Battle buddy concept combats sex assaults

[CommunityEditor]

Looking out for one’s “battle buddy” while off duty as well as on has emerged as a central element of all four services’ efforts to combat sexual assault within the ranks, service program managers told the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee Friday.

“We believe it is the duty of every soldier to intervene and stop incidents before they occur,” said Carolyn Collins, program manager for the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention program. “Soldiers who fail to intervene and protect their fellow soldier from harassment or the risk of sexual assault have forsaken the warrior ethos to never leave a fallen comrade.”

The Air Force has introduced a similar concept that also targets those who may fail to act in the face of peer pressure. “We … believe the most effective prevention efforts must be focused on airmen who by their participation in peer groups and activities might either actively or passively provide support or camouflage for the sexual predators in their midst,” said Charlene Bradley, the Air Force’s assistant deputy for force management integration.

The issue has now garnered high-level Defense Department interest, particularly in the wake of news such as last year’s Pentagon report that found upwards of three-quarters of all sexual assault victims do not report the crime, and a Government Accountability Office finding that 52 percent of service members at 14 installations who had been sexually assaulted over the previous 12 months had not reported the assaults.

In addition to bystander intervention, all the services have implemented strategies that also involve mandatory training, assessments of their programs and marketing campaigns, the program managers said.

The campaigns all include broadcast videos that seek to get under viewers’ skins and raise awareness about the issue. In the Navy’s “Megan’s Story,” scenes of a young male sailor talking up a female sailor in a bar are effectively interspliced with shadowy, quick-cut and jarring depictions, with sound, of her subsequent rape.

“Wayne is, in fact, your typical rapist,” the narrator intones. “He doesn’t wear a ski mask. He doesn’t use a weapon. He uses manipulation, planning and premeditation in committing his rapes. The reason that rapists like Wayne are rarely reported and are almost never prosecuted is that they appear to be behaving normally.”

Army and Air Force videos were also shown to the committee.

But John Foubert, an associate professor and program coordinator for the College Student Development Master’s Program at Oklahoma State University, said these vidoes don’t always take the right approach. “Megan’s Story,” for instance, focused on the crime and not bystander intervention, even though a couple of other sailors were nearby, he said.

“I don’t think that the videos by and large that we saw today are … in line with what is good practice in rape prevention programming,” Foubert said. “I think that the production quality of the videos is good. I think of the ones that we saw, the public service announcements, the little snippets show the most promise. And I think they show the most promise in the sense that … those videos can reinforce bystander intervention messages.”

Foubert got no argument from Kaye Whitley, director of the Pentagon’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, or SAPRO.

“The prevention strategy that we have just completed and presented to our leadership is based on research, and the two [videos] that Dr. Foubert said were getting closer to what they should be were evidence-based. And so we are moving in that direction. We have a lot more to do, but we are not shy about reaching out and asking for help.”

Two members asked whether pre-induction screening might be a way to spot likely rapists before they join the ranks. Foubert said it would be highly difficult.

He noted that men who are more likely to rape are likely to drink more, be more hyper-masculine and have characteristics that he said tend to be more associated with men who go into the military.

“Someone could have all of those traits and not be someone who is going to commit a rape,” Foubert added. “But, yes, there are those traits. And you could screen for them. In some cases … the screening tool would be rather lengthy. Many of them are complex personality variables that would take a sophisticated psychological test to get at.”

That might be difficult for a recruiter untrained in administering such tests, he said, because what they might be looking for is “something like a sociopathic personality disorder. Sociopaths by definition are very good at hiding their motives.”

Another expert on the panel agreed that such a screen would be problematic.

“I’m skeptical of a magic screening device that can be done on the scale with the military recruiting,” said David Lee, director of prevention services for the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “But I think there are ways that we should also be looking at how we can bring people into the military who are going to become active bystanders, and be able to create the values and the behaviors that we're expecting within the armed services.”


Article: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/03/military_sex_assault_030609w/

[Yggdrasil]

Are you serious? The Army has had the "Battle Buddy" concept since the mid-1990's, when there were little "issues" with male Drill Sergeants and female trainees... but still, these incidents have still kept coming up anway. I don't know what the hell it's going to take for the Army (and the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard) to separate males from females in boot camp/basic training.

