Women Soldiers Being Raped by fellow soldiers than Killed By Enemy Fire

[Ichingcarpenter]

Rapists in the ranks

Sexual assaults are frequent, and frequently ignored, in the armed services.
By Jane Harman
March 31, 2008


The stories are shocking in their simplicity and brutality: A female military recruit is pinned down at knifepoint and raped repeatedly in her own barracks. Her attackers hid their faces but she identified them by their uniforms; they were her fellow soldiers. During a routine gynecological exam, a female soldier is attacked and raped by her military physician. Yet another young soldier, still adapting to life in a war zone, is raped by her commanding officer. Afraid for her standing in her unit, she feels she has nowhere to turn.

These are true stories, and, sadly, not isolated incidents. Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq.

The scope of the problem was brought into acute focus for me during a visit to the West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center, where I met with female veterans and their doctors. My jaw dropped when the doctors told me that 41% of female veterans seen at the clinic say they were victims of sexual assault while in the military, and 29% report being raped during their military service. They spoke of their continued terror, feelings of helplessness and the downward spirals many of their lives have since taken.

Numbers reported by the Department of Defense show a sickening pattern. In 2006, 2,947 sexual assaults were reported -- 73% more than in 2004. The DOD's newest report, released this month, indicates that 2,688 reports were made in 2007, but a recent shift from calendar-year reporting to fiscal-year reporting makes comparisons with data from previous years much more difficult. >>>>snip


http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-harman31mar31,0,5399612.story

Jane Harman (D-Venice) chairs the House Homeland Security subcommittee on intelligence.

[Forkboy]

1. Sickening.

We have so lost our way.

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. No outrage from

the Obama girl detractors either.

[MonkeyFunk]

3. huh?

What's Obama girl got to do with rapes in the armed services?

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. I can't stand the feign outrage

this is important news.

[MonkeyFunk]

7. I still don't know what you're talking about

what's this got to do with Obama girl?

[BlooInBloo]

55. I'm with you.

[Lerkfish]

6. well, there's real outrage and manufactured outrage

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. Yeah, and this one deserves real outrage.

Question? If this is from a US representative can I print the whole article?

[Lerkfish]

11. I agree, and to your question, I don't know.

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[JustABozoOnThisBus]

60. What's this got to do with Obama?

This is about a lack of discipline and respect within the military. Either Bush allows it, or (more likely) Bush is insulated and knows nothing about this.

Hopefully, Obama or Clinton will inherit this problem and appoint secretaries of State & Defense who will deal with it and stop it.

[seabeyond]

4. our men are getting in lots of rapin, all over the place with little repercussion

it seems to me. endless threads of raping our children, our soldiers, the iraqi women....

what is going on.

seeming like men are having more and more access to sex like never before,..... yet, that just is not enough.

[nomorenomore08]

13. I don't think it's about "access to sex." A lot of guys who commit these crimes

are the type who could have any woman they wanted (case in point - pro athletes, rock stars, etc.). It's about power, control, and just all around being a sadistic son-of-a-bitch.

[seabeyond]

19. of course. kinda like the porn movies gang raping not about turning the guy on

about power and control over?????

[Bucky]

16. You understand, I hope, that rape is not about sex

It's about power; it's about anger; it's about hatred; it's even about priviledge sometimes. It's never really about sex. I used to not "get" that myself. It took a lot of patient women a lot of explaining to me, including a couple who went through that ordeal, before it finally sank into my thick skull. Rape is never about sex.

[seabeyond]

20. yet pretending a 14 yr old is older and 20 guys gang raping isnt really rape but paying for sex

hence the confusion of it all. cause i am sure the prostitute willing to take on 20 guys is doing it for fun.... ergo just sex. and rape of course is?????

[BoneDaddy]

38. Of course Sea needs to make this about all men

cause it wouldn't be a post without some inputting the agenda.

[seabeyond]

39. and you see "all", where? what a stupidly bogus statement you make

but it is about men..... surely, .... as they are the ones rapin.

unless you would like to pretend men really dont have any part in all the rapin going on. then it would be who's fault?

[TheWraith]

52. Thank you for proving the point.

God forbid we should have a rational discussion about a serious problem without someone trying to exploit it for their own obsessions.

[BoneDaddy]

58. What you fail to see

is that when some women, hurts, kills or destroys, I wouldn't make it about ALL women. You see a pervasive need to globalize some men's horrible behavior to ALL men and you do it quite regularly.

