US Military: Soldiers Raping Soldiers

[PatrickHenry]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/090707A.shtml
Video auto-starts.

This has gotta stop. Why does the US military think it's OK to have soldier women harassed and raped by their superiors?

Is it because the US Military is a heaping pile of excrement?

[preservanation]

F.O.

Great to correspond with you again.

[jafar00]

They think they can get away with things because they are in an occupied country. Rape and Murder is commonplace and it almost never results in a conviction for anything, assuming the story even gets out there.

[preservanation]

Lies and obufscation.

The heads are on the swords of the islamofascist terrorists.
This is a proven fact.
Your accusations are conjecture, at best.

We prosecute our wrong-doers.
The Muslims celebrate them...
Big diff!

[bobbylien]

We prosecute our wrong-doers.
Haditha is just another example of higher officials trying to cover up atrocities in order to save their careers and help improve the image of our armed forces. Who cares if a few Muslim children die, right? They are all going to be terrorists anyways.

[preservanation]

We prosecute our wrong-doers.
Haditha is just another example of higher officials trying to cover up atrocities in order to save their careers and help improve the image of our armed forces. Who cares if a few Muslim children die, right? They are all going to be terrorists anyways.

You are as confused as your User Title indicates.

[Truth_and_Power]

It is all about image-control. It's ridiculous that politics has so infiltrated our society that our soldiers are trying to manipulate the truth for OUR sake. The only image they should be worried about is that they project to the people in iraq. Domestic image control is what we have a heaping load of excrement doing in washington DC and NYC.

[preservanation]

It is all about image-control. It's ridiculous that politics has so infiltrated our society that our soldiers are trying to manipulate the truth for OUR sake. The only image they should be worried about is that they project to the people in iraq. Domestic image control is what we have a heaping load of excrement doing in washington DC and NYC.

The "image" we should project is VICTORY.
This is the ultimate poison-pill to the Dems.

How does it feel to agree with all that Al Q wants us to do?
Retreat from Iraq and the war on terror is what Islamfaciasts want, and so with the libs.
Shocking

[Truth_and_Power]

It is all about image-control. It's ridiculous that politics has so infiltrated our society that our soldiers are trying to manipulate the truth for OUR sake. The only image they should be worried about is that they project to the people in iraq. Domestic image control is what we have a heaping load of excrement doing in washington DC and NYC.

The "image" we should project is VICTORY.
This is the ultimate poison-pill to the Dems.

How does it feel to agree with all that Al Q wants us to do?
Retreat from Iraq and the war on terror is what Islamfaciasts want, and so with the libs.
Shocking


The very policies you endorse are what has created this monster.

[jafar00]

How does it feel to agree with all that Al Q wants us to do?
Retreat from Iraq and the war on terror is what Islamfaciasts want, and so with the libs.
Shocking


Hmm, weigh up the options

If they really are Islamic Fanatics as they are made out to be, why not test that faith?

They want you out of the Middle East? - Pull Out
They want you to stop blindly supporting Israel? - So Stop!

I think that's the crux of their demands. Do that, cease hostilities against them and quote the many verses of the Qur'aan that command them to stop fighting you, if you stop fighting them. If they really are Islamic Fanatics, they will not be able to argue against that.

This option would mean millions of lives saved, and hundreds of billions back in your economy.

The other option is keep doing what you have been doing, keep killing, keep dying, and keep haemorrhaging billions of dollars to fight wars on several fronts.

Which makes more sense?

[preservanation]

Taking national security advice from you, Jaffar, is something I would recommend against.

[Scorpion]

How does it feel to agree with all that Al Q wants us to do?
Retreat from Iraq and the war on terror is what Islamfaciasts want, and so with the libs.
Shocking


Hmm, weigh up the options

If they really are Islamic Fanatics as they are made out to be, why not test that faith?

They want you out of the Middle East? - Pull Out
They want you to stop blindly supporting Israel? - So Stop!

