U.S. female soldiers being raped by U.S. troops.

[Jara sang]

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/31584/

Appalling new evidence reveals that female soldiers serving in Iraq made fatal decisions in their attempts to avoid rape.

In a startling revelation, the former commander of Abu Ghraib prison testified that Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, former senior US military commander in Iraq, gave orders to cover up the cause of death for some female American soldiers serving in Iraq.

Last week, Col. Janis Karpinski told a panel of judges at the Commission of Inquiry for Crimes against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration in New York that several women had died of dehydration because they refused to drink liquids late in the day. They were afraid of being assaulted or even raped by male soldiers if they had to use the women's latrine after dark.

The latrine for female soldiers at Camp Victory wasn't located near their barracks, so they had to go outside if they needed to use the bathroom. "There were no lights near any of their facilities, so women were doubly easy targets in the dark of the night," Karpinski told retired US Army Col. David Hackworth in a September 2004 interview.

{snip}

"It was out of control," Karpinski told a group of students at Thomas Jefferson School of Law last October. There was an 800 number women could use to report sexual assaults. But no one had a phone, she added. And no one answered that number, which was based in the United States. Any woman who successfully connected to it would get a recording. Even after more than 83 incidents were reported during a six-month period in Iraq and Kuwait, the 24-hour rape hot line was still answered by a machine that told callers to leave a message.

[sakabatou]

1. DFG!!

AUGH! :grr:

[Che_Nuevara]

2. Can someone please explain

exactly who and what the "Commission of Inquiry for Crimes against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration" is? And please don't tell me anything that is blatantly obvious from the title. I would like to know who is on it, who is overseeing it, who commissioned it, and what power they have, etc ...

[stop the bleeding]

7. will this help

http://www.bushcommission.org/call-charter.htm

http://www.bushcommission.org/

looks like they are sponsored by these guys:

http://www.nion.us/

[samhsarah]

8. Link:

http://www.bushcommission.org/

[meganmonkey]

10. Here is their site:

http://www.bushcommission.org/

And here are some of the members (the rest can be found at the site):

James Abourezk, former United States Senator

After Downing Street

Michael Avery, president of the National Lawyers Guild and professor, Suffolk Law School

Tony Benn, former chairman of the British Labour Party

Michael S. Berg, grieving father of Nick Berg killed in Iraq May 7, 2004, and one man for Peace

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, member, American Academy of Arts & Letters and founder & editor in chief, City Lights Books, San Francisco

Dahr Jamail, U.S. independent journalist who has reported extensively from Iraq since the invasion

National Lawyers Guild

National Lawyers Guild, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter

Not In Our Name Project

Gore Vidal

Howard Zinn, historian

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Not_So_Right_Wing]

66. don't be so quick to judge...

this will probably turn out to be true

[MH1]

70. Wouldn't Winter Soldier

have fit your description?

Oh yeah, they didn't accomplish anything, I guess.

[stop the bleeding]

3. Keep this post at the top - nominated this for awareness - what an article

and this to top it off:

Sanchez reportedly plans to retire soon, according to an article in the International Herald Tribune earlier this month. But Rumsfeld recently considered elevating the 3-star general to a 4-star. The Tribune also reported that Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the Army's chief spokesman, said in an email message, "The Army leaders do have confidence in LTG Sanchez."

[FreedomAngel82]

4. Oh gosh

I remember a few years ago, 2003 or so I think, reading that this female cadiate was saying she was raped and trying to get charges against the guys who raped her in the military. I remember reading people said she was lying and trying to get the men who raped her and she was just a lesbian hating man and things like that. It was so horrible. :( I hope and pray these women get justice.

[Horse with no Name]

5. I've heard this story before

It is appalling. It is also appalling that our military still hasn't figured out how to stop it.
The only thing one can assume is that they don't want to stop it.
When a dog goes bad you don't blame the dog, you blame the handler.
In this instance, you blame the military.
They teach the soldiers how to torture, condone raping Iraqi women in Abu Ghraib, and how to kill. Is it any wonder that they do this?

