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The San Antonio Express published an editorial today on military sexual assault. It reads, in part:
It is tragedy when the nation’s soldiers, airmen and sailors fall in combat.
It is tragedy compounded unto national shame when they are sexually assaulted by comrades-in-arms and then victimized by those tasked to protect and heal them.
Read the full editorial.
CBS 6 Richmond, VA reports:
RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) — A different kind of fight is being waged by a group of military men and women in the Federal Appeals Court on Broad Street in Richmond.
“The men and women who have come forward in this lawsuit are so brave. They’ve taken a stand and put a face to all of those other survivors,” said Miranda Petersen with Protect our Defenders, a support group for military members. “Rape and sexual assault is an epidemic in our military right now.”
Twenty-five women and 3 men who serve or have served in the military and claim to have been raped or sexually assaulted are appealing a lower court’s ruling that upholds the law stating that soldiers, sailors airmen and marines cannot sue the military for injuries.
Continue reading report or view video above.
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Jessica Hinves, a former U.S. Air Force member, talks about her rape case and how she lost her career following the military investigation.
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The Up panel discusses whether military justice works in sex assault cases, and how women in Washington could improve conditions for women in the military.
The Washington Post reports:
Two senior military officers said for the first time Friday that they were “open” to proposed legislation that would overhaul military law in response to an epidemic of sexual assaults, acknowledging that victims lack faith in commanders to handle the problem.
Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Air Force Gen. Mark Welsh III, the service’s top commander, said they were willing to consider giving military prosecutors, instead of legally untrained commanders, the authority to decide whether to pursue sexual-assault investigations.
Continue reading this article…
UPI reports on survivors, including Protect Our Defenders’ own Brian Lewis, speaking up about their assaults:
WASHINGTON, May 17 (UPI) — Male survivors of rape while serving in the military say they are often deemed “liars and troublemakers” when they report abuse.
The Pentagon estimated about 13,000 of the 1.2 million men serving in the military suffered sexual assault last year, NBC News reported. About 12,100 of the 203,000 women in uniform were sexually assaulted on active duty last year.
The Defense Department has said men “report at much lower rates than female survivors.”
NBC News has the following report:
A “direct threat” against a U.S. congresswoman — posted on a military-oriented Facebook page that graphically belittled her and her efforts to stem sexual misconduct within the branches — has been referred to U.S. Capitol Police for investigation.
The threat was made last week against Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and her husband shortly after Speier sent a letter May 8 to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel informing him of the Facebook page which, according to Speier, helped “contribute to a culture that permits and seems to encourage sexual assault and abuse.” U.S. Capitol Police have asked Speier and her staff not to divulge the nature of the threat.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand blogged about military sexual assault on the Huffington Post Friday, writing in part:
I was outraged by the news earlier this week that the coordinator of the Army’s program to prevent sexual assault at Fort Hood in Texas is under investigation for abusive sexual contact. This follows last week’s revelation that the officer tasked with preventing sexual assault in the Air Force had been arrested for assaulting a woman in a parking lot. It is hard to believe this was the second such incident in just over a week. All of this comes as the Pentagon released its own study showing a dramatic increase in sexual assaults and unwanted sexual contact in the military from 19,000 in 2011 to 26,000 in 2012. Even more concerning: only 3,374 of those cases were reported, and less than 10% of those were brought to trial.
While I appreciate Secretary Hagel’s taking positive steps to enact reform, we need more than just words or retraining. It’s increasingly clear that the military justice system is not working for its victims and the chain of command is incapable of policing itself when it comes to a zero tolerance reality for these serious crimes. Enough is enough. It is time for Congress to move forward now with bold reform that puts victims first.
The LA Times reported on May 15, 2013:
Another day, another military sexual assault scandal.
On Tuesday, a week after the Air Force announced its chief of sexual assault prevention had been arrested in Arlington, Va., on suspicion of drunkenly assaulting a woman in a parking lot, the Armyannounced that a sergeant first class who works in the sexual assault prevention office at Ft. Hood was under investigation for possible sexual assault and pandering.
Pandering — as in “pimping.” CNN reported that the sergeant is being investigated for possibly forcing a subordinate into prostitution, as well as sexually assaulting two others.
