1/3rd of Women in US Military Raped, 90 Percent Reported Sexual Harassment

[manifold]

Is that something you talk about in casual conversation? Or are you suggesting it doesn't happen?

I remember standing with another GI and he suddenly yelled out, pointing to a female GI that was coming out of the building across the street, "Hey, look at the tits on that bitch". I turned around and it was a girl I had gone bowling with and who went to the movies with me. She never talked to me again. I told the guy what an ass he was and he said, "Oh come on, she LIKED it". I asked him if he would like it if someone yelled that out to his sister or mother and he absolutely didn't see a connection.
So he thought he had given a girl a complement AND had no idea that was sexual harassment. I bet he's now a Republican. He talked with that accent.

As a direct troop leader I was the first person they would have come too. As a troop leader I would have heard of any complaints in the Command in Staff meetings.

So therefore it never happened? You obviously don't know how the world works either.

Are you naturally this ignorant or do you work at it?

He didn't say it never happened. He's questioning the numbers since the odds of the 1/3 figure being accurate considering he never heard about a single case, is extremely low.

 

[Queen]

Someone is making numbers up from my experience yes.

So prove it, give us the real numbers, the ones you agree with.

By the way - the proper term is Asian. Not Oriental.

I don't have any numbers I am just saying I never witnessed it in my 16 years and except for a couple months of training I spent the entire time in commands with women.

So you only spent a short amount of time with women and during that time you came across some complaints of sexual harrassment. Is that what you're saying?

Doesn't that prove the point of the thread?

 

[bodecea]

You have absolutely no grounds for that claim, Go ahead prove your point.

You prove my point about women wanting to come talk to you...just about every time you post, Clerk.

Fuck off, you have nothing. You are a waste of time and space.

See? I can just feel the compassion and concern you would have for any woman coming to you to report a harassment/assault issue.

 

[Modbert]

It occurs to me that in every walk of life including the military your going to have some low life shitbird that does this sort of thing and in order to send these individuals packing, it takes an environment to do so.

And back then and even now in some cases, that environment doesn't exist. I see the same thing constantly when it comes to PTSD. The higherups don't want people reporting it, VAs changing people's diagnosis to "Personality Disorder" so they don't have to pay the medical bills.

Which is why when I hear/see the same kind of things going on here with women, there is already a precedent of believability that something like this could go on.

 

[geauxtohell]

As an aside: caption of a pic with SPC Monica Brown receiving the Silver Star. How cool is that? Way more decorated than me.

The Nation: The Plight of Women Soldiers : NPR

as the DoD admits itself in this year's annual Pentagon report on military sexual assault, some 90 percent of rapes in the military are ever reported at all. Nonetheless, that same report showed that in 2008, reports of assault increased by 8 percent military-wide, and by 26 percent in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. For many women soldiers, the result of all this persecution is that instead of finding camaraderie among their fellow soldiers, or being able to rely on comrades to watch their backs in battle, they feel dangerously alone. As specialist Carlye Garcia, who was sexually harassed throughout her service with the Army Military Police in Baghdad from 2003-04, put it, "It got so I didn't trust anybody in my company after a few months. I didn't trust anybody at all. I still don't." The hostility and rejection can run right up through the ranks, too, as women commonly find when they try to report an assault. Some examples: when Lieutenant Jennifer Dyer refused to return to post with an officer she had reported for raping her, the army threatened to prosecute her for desertion.

I can't even imagine being a woman in uniform and being surrounded by hostile comrades. It's bad enough when you are outside of the wire. When you are in the FOB, you are supposed to be among the good guys.

I had never really even considered this. Holy hell. That would make for a lonely existance.

 

[rdean]

Funny I served 16 years in the Marine Corps and with women and NEVER once met one that claimed to be raped and only a couple that claimed to be harassed.

Is that something you talk about in casual conversation? Or are you suggesting it doesn't happen?

I remember standing with another GI and he suddenly yelled out, pointing to a female GI that was coming out of the building across the street, "Hey, look at the tits on that bitch". I turned around and it was a girl I had gone bowling with and who went to the movies with me. She never talked to me again. I told the guy what an ass he was and he said, "Oh come on, she LIKED it". I asked him if he would like it if someone yelled that out to his sister or mother and he absolutely didn't see a connection.
So he thought he had given a girl a complement AND had no idea that was sexual harassment. I bet he's now a Republican. He talked with that accent.

As a direct troop leader I was the first person they would have come too. As a troop leader I would have heard of any complaints in the Command in Staff meetings.

I suspect you would have been very sympathetic. Right?

 

[geauxtohell]

Having picked up on your attitudes, moods, etc on these boards, I simply cannot understand why women wouldn't feel comfortable coming to you with harassment/rape issues.

That's kind of what I was thinking.

If this poll is accurate, the DOD needs to address it and there needs to be venues set up for woman to safely report these matters and subsequently be shielded from retribution for reporting the act.

There already IS.