I think that's the crux of their demands. Do that, cease hostilities against them and quote the many verses of the Qur'aan that command them to stop fighting you, if you stop fighting them. If they really are Islamic Fanatics, they will not be able to argue against that.

This option would mean millions of lives saved, and hundreds of billions back in your economy.

The other option is keep doing what you have been doing, keep killing, keep dying, and keep haemorrhaging billions of dollars to fight wars on several fronts.

Which makes more sense?


There is a third realistic option. Stay the course, beat the Islamofascists, achieve victory and reclaim the respect of the world. That makes more sense to me then throwing in the towel, abandoning Israel and hoping for the best.

[preservanation]

How does it feel to agree with all that Al Q wants us to do?
Retreat from Iraq and the war on terror is what Islamfaciasts want, and so with the libs.
Shocking


Hmm, weigh up the options

If they really are Islamic Fanatics as they are made out to be, why not test that faith?

They want you out of the Middle East? - Pull Out
They want you to stop blindly supporting Israel? - So Stop!

I think that's the crux of their demands. Do that, cease hostilities against them and quote the many verses of the Qur'aan that command them to stop fighting you, if you stop fighting them. If they really are Islamic Fanatics, they will not be able to argue against that.

This option would mean millions of lives saved, and hundreds of billions back in your economy.

The other option is keep doing what you have been doing, keep killing, keep dying, and keep haemorrhaging billions of dollars to fight wars on several fronts.

Which makes more sense?


There is a third realistic option. Stay the course, beat the Islamofascists, achieve victory and reclaim the respect of the world. That makes more sense to me then throwing in the towel, abandoning Israel and hoping for the best.

Trust and appeasement of terrorists is not in the best interest of our, or any nation.
Ask Europe.
They are at a tipping point and are slowly and finally coming to their senses.
It might be too late for them.
I would hate to see us in their possition some day.
Minds will change then, and I dare say some of them will be the posters on this sight, if their massive egos don't get in the way.

[Elrathin]

Rape and Murder is commonplace and it almost never results in a conviction for anything, assuming the story even gets out there.


I hate pulling out the "I'm retired Army" card, but in this case I think it is appropriate. Raping and Murder is NOT commonplace in the military. Yes, there are bad apples in EVERY bunch, including Muslims.[hr]
There is a third realistic option. Stay the course, beat the Islamofascists, achieve victory and reclaim the respect of the world. That makes more sense to me then throwing in the towel, abandoning Israel and hoping for the best.


That's the problem, staying the course is not working. Yes, I'll wait and see what the report says if it comes out.

The other conclusion that others don't want to accept is that if we leave that may be the catalyst for Iraqis to stand up to AQ. For Iraq to success it has to be the Iraqis doing the fighting, not us.

I've said it before and I will stand by it. Iraqis are the only hope for Iraq. The U.S. cannot win the war on terror in Iraq, because it is ultimately the Iraqis that have to win it.

[hr]
Trust and appeasement of terrorists is not in the best interest of our, or any nation.


Leaving Iraq would not be appeasement IMO. It would allow the common ground of Iraqis to fight AQ.

[preservanation]

Leaving Iraq would not be appeasement IMO. No?
Then why do they want us to do so?
Does it not bother you that libs and UBL want the US to do the same thing?
This position seems politically untenable, but the beat goes on.
It is beyond me that this has the support it does.

[Elrathin]

Then why do they want us to do so?

Because OBL may be overconfident to think he can with against the IRaqis, which I don't think he can. Or he thinks by us staying there, the Iraqis will eventual turn on the U.S. and he wins by default.


Does it not bother you that libs and UBL want the US to do the same thing?
This position seems politically untenable, but the beat goes on.
It is beyond me that this has the support it does.


It doesn't bother me no, because he may actually be playing against the conservatives on this one. By us staying in Iraq it is actually increasing the recruitment of AQ IMO. Did you ever think of the possibility that he wants us to stay so he can win by having the Iraqis turn on us?