[Variable Wind]

Are you serious? The Army has had the "Battle Buddy" concept since the mid-1990's, when there were little "issues" with male Drill Sergeants and female trainees... but still, these incidents have still kept coming up anway. I don't know what the hell it's going to take for the Army (and the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard) to separate males from females in boot camp/basic training.

Exactly, I was about to say the same thing. Though I dont think separating them in boot camp is the answer, they might as well learn to serve co-ed from the beginning.

[LOAL-D]

This may seem insensitive but the stupid videos the AF put out were probably more laughed at than taken seriously. Kind of like all those corny PSAs on AFN, overseas, aside from being annoying, some were unintentionally hilarious and the source of many jokes.

[Measure Man]

AFN is a hoot...

Of course they purposely make it corny...just to get into your head.

Even my 14 yr old shouts "Don't shake your baby"...when the word 'shake' or 'baby' comes up in any conversation...as in "order me a vanilla shake"..."don't shake your baby!!"...hilarious.

That and "Take your time people, this doesn't have to be difficult"

...if you've overseas recently, you've gotta know that one...

[Skyhawk]

Are you serious? The Army has had the "Battle Buddy" concept since the mid-1990's, when there were little "issues" with male Drill Sergeants and female trainees... but still, these incidents have still kept coming up anway. I don't know what the hell it's going to take for the Army (and the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard) to separate males from females in boot camp/basic training.

If we cannot trust drill instructors and female recruits in boot camp, then how can we trust them on active service? Point being that the problem isn't co-ed boot camps. It is an unfortunate minority of NCO's and airmen at these boot camps who fail to meet even the most basic moral duties.

However, more to the point, we cannot allow the atypical example to influence our view of the system in general. It is not fair at all to the vast majority who perform their duties skillfully and professionally.

[Skyhawk]

Regarding Armed Forces Network, they are the prime example of failure by focusing obsessively upon the tiny sliver of corrupt military personnel. By doing this, they create a warped impression that harms morale. When deployed I get sick of these overly-preachy and overly-negative advertisements. They have always been pure propaganda, but unfortunately they have morphed into something worse. The sheer volume of these negative ads, focusing upon the worst human attributes, contribute to an overall erosion of esprit-de-corps. It is a serious issue that commanders and the chaplain corps should take a serious review of.

The reality is that by a percentage far exceeding that of the general population, the members of the US military conduct themselves in high degrees of personal accountability and morality. Instead of browbeating our personnel with a relentless ad campaign of human depravity, we should be reminding them of how good they are, making them proud by focusing fairly upon their genuine performance standards.

In the past, AFN had as many commercials that focused upon the excellence of the military, especially historical examples of courage and valor. Today, a minority of AFN commercials feature a positive message. Most are extremely negative and many to the point of crushing the positive spirit of the military community.

If a truly uninformed third part were to watch several weeks of AFN commercials he would understandably walk away thinking the US military was filled with sexual predators, criminals, and amoral people.

[LadyV]

Regarding Armed Forces Network, they are the prime example of failure by focusing obsessively upon the tiny sliver of corrupt military personnel. By doing this, they create a warped impression that harms morale. When deployed I get sick of these overly-preachy and overly-negative advertisements. They have always been pure propaganda, but unfortunately they have morphed into something worse. The sheer volume of these negative ads, focusing upon the worst human attributes, contribute to an overall erosion of esprit-de-corps. It is a serious issue that commanders and the chaplain corps should take a serious review of.

The reality is that by a percentage far exceeding that of the general population, the members of the US military conduct themselves in high degrees of personal accountability and morality. Instead of browbeating our personnel with a relentless ad campaign of human depravity, we should be reminding them of how good they are, making them proud by focusing fairly upon their genuine performance standards.

In the past, AFN had as many commercials that focused upon the excellence of the military, especially historical examples of courage and valor. Today, a minority of AFN commercials feature a positive message. Most are extremely negative and many to the point of crushing the positive spirit of the military community.

If a truly uninformed third part were to watch several weeks of AFN commercials he would understandably walk away thinking the US military was filled with sexual predators, criminals, and amoral people.

Sky, well said, but perhaps they are appealing to the lowest common denominater, you know, problem perceived, knee jerk reaction, throw out the net, if we can scare one dumbass from screwing up, and insult the majority it's worth it! just a thought

[kojack]

Well, the ads appeals to the ignorant stupid idiots like pelosi, boxer and feinstein wo havent a clue about how to really stop it. I wonder if any have stopped to think about how liberal ideals of easy sex have impacted this not to mention the soon to arrive "pro homosexuality" focus obama and DOD will take. DOD will soon become the organization of sodemy. I can hardly wait to see the new "Army Family" programs and what brainwashing it will have.