[samhsarah]

12. You blame the handler.

Then the dog gets shot. There is NO EXCUSE for this crap. All of it. The rape, the torture. And from the top all the way down, everyone involved in all of it needs to be punished. (Not shot, since I don't believe in the death penalty, I was just using the dog analogy)

[China_cat]

16. It's very much like some dog owners

who don't want the puppy chewing on their good shoes so they give it an old shoe to play with and can't understand why the puppy can't tell the difference.

[Coexist]

34. why dont they put the friggin' LATRINES near the QUARTERS?

and LIGHT THE AREA??

Would that be too difficult?

[dogday]

6. Even in War, Women bear the greater burden

Bad enough having to be in a war, but to be screwed by your own troops while fighting off the enemy is too fucking sad. Bet this never makes the medias most viewed stories....

[meow2u3]

58. Here's what I would have done to those rapists

Taken an M-16 and shot off their nuts, one bastard at a time!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Aw shucks. Just some more frat-boy pranks.

"83 incidents were reported". I think we can safely double the number of incidents by the ones not reported.

[Horse with no Name]

11. You could probably safely quadruple it.

You also have to wonder how many parents thought their daughters died in combat when they actually died at the hands of some sick bastards supposedly on our side.

[RazzleDazzle]

35. No, quadrupling it isn't enough either.

Even stateside among civilians, rape is the most underreported crime:

The FBI estimates that only 37% of all rapes are reported to the police. U.S. Justice Department statistics are even lower, with only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes being reported to law enforcement officials.

The pressures against reporting rape in the military in general and in Iraq in particular and especially have got to be many, many times that which contributes to the underreporting by stateside civilian women. Quadrupling the stats would work for stateside rapes, but not military Iraq rapes.

Forgot the link: http://www.paralumun.com/issuesrapestats.htm

[lostexpectation]

14. she was the person in charge

put her in jail, i don't care if she's whistleblowing now

[Horse with no Name]

20. She wasn't the only one in charge

Karpinski insisted she had no knowledge of the abuse and claims the particular wing of the prison was under the control of military intelligence "twenty-four hours a day." She claims Army intelligence officers encouraged guards to torture prisoners as an aid to interrogation, and that she was a scapegoat.

A June 2004 BBC article said, "Gen Karpinski believes the soldiers had not taken the pictures of their own accord." It quotes her as saying:

"I know that the MP unit that these soldiers belonged to hadn't been in Abu Ghraib long enough to be so confident that one night or early morning they were going to take detainees out of their cells, pile them up and photograph themselves in various positions with these detainees." <3>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janis_Karpinski

The fish rots from the head down. Whether or not she actually knew anything, I don't know. But I also know that the soldiers that went over there didn't take dog collars in their foot lockers.
Who supplied them?

[ihaveaquestion]

24. Wrong - Sanchez was the general in charge.

And he suppressed any efforts at protecting women or prisoners from abuse. He should be tried, found guilty and punished - by whatever method that the families of his victims choose.

[femrap]

17. I would take my gun with me to the bathroom....of course then

the military command would charge the women with assault....not self-defense. I pray these women find the strength to fight this military...go public and show the American people and the world what the US military has done.

As an aside....did you know that Rummy is only 5'6" tall....? Alert...danger, danger....Napolean complex!

[mirandapriestly]

48. 5'6"? that explains a lot. Seriously..nt

[txindy]

71. It certainly explains why he and Junior see eye to eye.

Literally.

[femrap]

76. I agree....some people doubt my theory about this...but I have had

horrible difficulties with short bosses. Not all short ones...but a majority.

And cheney is only 5'8." That makes w the tallest.

Maybe we could get Rummy and cheney on the rack....stretch them a bit....might make them a tad more human...lol!