[Scorpion]

I've said it before and I will stand by it. Iraqis are the only hope for Iraq. The U.S. cannot win the war on terror in Iraq, because it is ultimately the Iraqis that have to win it.




To simply leave Iraq to fend for itself would be a repeat of what happened in S. Vietnam. It would bring shame and ridicule on the U.S. The U.S. certainly can win the war on terror but I would rather see the combined efforts of the U.S. and Iraqi security forces.

[Labrocca]

Every criminal makes an attempt to cover up their crime. Being in the military doesn't make a person exempt from prosecution.

Is it because the US Military is a heaping pile of excrement?

That's a pretty low statement to make in my opinion.

[ViolaLee]

Women in the military are not safe even from their own fellow soldiers. Now that's f ucked up. They have to be in a war zone, fighting for their country, risking their lives and then still be unsafe back at the fort. Men in the military should be ashamed for letting this happen. Men in the military who rape and sexually harrass their female fellow troops, men who see other men doing it and do NOTHING to stop it. Men in the military are letting this happen.

Where are the good guys who would stop this s hit from happening?

Because if they stood up and said something, if they stood up for the females, the assholes would stop doing it.

Apparently the rest of the men protect the rapists instead of the females.

[Alonzo]

Reading Jafar's comments I think he was pointing out that the terrorists are not Muslims in his view.

If they really are Islamic Fanatics as they are made out to be, why not test that faith?

They want you out of the Middle East? - Pull Out
They want you to stop blindly supporting Israel? - So Stop!

I think that's the crux of their demands. Do that, cease hostilities against them and quote the many verses of the Qur'aan that command them to stop fighting you, if you stop fighting them. If they really are Islamic Fanatics, they will not be able to argue against that.


Though this next comment makes me wonder:

This option would mean millions of lives saved, and hundreds of billions back in your economy.

[Elrathin]

Men in the military are letting this happen.

And what about women in the military that see this stuff happening and do nothing? Or are you claiming that women are perfect? I know of at least two situations where a female saw sexual harrassment against another soldier and did nothing. Just men?


Where are the good guys who would stop this s hit from happening?

While in the military a good friend of my was an Equal Opportunity official. Basically when questions of sexual harassment came up, he was called in to investigate. They were dealt with appropriately and punishments (Usually being dishonorably discharged were given out).

What makes you think there aren't any cases that are stopped that you don't hear about?


Because if they stood up and said something, if they stood up for the females, the assholes would stop doing it.

And how do you know this isn't happening at all.


Apparently the rest of the men protect the rapists instead of the females.


Huh? So you condemn the entire males in the military for the actions of a few?

[BoogyMan]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/090707A.shtml
Video auto-starts.

This has gotta stop. Why does the US military think it's OK to have soldier women harassed and raped by their superiors?

Is it because the US Military is a heaping pile of excrement?


I would have to disagree whole-heartedly with your assessment PH. There are criminals from all walks of life and in just about every large organization. The presence of those few certainly does not condemn the whole.

[ViolaLee]

The issue is not terrorists or muslims on this thread. The issue is women in the US military being raped and sexually abused by their fellow soldiers.

My neighbor's sister has done a tour in Afghanistan and a tour in Iraq. She is getting ready to go on her third tour in Iraq in November.

She should be safe from being raped by the US military.

This is a very disgusting story and I hope you all will stay on topic. Don't sidetrack this story by talking about liberals and terrorists and muslims and whatever else you are all trying to sidetrack this issue about.[hr]
I would have to disagree whole-heartedly with your assessment PH. There are criminals from all walks of life and in just about every large organization. The presence of those few certainly does not condemn the whole.


I don't think you people have watched the video.

The presence of a few certainly does condemn the whole, because the whole is letting it happen.

[hr]
Huh? So you condemn the entire males in the military for the actions of a few?


Are you trying to tell me that the military cannot control it's members?

