“I actually felt much safer [in Iraq] than I did back at our Command.” On myth vs. reality for women in the U.S. military.

A few weeks ago a lawsuit was filed on behalf of fifteen women and two men who state that they were sexually assaulted by their fellow comrades while serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard of the United States of America, and that their reports of these assaults were ignored by the chain of command. The lawsuit states that people at the top levels – even up to the U.S. Secretary of Defense – were aware of the immense problem of sexual assault within the ranks, and yet did nothing to stop it.

These fifteen women and two men represent just the tip of the iceberg. As I noted in a previous post, according to the website foreignpolicy.com, fully 1/3 of women serving in the U.S. armed forces report experiencing sexual violence at the hands of their male comrades – and this number likely represents a grave under-reporting of the real incidence of rape in the military. In other surveys, over 75% of women in the U.S. military have reported experiencing sexual harassment from peers and superior officers.

The filing of the suit received a good deal of media coverage. Here are links to the coverage by NBC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5mGucw3HNs) and the AP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMLUOMLwhbg&NR=1 ).

An extremely compelling (and possibly triggering) piece of video where one woman is describes her horrific experiences can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh1XT0Myg8M&feature=related.

The website jezebel.com published a powerful video of actual verbatim quotes from the depositions made by the plaintiffs. It can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuaWnvGflvM. (Thanks to Brooke Elise Axtell for bringing my attention to the link.)

The statements that the survivors make are extremely upsetting. Things like this should not be happening, not to anyone. And certainly not to women who choose to serve their country, only to find themselves being raped by their brothers-in-arms. So it occurred to me to take a look at how these statements mesh with the high standards that the branches of the U.S. military are supposed to hold themselves to. I went to the official websites of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard to see what they had to say about themselves. These sites are all remarkably similar in their use of towering language to communicate a noble vision. But the statements of the survivors suggest that these lofty words are often empty and meaningless. Take a look:

Military value: What’s it like being a woman in today’s Navy? Challenging. Exciting. Rewarding. But above all, it’s incredibly empowering. That’s because the responsibilities are significant. The respect is well-earned. The lifestyle is liberating.

Survivor statement: She was called a stupid fucking female who didn’t belong in the military.

Military value: Duty means being able to accomplish tasks as part of a team.

Survivor statement: He said: “This unit never had any problems until females came into it.”

Military value: Honor is a matter of carrying out, acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity and personal courage in everything you do.

Survivor statement: He was in charge and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

Military value: Integrity is a character trait. It is the willingness to do what is right even when no one is looking. It is the moral compass, the inner voice, the voice of self-control and the basis for the trust imperative in today's military.

Survivor statement: They threatened to beat her if she struggled.

Military value: Stereotypes are overridden by determination, by proven capabilities and by a shared appreciation for work that’s driven by hands-on skills and adrenaline. Here, a woman’s place is definitely in on the action. And women who seek to pursue what some may consider male-dominated roles are not only welcome, they’re wanted – in any of dozens of dynamic fields.

Survivor statement: After he raped her, he verbally berated her and he spit on her.

Military value: We will: Demand respect up and down the chain of command; Care for the safety, professional, personal and spiritual well-being of our people; Show respect toward all people without regard to race, religion, or gender; Treat each individual with human dignity.

Survivor statement: He also photographed the rape.

Military value: Many people know what the words Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage mean. But how often do you see someone actually live up to them?

Survivor statement: “Now you champagne socialist faggot… [you’re] gonna get what you deserve.”

Military value: We will conduct ourselves in the highest ethical manner in all relationships with peers, superiors and subordinates.

Survivor statement: He threw her on the ground, punched her in the face, and raped her.

Military value: Do what’s right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and say nothing that deceives others.

Survivor statement: They called her a “crazy lying whore.” They threatened to rape her again.

Military value: You can build your personal courage by daily standing up for and acting upon the things that you know are honorable.

Survivor statement: “The Marine Corps know where your mother is.”

Military value: Professionals of integrity encourage a free flow of information within the organization.

Survivor statement: “Bad things happen to those who rock the boat.”

Military value: Treat people as they should be treated.

Survivor statement: The physician stopped the exam and began to cry… about the extent of her injuries.

Military value: Honesty is the hallmark of the military professional because in the military, our word must be our bond.

Survivor statement: “Let her burn” because “she ruins careers.”

Military value: A person of integrity does not behave in ways that would bring discredit upon himself/herself or the organization to which he/she belongs.

Survivor statement: The morning after the assault, command disciplined her for having a male in her room.

Military value: Fulfill or exceed our legal and ethical responsibilities in our public and personal lives twenty-four hours a day. Illegal or improper behavior or even the appearance of such behavior will not be tolerated.

Survivor statement: She was told that she “did not act like a rape victim” and “did not struggle enough.”

Military value: A person of integrity practices justice.

Survivor statement: The military chaplain told her “it must have been God’s will” for her to be raped.

Military value: We value our diverse work force. We treat each other with fairness, dignity, and compassion. We encourage individual opportunity and growth. We encourage creativity through empowerment. We work as a team.

Survivor statement: She was forced to report to her rapist about her body on a daily basis.

Military value: The Airman is a person of integrity, courage and conviction.

Survivor statement: The rapist was given an award for “Airman of the quarter.”

Military value: In the Soldier’s Code, we pledge to “treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same.”

Survivor statement: The Commander laughed.

Military value: Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers.

Survivor statement: “Don’t come bitching to me because you had sex and changed your mind.”

Military value: Integrity is our standard. We demonstrate uncompromising ethical conduct and moral behavior in all our personal actions.

Survivor statement: They claimed they could not do anything about it.

The more legalistic among us might insist that the statements by the plaintiffs have yet to be “proven” in a court of law. But to me, these brave survivors’ statements provide a preponderance of evidence that the U.S. military has been ignoring a horrific problem that has been going on for far too long. These brave women – and brave men – who came forward were harmed twice: first by the men who brutally sexually assaulted them, and then by their own chain of command, which told them that it simply did not care about the horrible things they had been subjected to.

Nowhere on the official websites of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force or the Coast Guard did I find where it says: “If you are raped, you are on your own.” But as you can tell, those sites don’t seem to have much credibility anyway.