[Sneezyone]

Kojack...you never fail to amuse. Yes, the DOD will become the exclusive province of homosexuals because a) the majority, straight people, will never serve with homosexuals (altho they do already) and b) Obama will usher in a new era of world peace and we shall war no more. :D Classic.

[kojack]

Kojack...you never fail to amuse. Yes, the DOD will become the exclusive province of homosexuals because a) the majority, straight people, will never serve with homosexuals (altho they do already) and b) Obama will usher in a new era of world peace and we shall war no more. :D Classic.

...maybe barney franks, the congressional housing criminal, can offer up a new military moto for the "new" DOD, like "To sodimize and to serve...". Pretty catchy and sooooooo politically and morally correct.....

change, change, change. Change and hope...."..my grandmother was a typical white person.."...."Not God Bless America but God G-D America....."

change, change, change....

[WILDJOKER5]

So, have the academy’s been cleaned up yet? Or are they still a cesspool of sexual assault and rape? It is ridiculous to think that we scare people out of doing something like this when the future leaders of the force are being accused left and right of these actions. You can tell everyone that if you get convicted of a sex crime, you get castrated and there will still people doing it. There is no "scare tactic" for this or other harsh crimes like murder. It is a lack of morals that need to be replaced into the youth to keep things like this from happening. The teachers of morals are the parents.

[ringjamesa]

If we cannot trust drill instructors and female recruits in boot camp, then how can we trust them on active service? Point being that the problem isn't co-ed boot camps. It is an unfortunate minority of NCO's and airmen at these boot camps who fail to meet even the most basic moral duties.

However, more to the point, we cannot allow the atypical example to influence our view of the system in general. It is not fair at all to the vast majority who perform their duties skillfully and professionally.

One small note...it is never the trainiee at fault. The NCO should know better and is in a position of power=no consent (may not be rape but still the NCO not the trainee is at fault).

[former31B]

Regarding Armed Forces Network, they are the prime example of failure by focusing obsessively upon the tiny sliver of corrupt military personnel. By doing this, they create a warped impression that harms morale. When deployed I get sick of these overly-preachy and overly-negative advertisements. They have always been pure propaganda, but unfortunately they have morphed into something worse. The sheer volume of these negative ads, focusing upon the worst human attributes, contribute to an overall erosion of esprit-de-corps. It is a serious issue that commanders and the chaplain corps should take a serious review of.

The reality is that by a percentage far exceeding that of the general population, the members of the US military conduct themselves in high degrees of personal accountability and morality. Instead of browbeating our personnel with a relentless ad campaign of human depravity, we should be reminding them of how good they are, making them proud by focusing fairly upon their genuine performance standards.

In the past, AFN had as many commercials that focused upon the excellence of the military, especially historical examples of courage and valor. Today, a minority of AFN commercials feature a positive message. Most are extremely negative and many to the point of crushing the positive spirit of the military community.

If a truly uninformed third part were to watch several weeks of AFN commercials he would understandably walk away thinking the US military was filled with sexual predators, criminals, and amoral people.

I agree with this. The military leadership is overly concerned with perception and expends a great amount of resources to combat problems not unique to the military. The fact is that the vast majority of service members do the right thing. Those who don't probably would be sexually assaulting, wife beating, and downloading child porn as civilians; their problems has nothing to do with the fact that they happen to be in the military at the time.

Focusing on such a small population does nothing except to demoralize everyone else. You will not stop these turds from doing what they are going to do. No decent person needs an AFN commercial to let them know that shaking babies or taking advantage of women is wrong. The military should focus on the positive aspects of service members and encourage them. When the criminals commit their acts, find them and expedite their separation from the military and into prison. Simple, done.

[LOAL-D]

Maybe start a new thread, “Are AFN public service/ info/ ads/ propaganda effective? Anyone who’s ever done a remote has fine tuned their tune-out meter for sure.

