
Just guessing.
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“real life rules don’t seem to apply there“
That is the scary part. In real life the law and certain moral codes apply. In the military, I don’t know, the code is different or at least appears to be different, selective and secretive.
I admire your persistence. Most people choose any old random cause of the day and rambling on about it, but you choose your battles and stick with them. There is nothing I can say about this situation. Are we helpless in this? I can follow it as it comes up.
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compulsory service?
no way.
people should volunteer because they want to serve, not because someone thinks it should be mandatory.
the military is all about testosterone. i’ve heard the stories and read the once-in-a-blue moon newspaper article about some military guys getting charged with assaulting a woman. never the one-on-ones, but the gang bangs
somehow, i don’t believe a woman in either situation finds it acceptable.
and neither should we.
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