[Jara sang]

28. I'd say quadruple it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

32. I was being (ahem) conservative in my estimate. I agree.

I should have said "at least" twice.

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. Is the number of unreported rapes in this country still sitting at

3/4ths? In that case, I would suspect that in the military environment it would be more like 9/10ths. The anti-woman atmosphere combined with the affect that reporting would have on unit cohesion, I'd be surprised if more than 1 in ten was reported.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

52. A personal experience, as a female soldier 20 years ago.

I was assaulted by an NCO who was my direct supervisor. I was a medic. One day, while I was working, he followed me into a supply closet and shut and blocked the door. He then made a couple of grabs at me and tried to pin me against a wall.

Anyway, I struggled and shouted for help, so he backed off. I immediately reported the incident to my NCOIC and company commander.

Fortunately, my First Sergeant believed me, rather than this NCO's assertion that it never happened, and eventually, I was moved to a different part of the hospital. I heard other tales of his sexual harassment and even one instant of assault, possibly rape. Try as I might, I could not get any action from any ranking NCO's and officers, mainly because none of the victims was willing to come forward. (I sometimes wonder why he tried his shenanigans with me, since I've never been the "wilting violet" type)

Eventually, he was assigned to work in the recovery room of the hospital and he apparently fondled the wife of a high ranking officer when she was coming out of anesthesia.

BOOM, he was discharged pronto. But, that's what it takes. Sadly, it sounds like nothing's changed. MKJ

[enlightenment]

74. Almost thought we had a "moment" with the same creep

-- mine was a senior NCO in my squadron, I was a Ssgt. Late shift, coming off the flightline and he slams me up against the lockers and sticks his hand between my legs.

Reflex brought my knee up -- and his nads were in the way. Silly me . . .

Left him on the floor with the message that every other woman in the squadron would know about the episode by the next evening -- since our commanding officer would've sided with him (he called us all his "girls").

He came in pretty battered about a week later; seems like some of the men in the squadron took him out for a drink that weekend . . .

I HATE frontier justice -- but it was pretty much the only kind we could get 22 years ago.

So sad that nothing has changed.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

78. Yep, they're everywhere. Especially when they achieved some rank

and decided that meant ultimate power over the women in their command.

He may not have been the same person, but they shared the same psyche. MKJ

edited to add: cheers to a fellow military woman, who dealt with the cretins and appreciated the men that genuinely befriended us women...:toast:

[pocket]

13. support our rapi, uh, troops!

sheesh

[Mizmoon]

15. Aren't these women armed?

I hate to sound like a cowboy, and I understand that they shouldn't have to do this, but I think that carrying your weapon to the latrine might be a great way to deter rape. The Army might just start prosecuting the perps if the women in the outfit start blowing their dangly parts off.

I know I'd seriously consider it, or I'd find a trusted man to walk with me. I do that at work when the parking lot is dark and empty (not the weapon part, of course).

[underpants]

19. Consider the situation

sitting where you are that sounds like a resonable thing to say but realize the groupthink that is going on here.

Also if they did shoot and/or kill a potential rapist they would probably have "an accident" very soon after.

About having a trustful guy around
-first off most rapes (as I understand it) are BY people the victim knows not strangers. THat is almost certainly the case in these Army units as it is.
-second there are no trustworthy people in this sort of situation. THe woman who tried out for the Colorado football team did just that and THAT guy raped her. MAny reasons for this but one of them is peer pressure from HIS fellow male soldiers.

This whole thing sounds like a really nasty situation.

[marions ghost]

26. what about

self-defense techniques, very loud whistles or sirens, having a rotating system of escorts etc.

I'm sure there would be no way to file any complaints in the military that would get any action. The women need to learn how to defend themselves.

[spooky3]

33. That's a little like saying

that black people who were lynched should have learned self-defense techniques. Let's not blame the victim. And, are your suggestions likely to be any more effective than a formal complaint?