Obviously it's not up to snuff.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Again RGS, you're assuming that if a woman was harassed and raped that she would automatically come to you, why?

Especially when the statistics show that the majority of these things go unreported.

Ya cause I wouldn't notice my troops harassing another troop? I wouldn't notice a change in behavior of a female that was raped?

Here is a true one for you.

One command I was in did bust a LCpl male Marine for sexual misconduct.

He got caught with his LCpl Girlfriend in his room, he hid her in his wall locker but they found her. He got busted in rank and put on restriction. Nothing happened to her. Of course it helped she was the Company Commanders clerk.

 

[geauxtohell]

Having picked up on your attitudes, moods, etc on these boards, I simply cannot understand why women wouldn't feel comfortable coming to you with harassment/rape issues.

That's kind of what I was thinking.

If this poll is accurate, the DOD needs to address it and there needs to be venues set up for woman to safely report these matters and subsequently be shielded from retribution for reporting the act.

I was around in '91 when Tailhook happened in Vegas (look it up if you don't know what happened)...these were officers, aviation officers. They harassed and came close to raping one of their own, another aviation officer. When she reported it to her commanding officer (she was an admiral's aid), she was told that boys will be boys and she really didn't want to ruin careers now, did she? She pushed the issue and her career was ruined. Plus a giant cover up occurred where everyone denied even being there at Tailhook. This is in 1991.

I remember. I wonder how many good old boys from Annapolis ("shall not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate anyone who does".) were there?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Is that something you talk about in casual conversation? Or are you suggesting it doesn't happen?

I remember standing with another GI and he suddenly yelled out, pointing to a female GI that was coming out of the building across the street, "Hey, look at the tits on that bitch". I turned around and it was a girl I had gone bowling with and who went to the movies with me. She never talked to me again. I told the guy what an ass he was and he said, "Oh come on, she LIKED it". I asked him if he would like it if someone yelled that out to his sister or mother and he absolutely didn't see a connection.
So he thought he had given a girl a complement AND had no idea that was sexual harassment. I bet he's now a Republican. He talked with that accent.

As a direct troop leader I was the first person they would have come too. As a troop leader I would have heard of any complaints in the Command in Staff meetings.

I suspect you would have been very sympathetic. Right?

I took my job VERY serious. Troop welfare is the second highest job of any SNCO, Mission accomplishment being the only thing that beats it out. My troops all knew I would go to bat for them even getting myself in hot water if required and it did several times.

 

[TheSuaveOne]

The problem I have with the report...the only thing I was able to find was a couple of blogs and the original NPR story this information was presented in. No link to the supposed study, nothing other than "a study", not a single thing tied back to it, not the name of the group that conducted the study...nothing.

I'd like to see the study and read it before taking the word of NPR.

-TSO

 

[Modbert]

Ya cause I wouldn't notice my troops harassing another troop? I wouldn't notice a change in behavior of a female that was raped?

Here is a true one for you.

One command I was in did bust a LCpl male Marine for sexual misconduct.

He got caught with his LCpl Girlfriend in his room, he hid her in his wall locker but they found her. He got busted in rank and put on restriction. Nothing happened to her. Of course it helped she was the Company Commanders clerk.

Maybe you wouldn't, unless you can be everywhere at any time of the day.

And again, I'm not saying you weren't doing your job. I'm sure you would of reported it if you had seen it, especially since it would of been your ass on the hotseat otherwise. I'm just saying that this often gets by the superiors too.

 

[Yurt]

I was a Leader. A Section head, a Maintenance Chief, A Company Gunny and ran Enlisted and Officer single Housing for a year. And NEVER once did any female ever come to me and tell me they were sexually assaulted. I was an Instructor on an Army Base for 4 years where for a while I was in charge of the Troop Barracks that is the only time anyone ever came to me with a sexual Harassment complaint. I got her in touch with the right people though I doubt it went far since she had all kind of discipline problems and was accusing the guy that had my job before me. The one that had to write all her idiotic problems up. That was also where I knew the other Army female that claimed harassment ohh and also racism. Of course her problem was complicated by the fact she was claiming the Instructor was racist against orientals and his wife was oriental.

I knew who she was because we got instructed to NEVER be in a room alone with her. She tried to corner me once. I got up and went into the hallway to have our discussion.

So based on your own experiences, therefore all the women are either liars, attention whores, or these numbers doesn't really exist?

you know, you asked for thoughts, sgt gives you personal experience and the first thing you do is shit on it. if you don't want opinions or personal experiences, don't ask for it and don't create strawman like you did.

so, based on your opinion, do you think that survey is without a doubt 100% accurate and is representative of ALL women who have ever served?

 

[Gem]

So if a system is already in place by which a female soldier can go to her commanding officer or another officer who is in charge of hearing these complaints...and can voice her complaint without fear of retribution...

Then why is this number, if accurate, still so frighteningly high?

If we acknowledge that a system is in place, which it is. But we also acknowledge that obviously large numbers of crimes are going unreported...perhaps the questions we should be asking are:

- What is it about the military environment that makes incidents of rape and sexual assault so much more prevalent?