[lily]

When reading the title and the commentary made in the OP, I have to say I was pissed......but after watching the video about half way throough something hit me........what are the odds that one woman being sent to three different commands would have the same thing happen? Sounds pretty rare to me. Now what would be the odds that she is the only women in all three places that this would happen to, no other women but her....... and no one else spoke up. Now I think we're getting even rarer. Now she wants to keep this quiet until she's called back for early re-deployment, then goes AWOL, then decides it's time to talk about this as they are draggin her out to the brig.........and after all this, the doctor tells her to stop coming because she doesn't want to get help?

Now, I'm not nieve' enough to think that this doesn't happen on rare ocasions.......but.... Something doesn't sound right to me. Shades of the Duke players are flasing through my head.

[BoogyMan]

I would have to disagree whole-heartedly with your assessment PH. There are criminals from all walks of life and in just about every large organization. The presence of those few certainly does not condemn the whole.


I don't think you people have watched the video.

The presence of a few certainly does condemn the whole, because the whole is letting it happen.

Viola, I watched it, and have to agree with Lily to some extent. She was moved around and the problem supposedly followed her? I am not saying that in any group something like this couldn't happen, I am saying back off, cool off, and take a bit less emotional view of this.

[PatrickHenry]

The issue is not terrorists or muslims on this thread. The issue is women in the US military being raped and sexually abused by their fellow soldiers.
Thank you, Viola. I drop a topic and a video on this forum and the members seemingly can locate their brains long enough to discuss the topic.

And lily, are you saying that you view the soldier's story as possibly false? That's fair...thanks for at least discussing the topic.

Perhaps we could find some other stories by women who have been assaulted and harrassed in the excrement-filled US Military.

The reason I use this term is that if there is no long term solution to such depravity, Uncle Sam should look himself in the mirror and realize he is a sack of shit.

[Yamel]

As this war has shown us there are tons of stories that are fabricated by Liberals,Bush haters, Muslims and other enemies of the U.S. and what the U.S. stands for. They want our soldiers to be looked at as rapists and murderers. They are over there fighting for freedom while we have U.S. haters tarnishing their good names. Could this have happened maybe, but like somebody mentioned it seems a little bit odd that she was passed around like a rag doll and nobody noticed or said anything. IF they did, it does not mean that all U.S. soldiers are rapists it just means that some individuals did a horrible act. Oh I forgot, this could be another wonderful conspiracy that right wingers have hidden from the rest of the public. How come as much as we like sensational stories we do not hear of this one in the news instead of hearing it from a cheesy liberal internet show. Could it be that this girl decided that war was just too scary for her (maybe).

[Scorpion]

The issue is not terrorists or muslims on this thread. The issue is women in the US military being raped and sexually abused by their fellow soldiers.
Thank you, Viola. I drop a topic and a video on this forum and the members seemingly can locate their brains long enough to discuss the topic.

And lily, are you saying that you view the soldier's story as possibly false? That's fair...thanks for at least discussing the topic.

Perhaps we could find some other stories by women who have been assaulted and harrassed in the excrement-filled US Military.

The reason I use this term is that if there is no long term solution to such depravity, Uncle Sam should look himself in the mirror and realize he is a sack of shit.


Your comment about the "excrement-filled U.S. military" is an unsubstantiated and shameful claim based solely on an obscure interview with a single source whose reliability remains in question.

Having served in the U.S. Army for many years, including 2 combat tours in Vietnam, I can assure you the the military is not filled with, as you put it, "depravity" and your characterization of Uncle Sam as a "sack of shit" is just nonsense.

[PatrickHenry]

Your comment about the "excrement-filled U.S. military" is an unsubstantiated and shameful claim based solely on an obscure interview with a single source whose reliability remains in question.