Do you want to have an escort every time you need to go to the latrine? Isn't that the slightest bit intrusive on one's privacy? What if no one comes when you literally blow the whistle?

There were much easier, feasible, and effective solutions to this problem, as other DUers have pointed out, such as installing bathrooms in the women's quarters. And a no tolerance policy for any person who harasses or assaults any other person.

[marions ghost]

36. no blaming the victim here

but yes...having studied these situations I think self-empowerment beats pleading your case to tribunals (not of your peers) anyday. Filing complaints, from my experience, gets you nowhere.

I don't think privacy is such an issue when you are talking about safety--I would give up my privacy not to die of dehydration anyday. If you had a whistle system that was supported by enforcement, I think that could work. In an army situation, it's not always possible to have bathrooms where you want them. The military needs to make sure that EVERY woman (soldier or otherwise) has self-defense training. Nothing is foolproof, but I think this would go a long way as a deterrent. Women are less likely to be victimized if they are not perceived as vulnerable. It can make all the difference in the world.

My main point is that I have no faith in "formal complaints." They need to be done if a crime occurs, but it does not work as a deterrent.

[IronLionZion]

43. self defense training

against US soldiers trained to kill people?

I think the buddy system plus pistols would be good.

[marions ghost]

62. the soldier rapists are not out to kill them

They just want to rape them. If guns are involved, it increases the likelihood of somebody being killed. In this situation, I would not be against guns, but I'd prefer mace or stun guns first. Serious self-defense training should be mandatory for every woman in the military. Yes, it can even be very effective against a stronger opponent. It gives women more awareness and effective tactics for prevention of such a crime. It IS a deterrent.

[marions ghost]

75. As for the effectiveness of self defense techniques...

for women, this was posted in GD today:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x297669

[ddeclue]

59. None of that would even be noticed in a war zone...

This isn't a supermarket parking lot...it's Iraq!

I say shoot the crap out of one these bastards and that will be the last time it's ever tried.

Doug D.

[RaleighNCDUer]

30. In that case, the army would prosecute the women.

Count on it.

[pecwae]

39. You're correct

Just a small example; during boot camp, in one of the many lines we had to hurry up and wait in, the guy I was standing in front of just began groping me out of the blue. I turned around and slugged him. Who do you think got punishment detail? Your's truly. The Drill Sgt. didn't want to hear what I had to say about it, end of story. I believe the Sgt. blamed me and other female recruits for diluting his precious Army, so we got what we 'deserved'.

[Tigress DEM]

51. OK --- 1 woman 1 gun, 6 men 6 guns.

She partially unclothed mid-stream, even with a gun against multiple assailants.

Now if they had known all the others were being victimized, maybe they could have had late night potty treks with 20 women at a time.

[ddeclue]

56. Yeah but it's one gun with seventeen bullets in the clip

and a three shot auto mode. I don't think these would-be rapists are going to want to take that kind of risk. (Hell and while your at it..."aim low ladies".. make his next trip to the latrine a "sit-down experience"!!!)

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[ddeclue]

57. And worst case... take a grenade with you...

Their standard side arm is a 9mm Beretta. The 9mm Berettas they carry have a 17 shot clip as I understand it and fires a three round burst. The M16's they carry are pretty serious too (20 rounds/clip and a three shot mode?) but too hard to handle inside a portapotty. I think a hand-grenade with the pin out would send everybody running for cover as well although it's kind of hard to use that too up close and personal. Armed female escorts make a lot of sense to me.

It's a shame that this kind of behavior goes on nowadays. I don't it ever happened before this that I've ever heard of.

Doug D.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

68. M-16's

This weapon can use a much bigger clip and goes from single-shot, to 3-shot-bursts with the flip of a switch... Oh yeah, that same switch has a third setting for FULL ROCK-N-ROLL. The rifle chops down a concrete block wall in seconds in a full-auto setting.