Read the full report here.
CBS News reports:
For the third time in two weeks, a U.S. military officer charged with his branch’s sexual assault prevention efforts is facing charges of misbehavior. Lt. Col. Darin Haas, the head of the sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., turned himself in on Thursday for violating a restraining order in a domestic dispute with his ex-wife. According to a statement issued by the Army, Haas has been removed from his position.
Read the full report here or watch the video above.
Robin Abcarian reports today for the LA Times:
“The one lesson they have learned out of Tailhook is try not to air your bad behavior because that does bring scrutiny,” Coughlin said. “Instead of saying, ‘This kind of misogynistic behavior is unprofessional and undermines the mission and stop it,’ they said, ‘Look, you guys got caught, be cool, keep it under wraps.’ ”
How else to explain the decision of Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin, the commander who dismissed the conviction of fellow pilot Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, who was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault at Aviano Air Base in Italy after crawling into bed with a sleeping houseguest, fondling and digitally penetrating her?
Or that a Navy officer in charge of sexual assault prevention has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in an Arlington, Va., parking lot?
Or that a soldier who works in the sexual assault prevention office at Ft. Hood is being investigated for possibly assaulting subordinates and “pandering”?
Read the full column.
Sig Christenson reports for San Antonio Express News:
A chief proponent of the STOP Act, which has languished since it was introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., in November 2011, said she saw a glimmer of hope in the president’s remarks. “There seems to be momentum,” said Nancy Parrish, founder of the advocacy group Protect Our Defenders. “More members of the House and Senate are taking a stand on the issue. I have begun to let myself be hopeful that some variation of the STOP Act will become law.”
Read the article.
Chelsea J. Carter and Ashley Fantz report for CNN on POD Advocacy Committee members Jennifer Norris and Brian Lewis:
Former Navy Petty Officer Third Class Brian Lewis was stationed in Guam when he was raped, he told reporters. “After the rape, I was told by my command not to file a formal report with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service,” he said. “When I was reassigned to seek medical help, my psychiatrist told me that I was lying about my rape and diagnosed me with a personality disorder.” Lewis was discharged in August 2001.”I have been fighting to correct my record ever since,” he said.
Read the article.
Joseph Morton reports for World-Herald on Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish:
“The military justice system elevates an individual commander’s discretion over the rule of law,” Parrish said. “Until this individual discretion is removed from the process, justice will elude the victims.”
Read the article.
Kevin Miller reports for Portland Press Herald on Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee member Jennifer Norris:
Maine resident Jennifer Norris was among the sexual assault survivors who spoke during Thursday’s news conference…”Until we fix the system and make it safe for victims to report and remove command bias and conflict of interest from the process, and take reporting and adjudication out of the chain of command, the military will continue to be plagued by rape and sexual assault,” Norris said.
Read the article.
Patricia Zengerle reports for Reuters:
Two cases in as many weeks in which members of the armed forces tasked with preventing sexual assaults have themselves been charged with sex crimes, were the last straw for lawmakers. News of a third similar case broke shortly after the White House meeting when an Army officer who managed the sexual assault prevention office at Fort Campbell military base in Kentucky, was removed from his job.
Read the article.
David Martin reports for CBS:
“If you’re ever going to change the culture, you’re going to need to see cases that are actually investigated, brought to trial, and convictions,” said Gillibrand.”
Read the article and watch the video .
Bill Briggs reports for NBC on Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee member Geri-Lynn Matthews:
Assaults on men have been “carefully hidden from the public and covered up,” not only by the victims themselves but also by superiors within the chain of command, contends the film’s producer and co-director Geri Lynn Weinstein-Matthews. “It’s time for men to have their voices heard. It’s time for them to stand up against these vicious attacks and against the deception of some of their commanding officers.”
Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee member Brian Lewis on NBC:
Read the article.
Thomas Roberts reports for MSNBC on Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee Member BriGette McCoy:
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and BriGette McCoy, a former army specialist who testified about being raped and sexually harassed, share their thoughts on new legislation being introduced to rewrite military law on sexual assaults.
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Watch the video.