Having served in the U.S. Army for many years, including 2 combat tours in Vietnam, I can assure you the the military is not filled with, as you put it, "depravity" and your characterization of Uncle Sam as a "sack of shit" is just nonsense.
Maybe you'd like additional substantiation?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/17/60minutes/main674791.shtml
http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2005/02/17/image674848x.jpg
And I am sure your tours of Uncle Sam's shitsack has left you unbiased there Scorp...OTOH, some grunts did their own raping in Nam. But now the victims are fellow soldiers.

There is a concerted coverup of what is really shameful...not my accusations but a culture of harassment and rape. Uncle is a monster, get used to it...

[ECW]

I think you know me fairly well, PH, and you know where I stand on many issues but I am going to have to tell you that you are way off base here with your assessment about the military.

The handful of men who have committed these rapes are without question a rotten bunch. Unfortunately, the culture of the military does not encourage the openness that it takes to stand up and be counted because the nail that sticks up always gets pouinded down, and not always for the reasons that you think. There are many who are angry that they are being smeared by these incidents and the code of silence that has sprung up around them. Police often react the same way when accused of wrongdoing because the person you just told on may be the person that saves your bacon in the next fire fight.

It requires more courage to stand up and be counted in protesting/opposing/reporting a crime of this nature and that is not happening right now. Does that make it right? No. But how often do you see the same culture of quiet in a large corporation or on a sports team? Very often.

Don't blame the organization but rather a culture that puts more emphasis on appearance and reputation than on honesty and standing up for the victim. Ultimately, when an organization confronts such ugliness directly instead of sweeping it under the carpet, they gain even more from that than they do by ignoring it. That lesson hasn't been learned yet by the higher ups and that's why you have this ongoing problem. Blaming the entire military for a few bad eggs is like hating all of baseball because Barry Bonds took steroids.

[PatrickHenry]

I think you know me fairly well, PH, and you know where I stand on many issues but I am going to have to tell you that you are way off base here with your assessment about the military.

.......
Don't blame the organization but rather a culture that puts more emphasis on appearance and reputation than on honesty and standing up for the victim. Ultimately, when an organization confronts such ugliness directly instead of sweeping it under the carpet, they gain even more from that than they do by ignoring it. That lesson hasn't been learned yet by the higher ups and that's why you have this ongoing problem. Blaming the entire military for a few bad eggs is like hating all of baseball because Barry Bonds took steroids.
Sorry 'bout that...It's you who are off base.

I blame anybody who has it coming, and the command structure of the US military is filth. This is the tip of the stinkin' iceberg, dude.

Women harassed and raped by their fellow soldiers, and then their command excuses it and covers it up, with rare exceptions? Not acceptable for an organization OR a culture.

And it goes to the heart of what is wrong with that manure pile, the US Military. They are not courageous, they are cowards. Yes that's right, cowards. Yellow bellied, lily-livered cowards. A real man would stand up against such doings and state clearly, That's Wrong! Just like a real man would not kill and then lie about a fratricide like what happened to Corporal Tillman. Lying generals are cowards.

Just like a real man would say to the generals and indeed the C in C, that aggresssion against nations that have done or threatened no harm is illegal, barbaric and in view of the overwhelming military force superiority, cowardly. Bullies are cowards and the entire US Military has assumed a bully's role. Where is the denunciation? This shows they are cowards. Military bravado doesn't mean squat.

So you folks don't give me your bs about military "honor"...It's a smokescreen.

Here's a man of courage:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f9/Lt._Ehren_Watada.jpg/225px-Lt._Ehren_Watada.jpg
My Countryman Ehren Watada

[Questerr]

The issue is not terrorists or muslims on this thread. The issue is women in the US military being raped and sexually abused by their fellow soldiers.
Thank you, Viola. I drop a topic and a video on this forum and the members seemingly can locate their brains long enough to discuss the topic.

And lily, are you saying that you view the soldier's story as possibly false? That's fair...thanks for at least discussing the topic.

Perhaps we could find some other stories by women who have been assaulted and harrassed in the excrement-filled US Military.

The reason I use this term is that if there is no long term solution to such depravity, Uncle Sam should look himself in the mirror and realize he is a sack of shit.