[KUMAHITO]

I can't help but take these kinds of stories with large doses of salt. In my AFSC I have dealt with those claiming sexual assault on numerous occassions. Trust me when I say this - there is a reason why a large percentage of them never end up in criminal trials. Most of these cases don't stand a prayer of passing a "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard. And the ones that do go to trial usually don't end well for the government. My own guesstimate based on the cases I've seen is that 70%-80% end in acquittal. And they should have. If she says it was rape, and he says it was consensual, how is a jury supposed to get to guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? Then factor in the alleged victim's motives to fabricate the story - deployed husband returns home, drunk intercourse remorse, etc., and it's very difficult for the government to prevail in these cases. There's no easy solution to this, but pressing for more courts-martial is only going to end in more trauma for these gals, after having to undergo the crucible of trial preparation and cross-examination, only to have the guy acquitted. I don't think that's the right answer.

[Skyhawk]

Good points all!

I would follow-up by saying that as bad as additional weak court-martials are, it would be even worse to create a public environment obsessed upon the rare events. The amount of time consumed in administrative actions revolved around sexual assault and harrassment is unprecedented. It is all focused upon elimination of what is already a very rare event.

It is also a forlorn hope!

Crime exists throughout society but at a far lower level within the military. The issue is not education or command attention. It is simple human nature that sometimes abbhorent behavior takes place. Often great effort is made to eradicate something to a 100% level. This remains unrealistic. It is a good goal to educate but balance is the key. People know when their valuable time is being wasted on efforts that don't contribute to the core mission they are paid to perform.

When that balance is crossed all that happens is the vast majority of good people are offended It often takes courage for senior leadership to do the right thing as this often requires them to stand against narrow-minded ideologues who believe their pet project or issue demands 100% focus. These agendists will then lash out using all means available to them. But no amount of effort will satisfy them. Leadership has to remain focused upon the military's core duty (winning the war) and realize we will never win over the agendists.

[hawk71049]

.

I just thought I would add this article not at all trying to hi-jack the thread.

Two MTA workers witnessed this crime go down, they pushed buttons, remained at their work stations as this young lady was raped, twice! They did nothing... but push a button alerting their command to call the police...


Subway rape victim comes forward after suit tossed against MTA workers who ignored her cry for help (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/03/2009-04-03_subway_rape_victim_comes_forward_after_s.html). ..

BY Christina Boyle
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, April 3rd 2009, 5:09 AM


Maria Besedin, speaking in the office of her attorney, was the victim of a rape in a Queens subway station. A judge recently tossed out a civil suit she filed against the MTA, saying that there was no negligence on their part. She says she plans to appeal.

Judge tosses suit against MTA workers accused of ignoring rape victim's plea for help
A young woman brutally raped in a Queens subway station says her heart was broken when a judge threw out her suit against two transit workers who ignored her cries for help.

Speaking for the first time since the ruling, Maria Besedin said Thursday she never expected the toll booth clerk and train conductor who witnessed the 2005 attack to be heroes and put their own lives in danger.

But, she said, they didn't even call 911, or yell, "Stop!"

Besedin hoped to have her day in court so a jury could decide if the MTA staffers were negligent for only alerting central command.She believed her case would make the system safer for all users.

"I'm honestly still in shock," she said of Queens Supreme Court Justice Kevin Kerrigan's decision Tuesday to quash the suit.

"It's so hard for me to process this whole thing because I just really wanted everyone out there to be safe, to never have to experience anything like I did."

The petite 25-year-old was still visibly shaken by her ordeal, which happened at the 21st St. station in Hunters Point on June 7, 2005, two days before her 22nd birthday.

She said suffers flashbacks, posttraumatic stress disorder, and continues to undergo therapy and take anti-anxiety medication. She has dropped out of college and lives with her parents in Rhode Island.

"I really lost four years of my life suffering from this," she said in her lawyer's office.

"Everything - my hopes and dreams to go to grad school, to write, and help others - has just been undermined by this."

On the night of the attack, Besedin boarded a Queens-bound G-train in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, to visit her boyfriend.

It was after 2 a.m. She was writing in her journal and had headphones on when she felt a man touching her feet.

Alone in the subway car, she tried to move away, but the man, wearing a camouflage hat pulled low over his eyes, edged closer.

Besedin missed her stop but managed to bolt from the train at 21st St. She was running up the stairs when the rapist caught her from behind.

"The guy was running behind me and started pulling me down the stairs," she recalled.

"I held the token booth clerk's gaze for at least five seconds, yelling and screaming, 'Help! Help!'

