Protect Our Defenders News Blog

 

Failing Private Burnham: How the Army Did Not Protect a Minnesota Soldier after a Sexual Assault

“It’s inconceivable that they let her languish in Korea,” said Don Christensen, president of Protect our Defenders, a Washington D.C. based non-profit dedicated to ending sexual assault and harassment in the military.

Christensen, a retired Air Force Col. who spent 20 years prosecuting sexual assault in the military, reviewed the investigative records obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

“The military can get forces to a country in a time of conflict in a matter of hours,” he said. “They should be able to get a single soldier…out of an installation within hours.”

While she waited to be transferred, Nicole “remained in the same barracks…” as did her attacker.

Army investigators concluded there was no evidence that commanding officers considered separating the two until October, when Nicole’s attacker “allegedly jumped out to scare and intimidate her.”

Read more here.