Unseen foe for troops: sexual assault in US military

[unhappycamper]

Air Force Sgt. Marti Ribeiro says she was assaulted by a fellow serviceman while on duty in Afghanistan.


Unseen foe for troops: sexual assault in US military
By Anna Mulrine, / Staff writer / April 29, 2011

Washington - When US Army Sgt. Andrea Neutzling was raped by two fellow soldiers during a yearlong deployment in Iraq in 2005, she recounts, she decided not to say anything to her commanders. She had previously reported a sexual assault by a colleague, with little consequence, and didn't want to be viewed as a troublemaker, she says. She simply slept on a cot, her rifle pointed toward the door, for days afterward.

Throughout the military, sexual assault – which affects about 19 percent of female troops and 2 percent of males, according to the most comprehensive survey of sexual assault ever conducted by the US military – is rarely reported. Released last month, the survey of Air Force personnel found that "less than 1 in 5 women and 1 in 15 men" filed a formal report after their most recent sexual assault.

Half of the female airmen who reported being raped said they chose not to report the attack for "fear of being treated badly" or because they "did not want to cause trouble" in their unit. Nearly a third said they did not trust the reporting process.

Top military officials acknowledge the need for change. "This crime threatens our people, and for that reason alone it is intolerable and incompatible with who and what we are," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff.

Reps. Niki Tsongas (D) of Massa­chu­setts and Mike Turner (R) of Ohio have proposed legislation to address the crime and to encourage more victims to come forward.

[undeterred]

1. Misleading headline..its only an unseen foe for some of the troops

I understand why its hard to report but if there are no consequences, I think that would make it more likely that it would keep happening.