Joyce Hackel reports for PRI on POD Advocacy Committee member Jennifer Norris:
US military leaders were summoned to the White House on Thursday for a crisis meeting about sexual assault in the Armed Forces. Sgt. Jennifer Norris knows the issue well. She’s a veteran of the US Air Force and is now a member of Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee.
Read the article.
Leo Shane III reports for Stars and Stripes:
Several of the lawmakers from the last White House meeting held a press conference Thursday morning to push for new legislation to combat the problem.
POD Advocacy Committee member Jennifer Norris:
Read the article.
Stars and Stripes reports:
President Obama on Wednesday signed off on several changes to the Manual for Courts-Martial, including a change to the maximum penalty for rape — lowering it from the death penalty to life in prison.
Read the article.
Michael Doyle reports for the Miami Herald:
The nation’s highest military appeals court already is reviewing several cases handled by a Marine Corps judge who, citing the priorities of the commandant, called sexual assault defendants “scumbags” who “need to be crushed.”
Read the article.
The past few weeks Protect Our Defenders has been working around the clock to respond to the onslaught of developments regarding military sexual assault.
Arlette Saenz reports for ABC on POD Advocacy Committee member Jennifer Norris:
“These are tears of hope,” Jennifer Norris, who is retired from the Air Force and was a victim of sexual assault during her time in the service, said as she cried. “I’ve never had this much hope in my life.”
Read the article.
Meredith Clark reports for MSNBC on Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee member Brian Lewis:
Brian Lewis, a former Navy Petty Officer, was accused of fabricating his rape, diagnosed with a personality disorder, and discharged from the military, leaving him ineligible for G.I. Bill benefits. “We are not unpatriotic for bringing this to light,” Lewis said. “The military betrayed us.”
Read the article.
Tom Vanden Brook and David M. Jackson report for USA TODAY:
“The issue of sexual assault in our armed forces undermines that trust,” Obama said. “So not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be. And as such, it is dangerous to our national security.”
Read the article.
Dr Brooke Magnanti writes for The Telegraph:
They’ve had decades since Tailhook to sort this out. The US Congress needs to take it seriously and step in, not just for ensuring the rights of any future alleged victims, but as a matter of preserving morale for the women and men who have been silent about a culture of harassment for too long.
Read the article.
Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor report for The Huffington Post:
On Capitol Hill, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., planned to introduce legislation Thursday taking top commanders out of the process of deciding whether a sexual misconduct case goes to trial. For sexual offenses with authorized sentences of more than one year in confinement – akin to felonies in the civilian judicial system – that decision would rest instead with officers at ranks as low as colonel who are seasoned trial counsels with prosecutorial experience.
`”What we need to do is change the system so victims know that they can receive justice,” Gillibrand said Thursday on CBS “This Morning.”
Read the article.
*Military sexual assault survivors and Protect Our Defenders President, Nancy Parrish are available for interviews.
**If you would like remarks from Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee Members (Brian Lewis and Jennifer Norris) who will be speaking at Thursday’s press conference, please email: brian@protectourdefenders.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2013 Contact: Brian Purchia, 202-253-4330, brian@protectourdefenders.com
*** STATEMENT ***
PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS APPLAUDS BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO REFORM MILITARY JUSTICE SYSTEM
Senate-House Bill Would Remove the Chain of Command From Decision Making Over Whether Serious Crimes Are Prosecuted
Military sexual assault incidents skyrocketed 34.5% — from 19,300 assaults in 2011 to 26,300 in 2012; Reporting rate drops to 9.8%; Conviction rate dropped to 0.9 percent in 2012; 47 % indicated fear of retaliation or reprisal as a reason for not reporting
WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday, Protect Our Defenders and military rape survivors, TSgt Jennifer Norris, USAF Retired and Brian Lewis, Former Petty Officer Third Class, US Navy were proud to stand with U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Representatives Dan Benishek (R-MI) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Senators Mark Begich (D-AK), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Al Franken (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Representatives Richard Hanna (D-NY) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) to announce new comprehensive bipartisan, bicameral legislation to reform the military justice system.