"I saw him and I thought, 'Oh gosh, he's gonna see me, it's gonna be okay' and - nothing."

Besedin thought she would die on that vacant platform.

"He held me, literally by the scruff of my neck, over the train tracks at 45 degrees," she said trembling.

"I was just shaking and thinking that I was dead, I was as good as dead."

Besedin was sexually assaulted several times on the stairs and at the far end of the deserted platform. When a train pulled into the station, she again hoped her ordeal was over.

But, like toll booth worker John Koort, conductor Harmodio Cruz also only alerted a command center, Besedin said. Her suit, which also named the Transit Authority as a defendant, charged they did nothing to save her.

The judge noted Koort pressed an emergency button in his booth and ruled the men had no responsibility to intervene and were following work rules. Lawyers for the Transit Authority and the employees argued they had no idea if the rapist was armed.

Besedin spent months in "hibernation" after the attack before speaking out. She first told her story to the Daily News last October, but this is the first time she went public with her face and name.

"I think it was beyond negligence, it was obvious that an extremely violent crime was going on."

"By the time somebody came, I mean, I had lost all my dignity, and it was over," she added.

Besedin's lawyer, Chris Seeger of the firm Seeger Weiss, says he plans to appeal within days.

"Yes, I do want justice," said Besedin, who still rides the subway.

As for the court system that rejected her case, she said, "It means that they don't really understand exactly what negligence is and what the impact . . . this kind of atrocious thing can have," she said.

"I'm sorry, I just don't think they get it."


more details about this case...
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30105703/?GT1=43001
The MTA issued a statement that said, “It is important to note that while NYC Transit workers are trained to the highest degree of professionalism in their assigned jobs, they are not and should not be expected to perform in the capacity of law enforcement officers.”
can you believe it..?


.

[rob6816]

I first served in the Marines and I can tell you that segregation of the sexes in basic training makes sense. Twelve weeks in Spartan conditions is enough to make your mind wonder on things other than training.

[ADAK]

Looking out for one’s “battle buddy” while off duty as well as on has emerged as a central element of all four services’ efforts to combat sexual assault within the ranks, service program managers told the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee Friday.

“We believe it is the duty of every soldier to intervene and stop incidents before they occur,” said Carolyn Collins, program manager for the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention program. “Soldiers who fail to intervene and protect their fellow soldier from harassment or the risk of sexual assault have forsaken the warrior ethos to never leave a fallen comrade.”

The Air Force has introduced a similar concept that also targets those who may fail to act in the face of peer pressure. “We … believe the most effective prevention efforts must be focused on airmen who by their participation in peer groups and activities might either actively or passively provide support or camouflage for the sexual predators in their midst,” said Charlene Bradley, the Air Force’s assistant deputy for force management integration.

The issue has now garnered high-level Defense Department interest, particularly in the wake of news such as last year’s Pentagon report that found upwards of three-quarters of all sexual assault victims do not report the crime, and a Government Accountability Office finding that 52 percent of service members at 14 installations who had been sexually assaulted over the previous 12 months had not reported the assaults.

In addition to bystander intervention, all the services have implemented strategies that also involve mandatory training, assessments of their programs and marketing campaigns, the program managers said.

The campaigns all include broadcast videos that seek to get under viewers’ skins and raise awareness about the issue. In the Navy’s “Megan’s Story,” scenes of a young male sailor talking up a female sailor in a bar are effectively interspliced with shadowy, quick-cut and jarring depictions, with sound, of her subsequent rape.

“Wayne is, in fact, your typical rapist,” the narrator intones. “He doesn’t wear a ski mask. He doesn’t use a weapon. He uses manipulation, planning and premeditation in committing his rapes. The reason that rapists like Wayne are rarely reported and are almost never prosecuted is that they appear to be behaving normally.”

Army and Air Force videos were also shown to the committee.

But John Foubert, an associate professor and program coordinator for the College Student Development Master’s Program at Oklahoma State University, said these vidoes don’t always take the right approach. “Megan’s Story,” for instance, focused on the crime and not bystander intervention, even though a couple of other sailors were nearby, he said.

“I don’t think that the videos by and large that we saw today are … in line with what is good practice in rape prevention programming,” Foubert said. “I think that the production quality of the videos is good. I think of the ones that we saw, the public service announcements, the little snippets show the most promise. And I think they show the most promise in the sense that … those videos can reinforce bystander intervention messages.”