[ddeclue]

72. There are a lot of different versions of this gun.

The original M16s were fully auto. The M16A2's however only allowed 3 shot bursts. The A3's are back to full auto again.. There are a variety of clips but I think 20 is standard and there is a 30 available too...

:)

Doug D.

[Judi Lynn]

18. This is unbearable. It would be somewhat decent of the government,

once it is aware of this problem, to fix it IMMEDIATELY, so these women don't have to EVER go through this again.

They could place bathrooms in their quarters,so they are not simply taking their lives into their hands just trying to walk unassaulted, unraped, to the bathroom. It surely would make sense.

I hope this news gets all the publicity it deserves. If it means a complete drop-off in female enlistment, they have no one to blame but themselves.

[tatertop]

22. Christ on a cracker! can't we do anything right!?

This is appaling. Why is this situation allowed to continue?

[rodeodance]

38. "That's how Rumsfeld works," she said.

[1620rock]

23. Ah well, after R vs W goes down the female soldiers.....

...can just pop out some more little soldiers for cannon fodder for Bushco. :sarcasm:

[Just Me]

25. Such a simple solution.

But, alas, females just aren't that important. x(

I read this article earlier today. I felt :cry:

[redqueen]

21. This makes me want to cry.

An answering machine.

A fucking answering machine.

[Mabus]

27. Meanwhile, the search for Natalee Holloway and the MSM's fascination with

it continue. If they aren't blonde and missing under mysterious circumstances women aren't worth talking about. :sarcasm:

[stop the bleeding]

31. I keep asking where is all of the MSM coverage for all of the brown and

black women that go missing everday for FUCKSAKES are their lives worth any less. I feel like I am taking crazy pills.

[raccoon]

65. Blonde, and young, white, and beautiful. nt

[Mabus]

69. Which brings us back to Jessica Lynch

Lori Piestewa and Shoshanna Johnson were minorities. Worse, they were single mothers. So, instead of talking about their sacrifice for our country BushCo used the perky, blonde to help bolster their war cry. To make matters worse they talked about Jessica being raped. Jessica denied the rape as did the doctors and other medical personnel who kept her safe until she was retrieved.

I guess this means that if an enemy combatant rapes Bush can use it as a rallying cry. If our troops are the ones doing the raping of their fellow troops we don't talk about it.

This is really fucked up.

[rodeodance]

37. "The women asked to be here, so now let them take what comes with the terr

Karpinski testified that a surgeon for the coalition's joint task force said in a briefing that "women in fear of getting up in the hours of darkness to go out to the port-a-lets or the latrines were not drinking liquids after 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and in 120 degree heat or warmer, because there was no air-conditioning at most of the facilities, they were dying from dehydration in their sleep."

"And rather than make everybody aware of that -- because that's shocking, and as a leader if that's not shocking to you then you're not much of a leader -- what they told the surgeon to do is don't brief those details anymore. And don't say specifically that they're women. You can provide that in a written report but don't brief it in the open anymore."

For example, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, Sanchez's top deputy in Iraq, saw "dehydration" listed as the cause of death on the death certificate of a female master sergeant in September 2003. Under orders from Sanchez, he directed that the cause of death no longer be listed, Karpinski stated. The official explanation for this was to protect the women's privacy rights.

Sanchez's attitude was: "The women asked to be here, so now let them take what comes with the territory," Karpinski quoted him as saying. Karpinski told me that Sanchez, who was her boss, was very sensitive to the political ramifications of everything he did. She thinks it likely that when the information about the cause of these women's deaths was passed to the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld ordered that the details not be released. "That's how Rumsfeld works," she said.
.....

[DocMartyn]

41. This appears to be untrue

accoring to http://icasualties.org/oif/Details.aspx, there have been 16 death of US women in the Armed forces, due to non hostile causes. Only two of them were Sargents,

459 11/08/03 Jimenez, Linda C. Sergeant 39 U.S. Army 2nd Sqd. Combat Spt. Aviation, 2nd Armored Cav. Reg. Non-hostile - accidental fall Walter Reed Medical Ctr. (US)

So, Linda died in the US, in hospital and her death certificate would have indicated dehydration.