I oringinally posted something very angrily and I want to give it some time before I come back and comment on this.

[ECW]

PH,

I spent the better part of an hour Googling in an attempt to discover how the military had made things better for women since rape in the military became a subject of discussion back in 2004. I normallly am pretty successful in tracking down any kind of proof for assertions I make but I made this one on faith and personal knowledge of military folks. The more I read, the more outraged I became. It appears the problem is as you stated: being swept under the carpet and women who do have the courage to report a rape are classified as traitors and rapists are almost never punished.

I am saddened by this revelation and disgusted by the lack of a meaningful recourse for women who have been raped. I'm not going to go as far as you have in my characterizations of the people responsible because there are some commanders who won't tolerate this sort of behavior but they far and few between. This Salon article backs up your point. (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/07/women_in_military/print.html)

[PatrickHenry]

Yeah, ECW. It's a mess.

And mainstream media treat it very gingerly. Wouldn't want to tarnish the US Military's glory, heh.

Here's what Amnesty had to say about three years ago: http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/camouflaging_criminals.html
Female troops serving in the Iraq war are reporting an insidious enemy in their own camps: fellow American soldiers who sexually assault them. At least 37 women service members have sought sexual-trauma counseling and other assistance from civilian rape crisis organizations after returning from war duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and other overseas stations, according to victims’ advocates. The women, ranging from enlisted soldiers to officers, have reported poor medical treatment, lack of counseling, and incomplete criminal investigations by military officials. Some say they were threatened with punishment after reporting assaults. Others—fearing humiliation, ostracization, or official retaliation—have kept silent.

In late January, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., citing an investigative series that ran in The Denver Post, and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., launched a bipartisan effort to persuade House leaders to hold full committee hearings to examine the military’s justice system and “root causes” of crimes against military women. “Recent reports have revealed a disturbing trend of sexual assault and abuse of women within the U.S. military,” a Jan. 27 letter from Slaughter and Capito to leaders of the House Armed Services Committee reads. “The problem is exacerbated when these attacks seem to be ignored by some within the military leadership, and when the perpetrators often go unpunished, sometimes at the discretion of their commanding officers.”

http://www.mediawatch.com/wordpress/?p=6
by Dorothy H. Mackey, Rev.,Executive Director, STAMP, Inc.
May 11, 2004

SUBJECT: US Government and Pentagon Sanctioning of Abuses; Rapes and Abuses; Physical, Psychological, Mental, Emotional, Sexual Abuses and revictimization.
<snip>
* Rapes and abuses of at least 120 US military women by our own US military men in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan most of the victims have been charged with crimes, threatened, forced to leave service or have been retaliated against by the higher chain of command. There has been little or no prosecutions of the rapist who still for the most part remain in the field with already abused Iraqi, Kuwait and Afghani people.

However, it is my belief based on numerous aspects of these crimes (School of the Americas) the US military and government has an unwritten policy of rape, torture and criminal miss conduct that is used to further US global interests.

Any wonder I am casting stones at that filthy Uncle Sam?

[PatrickHenry]

Mm..hmm. Support an agenda of invasion and occupation that includes thousands of civilian "collateral casualties", but pretend the rapes of your daughters and mothers are not occurring.

That's the captive media in the former republic that is still called America.

http://www.denverpost.com/betrayal/ci_0002078272

U.S. soldiers accused of rape and other sex crimes while serving in Iraq routinely dodged prosecution during the past year with the help of commanders who gave them light punishments such as reprimands and pay cuts, according to military records released to The Denver Post.

Troops facing sex-offense accusations were given job-related punishments - which offer no prospect of prison time - nearly five times as often as criminal charges.

Such leniency also was granted to soldiers accused of serial crimes. Although investigators compiled evidence to prosecute a Fort Stewart, Ga., sergeant on claims he sexually assaulted three subordinate battalion members, he was given only a reprimand, records show.