Foubert got no argument from Kaye Whitley, director of the Pentagon’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, or SAPRO.

“The prevention strategy that we have just completed and presented to our leadership is based on research, and the two [videos] that Dr. Foubert said were getting closer to what they should be were evidence-based. And so we are moving in that direction. We have a lot more to do, but we are not shy about reaching out and asking for help.”

Two members asked whether pre-induction screening might be a way to spot likely rapists before they join the ranks. Foubert said it would be highly difficult.

He noted that men who are more likely to rape are likely to drink more, be more hyper-masculine and have characteristics that he said tend to be more associated with men who go into the military.

“Someone could have all of those traits and not be someone who is going to commit a rape,” Foubert added. “But, yes, there are those traits. And you could screen for them. In some cases … the screening tool would be rather lengthy. Many of them are complex personality variables that would take a sophisticated psychological test to get at.”

That might be difficult for a recruiter untrained in administering such tests, he said, because what they might be looking for is “something like a sociopathic personality disorder. Sociopaths by definition are very good at hiding their motives.”

Another expert on the panel agreed that such a screen would be problematic.

“I’m skeptical of a magic screening device that can be done on the scale with the military recruiting,” said David Lee, director of prevention services for the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “But I think there are ways that we should also be looking at how we can bring people into the military who are going to become active bystanders, and be able to create the values and the behaviors that we're expecting within the armed services.”


Article: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/03/military_sex_assault_030609w/

All and good, but you are talking about grown individuals who need babysitting. If you really want to do away with sexual assulats. Simply band all bars, alchohol , or any fraternization of any kind between males and females of all ranks.

I don't know if it was just me or did this story imply that all men are evil? Woman do no wrong?

How about some lectures on female soldiers and sailors who dress like sluts and rub their bodies up against male counter parts.

If your going to lecture let's do it the right way. For I see a big lawsuit coming! That the military is bias towards a certain gender of sex . Which most of us already know to be fact!!

[Sneezyone]

All and good, but you are talking about grown individuals who need babysitting. If you really want to do away with sexual assulats. Simply band all bars, alchohol , or any fraternization of any kind between males and females of all ranks.

I don't know if it was just me or did this story imply that all men are evil? Woman do no wrong?

How about some lectures on female soldiers and sailors who dress like sluts and rub their bodies up against male counter parts.

If your going to lecture let's do it the right way. For I see a big lawsuit coming! That the military is bias towards a certain gender of sex . Which most of us already know to be fact!!

Another genius in the making. Short skirt=asking for sex. Get out of your cave much?

[Skyhawk]

Another genius in the making. Short skirt=asking for sex. Get out of your cave much?


Perhaps mental powers are somewhat lacking on both sides?

Vice completely (and grossly disrespectfully) dismissing what he said, perhaps you should try to understand his larger point. Specifically the section of the original article where a female working in the DoD said (presumably seriously) that males who enter the military hold character traits making them more likely to rape women.

She boldly asserted such traits as "hyper-masculinity" makes one more inclined to rape and directly said those in the military have those traits and therefore as a population are more likely to rape! Did you read that part he criticized? Or were you just so busy trying to find something to disagree with that you glossed over that part?

Because here's the point ... the people in the military are demonstrated to be significantly less likely to engage in crimes of all sorts, including rape. Therefore, we are dealing with a human population sub-sample less likely to engage in the sort of crime being discussed. Yet, we have females working in the DoD who try to create an impression totally at odds with the established facts.

Does this not bother you?

It bothers me. It bothers me because it is calculated to create a base of problem outside reality. Then, based upon this flawed impression, policies are created that are therefore out of preportion to the situation. Policies operating outside reality cause frustration. The military has a vital job to perform -- winning wars! And we are at war. We cannot continue to allow the military to be used as the social engineers' happy hunting grounds to apply their pet remedies in response to their often warped assertions.

In short, the military is a defense department, not a social lab rat!

[dluch02]

I think that the Army needs to separate males and females in basic training just like the Marines. When I was a trainee, I saw the stuff that went on with female trainees and Drill Sergeants.....