[seabeyond]

59. when

one white hurts another, i call all whites. when a christian hurts another i call all christians. when one mother is hurting a child, i call all mothers.

it does not mean that all are guilty. it means that all need to stand as one to heal, (to fix)

it is not tough for me to recognize an issue, embrace it, without taking on the wrong of a particular

seems to be a challenge for a lot of men. we have had this discussion in male privilige threads

christians on this board get angry because of the hate and anger thrown at their religion. i do not. i understand why there is that anger. i see how christians (not me personally) have created the anger. i can even take on the responsbility without being the one that created. i can handle the anger. i dont need to defend christ. i dont need to take it personally. but the person that is angry at what christians are doing simply want to be acknowledge and heard. i am able to do that

so i guess it could equally be what you fail to see

but if we go with past posts.... seems like you are more concerned with the rapist and his treatment than the raped. so i guess we all get different impressions from past posts

[BoneDaddy]

61. ARE YOUR FOR REAL?

When have I EVER supported rapists?

As for holding a group responsible for what an individual has done, that is incredibly irrational. I refuse to take responsibility for what other white men have done. If this is the way you view the world it is truly unfortunate. So black people should be judged by what irresponsible and sociopathic blacks do, women should be accountable for what bad women do, the poor should be judged by what one poor person does. See when it is a persecuted group, the stereotypes are not allowed to hold. Only when the group is perceived as powerful, is it ok in your eyes.

I understand the anger, but what I will not tolerate is the massive globalization that you and other people do on these boards.

[seabeyond]

62. clueless. of course you will not take responsibility,

there would have to be more to you for you to do something like that.

a man shuttting down a male friend bragging about fuckin some drunk chick the other night while she was unconscious. and a woman telling said male how wrong it is. which is more effective? the male community not allowing for that behavior by one of their own. a little shame. and peer pressure.

but hey

hold no responsibility for fellow man. fuck em

[BoneDaddy]

63. Wow

what a tortured existence you must lead. You throw out an random situation that has nothing to do with me to justify your position? Pathetic. I refuse to have you pidgeonhole me into some tribal affiliation that you think I NEED to respond to. I am not responsible for my fellow men's actions. How could I possibly be held to that?

As for your projected scenario above, I would report the rape fyi. See if I don't agree with you wholeheartedly, I become the male that you despise. Unless I tow your garbage I become lumped into your sick little fantasy about all men. Time to grow up, get some counseling and heal your wounds.

[nomorenomore08]

8. Not to paint with too broad a brush, but this seems to be a sad commentary

on the kind of people who are often drawn to military service. Now, I realize that most military personnel aren't violent thugs by nature, but there is that minority of recruits who join up because they enjoy the prospect of killing with impunity. These same guys would probably have no qualms about sexually assaulting a female "comrade."

Before anyone flames me, this isn't a diss against the military, just a speculation on why that environment seems to breed this kind of behavior.

[Karenina]

12. Imagine, just for a moment

what the Iraqis suffer at the hands of such as these. The Winter Soldiers tried to enlighten you...

[nomorenomore08]

18. Exactly right. And people wonder how shit like My Lai and Fallujah happens...

nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

14. Maybe some of the Vets would care to comment on this

I think that from my experience that this was not common place
in the military until the war.

[undercutter2006]

28. that's not surprising

When you are in the war zone you are away from civilization, in high stress situations. The commanding element is concerned about completing the mission, so sexual assault is not on anybody's priority list. That gives those guys who want to rape women more freedom to rape because they have a lot less chance of being prosecuted. All male units, like infantry, bond together and reaffirm their masculinity by expressing hatred for anything that is feminine. So it's not surprising at all.

[seabeyond]

29. our males seem to practicing that exact thing in this country without combat situations

and i am not making lite of what you say. i agree with what you say. just seems like our males are in the same situation in the u.s. without war, battle, combat stress

[nomorenomore08]

31. Everyday life is like a warzone, for some. Others, out of malice or boredom, seek to make it one.

nt

[seabeyond]

34. not acceptable. n/t

[nomorenomore08]

45. Of course it's not acceptable, and that was partly my point. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

There is NO EXCUSE for the horrible things people in this world do to each other. The worst life conditions imaginable don't justify that kind of behavior.

[raccoon]

48. This one's a keeper,

"All male units, like infantry, bond together and reaffirm their masculinity by expressing hatred for anything that is feminine. "

[Lerkfish]

15. more likely, it is because none of the top brass punish it.

honestly, I think its pretty much acceptable to the top brass, unfortunately, otherwise, it WOULD stop.

[JerseygirlCT]

41. I wouldn't doubt this. Or that part of their motivation is a continuing

antipathy toward women in combat. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a bit of "that'll show 'em" in the neglect of these serious crimes.

[Donnachaidh]

50. didn't the military also start recruiting soldiers with records?

IIRC within the last year or two they started lowering the bar, and started recruiting gangbangers and others with questionable records. It was kind of a *either sign up or go to jail* option. I guess we can know see what THAT has done to the military. :eyes:

[lovuian]

21. I regret the day they let woman in the armed forces

this is awful

[seabeyond]

22. it would be one thing if we actually had the expectation of our male not raping

but we really dont have that expectation. further i think we have exactly the opposite. we expect our male to rape and they dont disappoint.