Irin Carmon reports for Salon on Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish:
Nancy Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders, said that some cases are already tried in civilian criminal courts if a service member reports to the police instead of the military chain of command, “and the sky doesn’t fall.” She added, “It’s ultimately up to the military leadership, if they decide this is a moment they want to seize to fix this. Or whether they will still treat it as a public relations problem.”
Read the article.
Reuters reports:
President Barack Obama will meet with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other leaders of the U.S. military on Thursday to discuss their efforts to stop sexual assaults in the armed forces, a White House spokeswoman said.
Read the article.
Juana Summers, Stephanie Gaskell and Darren Samuelsohn report for Politico:
“There’s been 25 years of scandal, of self-investigation by military leaders offering half-hearted, half-measured reform Band-Aids, but nothing addressing the core problem,” [Parrish] said. “Military leaders are still treating this as a public relations problem.”
Read the article.
MEDIA ADVISORY
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Contact: Bethany Lesser (202) 224-3873
GILLIBRAND, COLLINS, BOXER, JOHANNS, BENISHEK, GABBARD, BEGICH, BLUMENTHAL, COONS, FRANKEN, HIRONO, SINEMA, JOINED BY MALE AND FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS VICTIMIZED BY SEXUAL ASSAULT TO ANNOUNCE BICAMERAL LEGISLATION REFORMING MILITARY JUSTICE SYSTEM
Bipartisan Senate-House Bill Creates Transformational Change Needed for Real Accountability In Military Justice System by Removing the Chain of Command From Decision Making Over Whether Serious Crimes Are Prosecuted, Also Reforms Article 60 So Commanders Cannot Overturn Jury Verdicts for Serious Crimes
According to DOD Estimates, More Than 26,000 Incidents of Sexual Assault or Unwanted Sexual Contact occurred in 2012; Overall Reports Increased 37%; Sexual Assault Crimes Increased 6% to 3,374 Reports Only 238 Convictions
Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Representatives Dan Benishek (R-MI) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Senators Mark Begich (D-AK), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Al Franken (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Representative Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) will be joined TOMORROW, THURSDAY MAY 16TH at 10:30amby male and female victims of sexual assault in the military and organizations who assist victims of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) to announce new bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would reform the military justice system by removing the prosecution of all crimes punishable by one year or more in confinement from the chain of command, except crimes that are uniquely military in nature, such as disobeying orders or going Absent Without Leave.
This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would for the first time remove the decision whether to take a case to trial or general court-martial completely out of the chain of command and give that discretion to experienced trial counsel with prosecutorial experience with a pay grade of O-6 (Colonel or Navy Captain), or higher. The legislation also codifies Secretary Hagel’s proposed changes to the UCMJ’s Article 60.
WHO:
WHEN: Thursday, May 16th at 10:30am
WHERE: Russell Senate Office Building, Room 301
# # #
Gopal Ratnam and David Lerman report for Bloomberg Businessweek:
“These latest allegations of criminal behavior by yet another sexual-assault prevention and response coordinator are appalling and show the need for fundamental reforms,” Nancy Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders, a victims’ support group, said in a statement. “The Pentagon is responsible for failing to effectively govern its personnel.”
Read the article.
Meredith Clark reports for MSNBC:
Nancy Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders, also pointed to a need for large scale reform. “The problems are so long standing and pervasive that, at a minimum, it constitutes gross negligence on the part of the leadership and actually reflects, albeit informal, countenancing of a culture of violent abuse,” she said in a statement.
Read the article.
Jeremy Herb reports for The Hill on Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish:
“We are encouraged by Senator Reid’s remarks,” Nancy Parrish, president of Protect our Defenders, an advocacy group that fights on behalf of military sexual assault victims, said in a statement to Raw Story. “It’s time to fix this rotten system. It’s unAmerican. Hopefully, we have reached a tipping point. We now have a cadre of members in Congress that are fighting for fundamental reform. There is reason to be hopeful.”
Read the article.
Jeremy Herb reports for The Hill:
Gillibrand’s bill would remove the decision to prosecute military crimes with a sentence of one year or more from the chain of command. The decision to move to a court martial would be placed in the hands of military prosecutors.
Read the article.