263 07/09/03 Valles, Melissa Sergeant 26 U.S. Army B Company, 64th Forward Spt. Bat. Non-hostile - weapon discharge Balad (Iraq).

Unless some one is suggesting that someone shot Sergent Valles to cover up her dehydration, bought about of going to the ladies on her own (a 26 year-old Sergeant in the US Army), then Karpinski appears to be mistaken or lying.

That took me three minutes to check.

[tatertop]

44. This leaves me sad and speechless

[1776Forever]

40. More from the article - Sanchez says - 'The women asked to be here'

.....Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, Sanchez's top deputy in Iraq, saw "dehydration" listed as the cause of death on the death certificate of a female master sergeant in September 2003. Under orders from Sanchez, he directed that the cause of death no longer be listed , Karpinski stated. The official explanation for this was to protect the women's privacy rights.:scared:

Sanchez's attitude was: "The women asked to be here, so now let them take what comes with the territory," :wow: Karpinski quoted him as saying. Karpinski told me that Sanchez, who was her boss, was very sensitive to the political ramifications of everything he did. She thinks it likely that when the information about the cause of these women's deaths was passed to the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld ordered that the details not be released. "That's how Rumsfeld works," she said.

************************************************************************************************

Tell every woman you know who might be thinking of joining the military about this! This didn't just come from a Democrat - this is testimony from a General in the United States Military for God's Sake!:tinfoilhat:

Full article at http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/31584

[IronLionZion]

42. They should go to the restroom in groups, armed with pistols

:wtf:

Rape is terrible enough, but these women should not have to die of dehydration in the desert either. Fucking horrible.

That worthless 800 number is probably more Bush cost-cutting as a way to support our troops and give tax cuts to the rich.

Makes you wonder if anything positive at all resulted from this fucking war.

[lukasahero]

63. They shouldn't *have* to protect themselves from their fellow soldiers

Why do we accept this "women have to protect themselves" stance when it's OUR soldiers, their "teammates" who are raping them? Yes, it's reality but we shouldn't accept it. What *should* happen is that these guys shouldn't be raping them in the first place. :wtf: is right.

[IronLionZion]

64. by any means necessary

[lukasahero]

67. Sorry - I have a dream

;)

[Pachamama]

45. So, if any male US soldiers at Abu Gharaib raped their female colleagues,

is there any doubt that any of the female prisoners weren't routinely raped? :eyes:

The situation there was/is out of control....

[ieoeja]

46. I don't buy it.

Cindy wakes up in the middle of the night. She heads to the latrine nervously. Two of her sisters-in-arms had been raped on separate occasions since arriving at Camp Victory two months earlier. She doesn't want to be at the center of a third attempt. But nature is calling, and damned if she's going to squat outside the tent.

"Where you headin', Corporal?" asks a Bronx accent. Cindy smiles. Pvt Maureen, one of the two women standing guard duty this hour, always makes Cindy feel like she's serving alongside Nanny from that sitcom.

"Shouldn't have had so much to drink."

"Hah! No such thing as too much to drink in this dessert heat. Better to store it inside of you than in your canteen. Even if you did only 'borrow' it for a couple hours."

Halfway to the latrine Cindy is passing an APC when a man steps out from the vehicle blocking her way. The large form of Sgt Gonzales towers over the petite corporal. "Hey, babe, you lookin' for a good time?"

"Get out of my way, Sarge."

"That's no way to talk to a superior, soldier. Maybe I should make you get down to and give me fifty. What do you think, Josh?"

"Heck, I'd settle for her giving me ONE."

Cindy jumps at the sound of PFC Josh Smith behind her. She never heard him slipping around the back side of the APC. She might have been able to handle the sergeant, big as he was. But stuck between the two of them, she knew she was helpless by herself.