[NSANE]

I believe that there should be separate basic training for males and females. Not just because the DtS/trainee thing, but for the trainee/trainee lovin that goes down as well. As a Drill Sergeant I can tell you that having females and males train together is a distractor. When you're busy smokin a troop because you found his/her love letter to his/her battle buddy instead of training or that troop is in the CO's office getting an Article 15 because of inapprorpiate relationship with said battle buddy and not training, you're just wasting the time and dollars that the big "A" has spent on this knucklehead. If the training was separate you wouldn't run into that problem. Have them train together in AIT where they have more freedom to do the dumb stuff and Commanders have more time to prosecute.

[Measure Man]

Regarding Armed Forces Network, they are the prime example of failure by focusing obsessively upon the tiny sliver of corrupt military personnel. By doing this, they create a warped impression that harms morale. When deployed I get sick of these overly-preachy and overly-negative advertisements. They have always been pure propaganda, but unfortunately they have morphed into something worse. The sheer volume of these negative ads, focusing upon the worst human attributes, contribute to an overall erosion of esprit-de-corps. It is a serious issue that commanders and the chaplain corps should take a serious review of.

The reality is that by a percentage far exceeding that of the general population, the members of the US military conduct themselves in high degrees of personal accountability and morality. Instead of browbeating our personnel with a relentless ad campaign of human depravity, we should be reminding them of how good they are, making them proud by focusing fairly upon their genuine performance standards.

In the past, AFN had as many commercials that focused upon the excellence of the military, especially historical examples of courage and valor. Today, a minority of AFN commercials feature a positive message. Most are extremely negative and many to the point of crushing the positive spirit of the military community.

If a truly uninformed third part were to watch several weeks of AFN commercials he would understandably walk away thinking the US military was filled with sexual predators, criminals, and amoral people.

Don't shake your baby.

[usnovrc]

I personally dont see no end to this especially teh BootCamp issue.. even if we seperate the 2 sexes there will still be sexual misconduct.

[Yggdrasil]

I personally dont see no end to this especially teh BootCamp issue.. even if we seperate the 2 sexes there will still be sexual misconduct.

Maybe in YOUR case, buddy. If you're pushing boots, I hope your recruits aren't dropping the soap.

[ChickChief]

As a female Chief with 18 1/2 years in the Navy I am still amazed that people think that rape or sexual assault has anything to do with sex or sexual attraction. Rape and sexual assault are about power, fear and intimidation. A Senior Instructor of any kind (Drill, AT, A/C-School, etc) having a relationship, except for professional, with a recruit or student is expressly forbidden. If a relationship is discovered, it is always the fault of the instructor. Instructors are held to a higher standard than the average military member. Separating the sexes in boot camp is not the answer either. I was in an all female company in boot camp with one male and one female company commander.

As we used to teach in Navy Rights and Responsibilities (NR&R) the military is a cross-section of the civilian population, if it is happening in the civilian world then it is happening in the military. Until a way can be found to stop these crimes in the civilian world then they will never be stopped in the military.

[Boats/Vet]

"We believe it is the duty of every soldier to intervene and stop incidents before they occur,” said Carolyn Collins, program manager for the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention program. “Soldiers who fail to intervene and protect their fellow soldier from harassment or the risk of sexual assault have forsaken the warrior ethos to never leave a fallen comrade.”

First, never leave a fallen comrade was meant for the battlefield. It was never implied for off duty military members who like to get drunk and behave like wild animals.
Holding anyone accountable for a sex crime other than the individuals involved directly to the sexual act is ludicrous.
It is sad that sexual assaults and rapes due happen. With that said holding a Senior Enlisted accountable for those individuals is ridiculous. We are talking about grown adults who are aware of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to sexual behavior. Military members are accountable for their own actions.
I agree that if someone is witnessing wrongful behavior then yes they should step in. However, if that individual refuses your assistance than you cannot hold that against the individual trying to help. Off duty you are entitled to your own privacy, and it draws a thin line when the government starts forcing senior enlisted members accountable for their junior military members. On duty I can see it, off duty invasion of privacy.
Holding senior enlisted military members accountable should entitle every E-7-8-9 full authority to grant drinking privileges and liberty to individuals they feel can or cannot conduct themselves with this forsaken warrior ethos.(Only if the military and government want to go this route.)
If the Military is going to hold our senior enlisted accountable for the actions of wrongs committed by junior enlisted. Then they should be the ones to hold the authority for liberty!
It is ludicrous that E-7-8-9 can be held accountable for the junior enlisted, but officers seem to be able to side step their punishments for letting this type of behavior happen!