Too many years of Department of Defense being dense on rape

Ok, the latests claims from the DOD about addressing military sexual assaults/rape, are getting me angry for a reason and I am tired of explaining why. So here are just a few of the headlines on Wounded Times tracking these reports. Would be great if some journalists would actually do their own homework on what has happened before because frankly, the victims of these criminals deserve nothing less than the truth and a lot more time from reporters.

2007

Nearly 3,000 women reported last year that they were sexually assaulted while serving in the military, according to the Department of Defense's 2006 annual report on military sexual assault.

2008

Dept. of Veterans Affairs diagnosed 60,000 veterans with PTSD Women have comprised 11 percent of military force in Iraq and Afghanistan VA: 22 percent of women, 1 percent of men suffered sexual trauma in military Expert says women afraid to report sexual harassment for fear of retribution

It took Diane Pickel Plappert six months to tell a counselor that she had been raped while on duty in Iraq. While time passed, the former Navy nurse disconnected from her children and her life slowly unraveled.

Carolyn Schapper says she was harassed in Iraq by a fellow Army National Guard soldier to the extent that she began changing clothes in the shower for fear he'd barge into her room unannounced - as he already had on several occasions.

Even as women distinguish themselves in battle alongside men, they're fighting off sexual assault and harassment. It's not a new consequence of war. But the sheer number of women serving today - more than 190,000 so far in Iraq and Afghanistan - is forcing the military and Department of Veterans Affairs to more aggressively address it.

Women at War: When the enemy is one of your own Sexual assaults in the military are not new and have not been in the news enough. If we are ever going to stop the rapes and abuse in the military, it will require the decent males in the military to stand up and say those who commit these acts are traitors to the service. Women warriors should not have to worry about the enemy among them. Rape is a crime and those who commit it are criminals. Having a criminal in the ranks removes the trust and unit cohesion the military prides itself on. Gone are the days when women were in safe atmospheres far from danger. Gone are the days when they did not participate with males risking their lives.

2009

Pentagon’s Sexual Assault and Prevention Office taking women seriously The Pentagon on Friday launched a campaign to raise awareness of and prevent sexual assaults with a focus on what it calls “bystander intervention” — service members taking the initiative to step in when someone is about to be victimized. The campaign, dubbed “Our Strength is for Defending,” is running throughout April in tandem with National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Military sexual assault victims raped twice, forced to pay for care The Department of Veterans Affairs will review the billing practices of veterans health centers around the country amid concerns that some are improperly charging for care relating to sexual assault in the military, officials said Wednesday.

The department is required to provide free care, including counseling and prescription drugs, to veterans who were sexually harassed or assaulted while in military service. Sexual assault includes rape and attempted rape.

But the Office of Inspector General at the department found this year that an outpatient clinic in Austin, Tex., had repeatedly charged veterans, mostly women, for those services. Based on concerns that the practice may be more widespread, the office decided to expand its review to a sampling of veterans health care centers and clinics nationwide.

2010

The Navy’s top brass wants commanders to “get uncomfortable” about sexual assaults, which are happening at the rate of more than one a day and to one in five female sailors during her career — mostly at the hands of other shipmates.

“A lot of it is blue on blue, sailor on sailor,” the Navy’s No. 2 officer, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert, said during a recent speech in San Diego.

“In your Navy and my Navy, that’s, to me, totally unsatisfactory. I have a problem even talking about it. It gets me irritated,” he said.

2011

DOD opens Safe Helpline for sexual assault victims

Female soldier raped, then tossed out for admitting she was gay?

2012

Fox News' Liz Trotta On Women Raped In Military: 'What Did They Expect? These People Are In Close Contact'

DoD plans sexual assault crime database

Rape Alleged At West Point, Annapolis

"We create the conditions that compel traumatized veterans to remain silent"

The claims made about the DOD taking steps to treat these crimes seriously did very little before so I am waiting to see if they finally get it right this time or not.