And although evidence was gathered to prosecute a military police officer on one of two rape allegations, reports show his commanders merely dropped him in rank and discharged him at his request.

Those cases are among three dozen closed investigations involving alleged assaults on troops by other military personnel released to The Post under the Freedom of Information Act. The Army records offer the clearest picture yet into the military's handling of sexual assault reports during the Iraq war. The Navy and Air Force have not released similar data.

Many of the Army cases - 25 others are still sealed awaiting disciplinary action - confirm trends among reports from female GIs who said they were attacked by fellow soldiers during the Afghanistan and Iraq military operations: specifically, that their complaints were met with incomplete investigations and lenient treatment of offenders.

http://www.offourbacks.org/WomMilBack.htm

Military sexual trauma (MST) occurs not only during wartime, but during peacetime as well. Compared with women in the civilian community who face the same experiences, the experiences of women in the military are most definitely unique. The military itself is a microcosm of patriarchal society, isolated from most of civilian society and community, including its justice system. For women in the military, sexual trauma usually occurs in the very setting in which the victim works and lives—a setting to which the victim must return. Depending on the circumstances, the woman might actually find herself still working with and taking orders from the man who raped her. Imagine the sense of helplessness and powerlessness, as well as the risk for more victimization. If the perpetrator is in the female soldier’s chain-of-command, she might even be dependent on him for basic necessities, such as medical or psychological care. The perpetrator might also have control over her career, deciding about evaluations and promotions. Many female soldiers who become victims of MST find themselves in a situation where they must either see the perpetrator every day or sacrifice their career to protect themselves from further trauma.


The cohesion and stigma of camaraderie within the military makes it particularly difficult for women in the military to divulge negative information regarding a fellow soldier. Powerful risk factors for women in the military include young women who enter male-dominated work groups at lower levels of authority, sexual harassment by officers, and unwanted advances while on duty and in sleeping quarters (Sadler et al., 2003). Many victims are often reluctant to report sexual trauma, or cannot find methods for reporting the experience to those with authority. When military women do report sexual trauma, they are often encouraged to keep silent, further harassed, or not believed. Reports are often ignored, or the female soldier herself is blamed. The daily situation becomes one of invalidation and constant fear. The betrayal is a devastating one for these women, soldiers committed to protect a country that most often doesn’t return the favor.

[Alonzo]

I think you know me fairly well, PH, and you know where I stand on many issues but I am going to have to tell you that you are way off base here with your assessment about the military.

.......
Don't blame the organization but rather a culture that puts more emphasis on appearance and reputation than on honesty and standing up for the victim. Ultimately, when an organization confronts such ugliness directly instead of sweeping it under the carpet, they gain even more from that than they do by ignoring it. That lesson hasn't been learned yet by the higher ups and that's why you have this ongoing problem. Blaming the entire military for a few bad eggs is like hating all of baseball because Barry Bonds took steroids.
Sorry 'bout that...It's you who are off base.

I blame anybody who has it coming, and the command structure of the US military is filth. This is the tip of the stinkin' iceberg, dude.

Women harassed and raped by their fellow soldiers, and then their command excuses it and covers it up, with rare exceptions? Not acceptable for an organization OR a culture.

And it goes to the heart of what is wrong with that manure pile, the US Military. They are not courageous, they are cowards. Yes that's right, cowards. Yellow bellied, lily-livered cowards. A real man would stand up against such doings and state clearly, That's Wrong! Just like a real man would not kill and then lie about a fratricide like what happened to Corporal Tillman. Lying generals are cowards.

Just like a real man would say to the generals and indeed the C in C, that aggresssion against nations that have done or threatened no harm is illegal, barbaric and in view of the overwhelming military force superiority, cowardly. Bullies are cowards and the entire US Military has assumed a bully's role. Where is the denunciation? This shows they are cowards. Military bravado doesn't mean squat.

So you folks don't give me your bs about military "honor"...It's a smokescreen.

