The Invisible War opens in theaters

While doing a radio talk show interview a couple of years ago I met two female veterans. One was from a deployment to Iraq and the other from Afghanistan. During a break we talked about military rape. They told me that female soldiers stopped taking fluids at noon so they wouldn't have to use the latrine at night. Imagine being in that kind of heat and instead of giving your body water, you're just too afraid to drink. I asked them if it happened to them and then one of them said something that shocked me. She said that it really didn't matter if it did or not. The fear was there all the time. The rest of the conversation was personal but that always stuck with me. Just the fear of hearing someone was attacked was enough to cause these women, heavily armed women, not afraid of the Taliban or the insurgents in Iraq but afraid of what was happening with their own people.

Most of the troops are decent humans and we should be proud of most of them but there are some who still think that a woman is not worth anything else. While most of the troops would risk their lives for a servicewoman just as they would for a man, a few need to be stopped and kicked out of the military because they are nothing more than criminals. Rape is a crime.

While rape does not only happen to women, it takes the rest of the servicemen to put a stop to those who cannot live up to the military code of conduct. That "buddy" raping another soldier will not care about anyone but himself so don't count on them to be there watching your back.

Today, The Invisible War opens in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

Already, the film has been an incredibly effective vehicle to help raise mass awareness of military sexual assault and has served as a catalyst to effect change in Washington and beyond. However, much more needs to be done.

This is a must-see film about a must-solve problem. And if enough people show up opening weekend, it could expand and extend the number of showings. But if we don’t, millions of people may never have a chance to see it and learn how serious this problem is.

Make your voice heard and help tell policy makers this issue matters by supporting opening weekend in theaters. They are watching and now is the time for us to make a big impact. There is power in numbers – invite your friends, family and colleagues to stand with survivors and take the first step to ending rape within the military.

From Oscar®- and Emmy®-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated; Twist of Faith) comes The Invisible War, a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of America's most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem-today, a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The Department of Defense estimates there were a staggering 19,000 violent sex crimes in the military in 2010. The Invisible War exposes the epidemic, breaking open one of the most under-reported stories of our generation, to the nation and the world.