[Skittles]

27. I'm a female veteran

how about we don't let rapists in the military?

[lovuian]

32. obviously they are letting them in

since 73% are raped

I salute you :patriot:
you very brave woman

[Skittles]

36. a sergeant tried pawing me when I was an airman

I smashed him in the face with a stapler, breaing nose and teeth. Gee it would seem they CAN help themselves since that bastard never tried anything with me again.

[Ichingcarpenter]

40. I think that now they get away with it or threaten you and

the chain of command does nothing.

This war is creating monsters and mentally ill people.

[libodem]

33. Not letting them in

would be one hell of a start. Sad thing is I believe recruiters are combing the jails for recruits. Seriously lowering the bar, for antisocial conduct, by doing so.

[seabeyond]

37. personally i think it is all about dehumanizing. be it women to rape or iraqi's to kill

that is what one must do in war.... dehumanize

that is what our male is doing here in the u.s. with our females, ... dehumanize. i cannot even say women in this case, cause it is ot about a grown woman. ... they have dehumanized the female so much age just doesnt fuckin matter.

[TheWraith]

57. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

Particularly in situations like Iraq, where the environment and constant violence can cause people to mentally fracture in unpredictable ways, resulting in random acts of violence or cruelty.

We clearly need better psychological screening processes, not just at sign-up but also continuously, trying to determine who's breaking or already broken.

[JerseygirlCT]

42. More like the day they allowed rapists to stay in the armed forces...

I'd never in a million years join myself. But if a woman feels that calling, nothing should stop her because of her gender.

Men behaving in a criminal way cannot be blamed on the women.

[lukasahero]

47. Of course - rather than regret allowing these fucking loser soldiers who rape these women soldiers

into the armed forces, instead, let's regret allowing the women who choose to serve our country honorably to do so. Typical. :eyes:

[annm4peace]

23. Rep Harman could have spoke out agains attacking IRAQ

Maybe if Rep Harman had listened to the 17 Million marching in the street the Jan before the attack in Iraq, not so many female soldiers would have been raped.
Rep. Harman has turned a blind eye in the past 5 years, I wonder why know she is speaking out? Is someone running against her? Is she afraid she might lose her position? She is not off the hook of being a Hawk and not sticking up sooner for female military.


the Female Veterans in Veterans for Peace have been speaking about this for awhile. They have been speaking at rallies, at churches, at high schools, and in Congress person's offices.

They have written articles in various alternative media sites.

ret. Col Ann Wright has spoken of the 1/2 percentage know of female military being raped. and of male military men being raped.

It starts with the Higher ups in the Pentegon who covered up the rapes. There are many female suicides, and AWOLS.
Just watch Iraq Winter Soldier and educate yourself.

[petgoat]

24. I tend toward pacifism and generally oppose the death penalty.

But I recommend a firing squad to make a couple of examples
and show that This Is Not Us.

The guys executed could greater serve their country by
marking the line than by getting blown up by IEDs.

[BlooInBloo]

56. So you're pro-death penalty. Don't be a coward about it.

[Echo In Light]

26. Authoritarian structures attract certain personalities for specific reasons

[nashville_brook]

30. yep. and they're protected in said structures for specific reasons.

[Feron]

35. Disgusting.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/07/women_in_military/index.html">Here is another article about military rape.

[file83]

44. SUPPORT Our troo...

Never mind.

[Romulox]

49. So it's "OK" for a woman to be blown up or punctured with lead...

One form of disgusting, debasing, dehumanizing violence = A OK

Another form of disgusting, debasing, dehumanizing violence = horrifying?

And you wonder why some of the sub-literate grunts on the ground have trouble grasping this rather arbitrary distinction? :shrug:

I think we need to shift the entire frame of this discussion, such that both forms of brutality are looked upon with horror. But as long as you tell these young people that their own lives are the worthless playthings of those with power over them, you can expect them to take the lesson to heart.

[AwakeAtLast]

51. I'm sure veteran DUers remember my report

about the women in my husband's unit who were prescribed birth control pills while they were deployed to Iraq. They also needed escorts from their unit members (male) just to go to a bathroom or shower - and they spent most of their time on a base!

After what I heard about during my husband's depolyment, I will never feel the same way about our armed services ever again. :(

[TheWraith]

53. A quick note on numbers.

There are roughly 211,000 women in the US military. At a rate of 2,688 a year, that means that the reported rate is roughly one in 78. The overall reported rate in the US is about one in 3,050.

That makes the rate 39 times higher in the armed forces.

[BlooInBloo]

54. Don't ask, don't tell apparently.