So it was with a sigh of relief that she heard that expected metallic sound. Noone would ever mistake that sound for anything but M-16s slamming their receivers in place. Four of Cindy's sisters-in-arms stepped out of the darkness forming a semi-circle with Cindy and the two men at its focal point.

Cpl Maria, leader of the fireteam tapped for escort duty this night, spoke up, "Sgt Gonzales, what would you call a person who would expect a bunch of women trained for military service and discipline to keep walking out to the latrine unarmed and alone after two of them had been recently raped doing just that?"

"A really stupid DUer?"

"If you want to keep those balls where they are, I'd suggest the two of you have somewhere you're supposed to be right now."

The men quickly slunk away to the laughter of the five women. After they were safely out of earshot Maria muttered in disgust, "damn! And I always thought that Josh was kind of hot."

"Eww," Cindy exclaimed. "That's horrible."

"That was before I knew he was a piece of shit. Trust me. Any urge I had to rock his world ended tonight."

[Name removed]

47. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Nothing Without Hope]

49. K & R - appalling but not surprising. We must expose this n/t

[dsc]

50. It would take just one woman shooting her rapist and that would stop

I would be carrying my gun to the bathroom on every trip and let those bastards know it.

[Jara sang]

53. Just received this PM from a member who wants to remain anonymous.

The PM I received:

After reading your post and being horrified, I was wondering if this is pertinent to the subject. When my husband was in preparations to be deployed to Iraq (he's there now), he told me one night that the women had come back from a segregated training visibly upset. They found out from a guy who was married to one of the women that they had been told to "expect to be raped" while in Iraq. They are a close-knit guard unit, so this had an effect on ALL of them, not just the women. If this is true, not one woman should EVER enlist in the military without knowing this.

If you feel this is important to publish, please do so with my blessing. I only ask that I remain an anonymous source. Unfortunately I cannot post this info because I don't want to put my husband in the middle (yes, the DOD looks for this kind of stuff). Anyway, let me know what you think. Thanks!

[Tigress DEM]

81. Well, did they say "raped by their OWN or potentially in combat?"

Either would be upsetting, but if the training was basically telling them they went through every bit of military hustle as their male counterparts only to be relegated to camp bitches, that would be one thing.

Maybe they were reporting the problem and were told, "Well, what did you expect? You want to play with the boys, so now they're playing with you," is another tone.

But if the "training" was honestly advising them that because of the hostilities that rape in the event of capture is likely in order to toughen them up to the reality of gang rape and how to defend themselves.

Hard to say how it was portrayed.

[TheAngryIndependent]

54. Nothing new

This is nothing new. It has been going on for years. Happened in Vietnam, and Gulf War I, it just has not been widely reported.

[ddeclue]

55. They should take their GI Beretta 9mm to the latrine with them..

and blow a strategically placed big-ass hole or three in the next guy to try it and that would put a quick stop to that!

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[GetTheRightVote]

60. This is some seriously sick s**t !!

:kick:

[Mark5]

73. this needs to be addressed

but not politicized, please. All man in uniform aren't rapist, we know this, but know that the stupid neo-cons will try to spin it this way....

[alcibiades_mystery]

77. What else is new?

The rape of nurses in Vietnam was pandemic. The number who were raped is astounding. The number who were raped numerous times is absolutely unbelievable.

[bush_is_wacko]

79. Unfortunately this has been going on since the day the first woman

was accepted to an Academy. I live near the Air Force Academy. We hear this every year. come to think of it...I don't think we have heard a report of this lately. I wonder if they are deliberately not reporting these cases too. The rape hotline allegations have also been reported here along with the fear of retaliation if they report it. it is just despicable what women in the military have to endure because their male counterparts don't respect them at all!

This looks like a total set-up for these poor women. Are men in the military really this depraved? Why else would they put those latrines so far away and leave them unlighted?

[Tigress DEM]

80. Kick --- been simmering about this all day. Read it last night.

Un frickin believable