Here's a man of courage:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f9/Lt._Ehren_Watada.jpg/225px-Lt._Ehren_Watada.jpg
My Countryman Ehren Watada


PH, take a look at this guy:

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1886/83112102ba623dee8alk1.jpg

He fought in the Vietnam war. He wasn't drafted, he volunteered to serve. What do you think of him?

[PatrickHenry]

He fought in the Vietnam war. He wasn't drafted, he volunteered to serve. What do you think of him?
A different era. I avoided being drafted into the US Military in the Vietnam days. I was a Vietnam protestor. And the crimes of the rulers in Washington were just coming into focus. So when a person volunteered in those days, it seemed to me like a poor personal choice. And he was likely to end up killing people who held no personal grudge against him except as an invader. In other words, if he had stayed home he wouldn't have needed to kill anybody.

But back to today's scum-sucking US Military. NOW did a recent show on how our sisters, daughters and moms are being raped by Unlce Sam's hired guns.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/336/index.html
Roughly one in seven of America's active duty military soldiers is a woman, but a NOW investigation found that sexual assault and rape is widespread. One study of National Guard and Reserve forces found that almost one in four women had been assaulted or raped. Last year alone, almost 3,000 soldiers reported sexual assault and rape by other soldiers.

In one of the only national television broadcasts of the issue, NOW features women who speak out for the first time about what happened. One woman recounts her ordeal of rape by her superior officer. Many more don't report the incidents for fear of how it will affect their careers. The shocking phenomenon has a label: military sexual trauma, or MST. NOW meets women courageously battling to overcome their MST, bringing light to an issue that's putting the Army in shame.
Here's the transcript: http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/336.html

[Alonzo]

A different era. I avoided being drafted into the US Military in the Vietnam days. I was a Vietnam protestor. And the crimes of the rulers in Washington were just coming into focus. So when a person volunteered in those days, it seemed to me like a poor personal choice. And he was likely to end up killing people who held no personal grudge against him except as an invader. In other words, if he had stayed home he wouldn't have needed to kill anybody.

If he was proud of his service in Vietnam then what would you think of him?

[PatrickHenry]

If he was proud of his service in Vietnam then what would you think of him?
I would think he probably had a desk job...

[Alonzo]

Nope, he fought. He was shot down 5 times actually. He was heavily involved in combat.

[PatrickHenry]

Nope, he fought. He was shot down 5 times actually. He was heavily involved in combat.

Was he a rapist...or was he raped?

If not, what's he doing on this thread?

[PatrickHenry]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/19/women.veterans/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

The stories continue to emerge.

Here's what this one says:

Christensen says that she was sexually harassed by a superior while serving in Iraq and that the harassment added to the pressure created by just being in a war zone.

"I just know it took a big toll on me because I was trying to deal with it myself. Just trying to be a soldier," Christensen said.

In 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs found that women are reporting signs of mental health issues when they return home at a higher rate than their male counterparts.

The VA diagnosed 60,000 veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Of those, 22 percent of women suffered from "military sexual trauma," which includes sexual harassment or assault, compared with 1 percent of men.

"PTSD is actually something that shows up over time, and so the natural recovery process doesn't happen," said Dr. Darrah Westrup, who counsels female veterans at the VA-run Women's Health Clinic in Menlo Park, California.

"So three months out or so, you find yourself still not sleeping, still with nightmares, still having intrusive thoughts," Westrup said.

Westrup says another factor contributing to poor mental health is the high amount of sexual trauma reported by women screened by the Veterans Administration. She says many women have trouble reporting the trauma to their superiors out of fear of retribution.

"When you are in a war zone, your survival depends on people watching your back and on unit cohesion," Westrup said. "The same individuals who attacked you are those who will be protecting you, or you'll be fighting alongside the next day."

Christensen receives counseling and group therapy sponsored by the VA. However, the military has said there is no merit to her claims that she suffered military sexual trauma.

Is there any doubt that the Pentagon is a complete, total, sleazy LIAR?