- What can be done to change this?


For the record, I too am shocked by these numbers and find them almost too high to be believed. In my experience, the female Air Force officers I encountered voiced almost exact opposite opinions of what this article states. They experienced an easier time getting moved to better jobs, people making absolutely sure that they were respected and listened to...and in some cases, a higher rate of men wanting to date them because the available pool of women to date was smaller. The female Air Force officers I was friends with LOVED being a female in the military. (Again...this is purely anecdotal and doesn't "mean" anything...but it does help to explain why I am so shocked by this report).

 

[Yurt]

also according to npr:

The Defense Department shows much lower numbers, but that is because it only counts reported rapes—and, as the DoD admits itself in this year's annual Pentagon report on military sexual assault, some 90 percent of rapes in the military are ever reported at all. Nonetheless, that same report showed that in 2008, reports of assault increased by 8 percent military-wide, and by 26 percent in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

if this is the case, something needs to be done. though i wonder how the DOD knows that some 90 percent of rapes go unreported...if that is the case, instead of the potential 1/3 based on the survey, it is closer to more than half....

 

[Luissa]

Again RGS, you're assuming that if a woman was harassed and raped that she would automatically come to you, why?

Especially when the statistics show that the majority of these things go unreported.

Ya cause I wouldn't notice my troops harassing another troop? I wouldn't notice a change in behavior of a female that was raped?

Here is a true one for you.

One command I was in did bust a LCpl male Marine for sexual misconduct.

He got caught with his LCpl Girlfriend in his room, he hid her in his wall locker but they found her. He got busted in rank and put on restriction. Nothing happened to her. Of course it helped she was the Company Commanders clerk.

Are you still wondering why women never came to you about being harassed?

 

[bodecea]

Again RGS, you're assuming that if a woman was harassed and raped that she would automatically come to you, why?

Especially when the statistics show that the majority of these things go unreported.

Ya cause I wouldn't notice my troops harassing another troop? I wouldn't notice a change in behavior of a female that was raped?

Here is a true one for you.

One command I was in did bust a LCpl male Marine for sexual misconduct.

He got caught with his LCpl Girlfriend in his room, he hid her in his wall locker but they found her. He got busted in rank and put on restriction. Nothing happened to her. Of course it helped she was the Company Commanders clerk.

Are you still wondering why women never came to you about being harassed?

Well, I bet he is.

 

[Ravi]

So if a system is already in place by which a female soldier can go to her commanding officer or another officer who is in charge of hearing these complaints...and can voice her complaint without fear of retribution...

Then why is this number, if accurate, still so frighteningly high?

If we acknowledge that a system is in place, which it is. But we also acknowledge that obviously large numbers of crimes are going unreported...perhaps the questions we should be asking are:

- What is it about the military environment that makes incidents of rape and sexual assault so much more prevalent?

- What can be done to change this?


For the record, I too am shocked by these numbers and find them almost too high to be believed. In my experience, the female Air Force officers I encountered voiced almost exact opposite opinions of what this article states. They experienced an easier time getting moved to better jobs, people making absolutely sure that they were respected and listened to...and in some cases, a higher rate of men wanting to date them because the available pool of women to date was smaller. The female Air Force officers I was friends with LOVED being a female in the military. (Again...this is purely anecdotal and doesn't "mean" anything...but it does help to explain why I am so shocked by this report).

Maybe a rapist would think twice about raping an officer?

What I find the most shocking about this article is that the penalties aren't very severe for those convicted.

 

[woodjack]

This does not suprise me in the least, I actually would think it is higher, because you know some women never come forward. I have seen it time and time again, a young women suddenly is not at work having moved to another work area or job altogether and nobody knows why....then we all have to do a sexual harrassment surveys. I can understand why the female would not want to come forward because some units are small and the air of it would prevade the work atmosphere.

Retired gunny I understand that you think it is not as bad as that, 5 years ago I would had agreed with you. But what I have seen, adults acting like they were still in highschool married or unmarried, is discouraging. The level of maturity I have seen from both the men and the women is pretty low when I see them interacting in a work environment (though not in every instance). This may always be an issue in a high stress atmosphere from consensual sex between co-workers to unfortunately rape and then even jealousy can form if a female worker is involved with another man and of course morale would be lowered in that unit. What is the fix? Is there a fix? I think not, just the lowering of assaults is the best that can be done, because with sex people do not act rationally, unfortunately, even if the punishment for rape were death.

 

[Big Black Dog]

I was in the Navy for 20 years and 5 days. In that 20 years I only knew of one Wave that was actually raped and this was not done by another service member but by a civilian out in town. Not sure where you got your information but I consider it "suspect" at best. I had knowledge of lots of "hanky pankey" going on in the service between service members but never aware of any that wasn't welcomed or not ended appropriately if it wasn't desired. I'm not claiming that rape doesn't happen but I think your numbers are way too high.