Mark Thompson reports for Time:
Predictably, Hagel expressed “frustration, anger, and disappointment over these troubling allegations and the breakdown in discipline and standards they imply,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said. He has ordered the services to “re-train, re-credential and re-screen” troops in such posts.
To lawmakers eager to dispatch reinforcements to help the military battle sexual assault, that is likely to sound too much like a broken record. It’s not likely to halt the push for wholesale changes in the way the military deals with this particular foe.
Read the article.
Tom Vanden Brook reports for USA Today:
The Army is investigating Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen, a sexual abuse educator at Fort Hood, Texas, for running a small-time prostitution ring and for the sexual assault of another soldier, senior military officials have confirmed.
Read the article.
Tom Vanden Brook and Gregg Zoroya report for USA Today:
“You need an outside eye, somebody who is unbiased,” Gordon says. “They need to take (oversight of these cases) out of the unit or out of the command.”
Read the article.
Bill Briggs reports for NBC News on Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish:
“The problems are so long standing and pervasive that, at a minimum, it constitutes gross negligence on the part of the leadership,” Parrish said.
Read the article.
Sig Christenson reports for San Antonio Express-News on Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish:
“This crisis is out of control,” said Nancy Parrish, founder of Protect Our
Defenders, an advocacy group that has pressed Congress to take the
prosecution of sexual assaults out of the military chain of command.
Read the article.
David Lerman reports for Bloomberg on Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish:
“These latest allegations of criminal behavior by yet another sexual assault prevention and response coordinator are appalling and show the need for fundamental reforms,” said Nancy Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders, a victims’ support group, in a statement. “The Pentagon is responsible for failing to effectively govern its personnel.”
Read the article.
Craig Whitlock reports for The Washington Post:
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday evening ordered the armed services to immediately “re-train, re-credential and re-screen” tens of thousands of military recruiters and sexual-assault prevention officers as the revelation of another sex-crime scandal rocked the Pentagon.
Read the article.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2013 Contact: Brian Purchia, 202-253-4330, brian@protectourdefenders.com
*** STATEMENT ***
PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS CALLS LATEST ALLEGATIONS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR BY SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION AND RESPONSE COORDINATOR APPALLING
WASHINGTON, DC – This evening the Pentagon revealed that there are new allegations of criminal behavior against a sexual assault prevention and response coordinator, a U.S. Army Sergeant First Class who was stationed at Fort Hood. This comes on the heels of the chief of the Air Force’s sexual assault prevention and response branch being arrested for sexual battery.
Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish released the following statement:
“These latest allegations of criminal behavior by yet another sexual assault prevention and response coordinator are appalling, if true and show the need for fundamental reforms.
The Pentagon is responsible for failing to effectively govern its personnel. The problems are so long standing and pervasive that, at a minimum, it constitutes gross negligence on the part of the leadership and actually reflects, albeit informal, countenancing of a culture of violent abuse.
The reporting, investigation and adjudication of sexual assault must be taken out of the chain of command.”
The Associated Press reports:
The solider is being investigated for among other things forcing a subordinate into prostitution and sexually assaulting two others, according to a Capitol Hill staffer who has been briefed on the case and spoke about it on condition of anonymity.
Read the article.
Tom Vanden Brook reports for USA Today:
A sergeant first class in charge of sexual assault prevention at Fort Hood is under investigation for sexual assault, the Pentagon announced Tuesday night.
Read the article.
Tom Vanden Brook reports for USA Today on Protect Our Defenders Honorary Chair Rep. Jackie Speier:
Speier said she shares “Gen. Amos and Maj. Gen. Patton’s outrage, but the military has been saying they have ZERO tolerance for years. We need clear actions that reflect this position, not just more words. The Marine Corps policies without a doubt prohibit this conduct; heads need to roll.”
Read the article.
Protect Our Defenders Policy Advisor Miranda Petersen writes for the Huffington Post:
The bottom line is that women serving in the military are not the problem — rapists and a culture that condones rape are the problem. The debate should be focused on how to eradicate this crime, protect men and women serving in our armed forces, and create an environment conducive to mission readiness and unit cohesion free from sexual violence.
Read the article.