UST: 15% of female veterans tell of sexual trauma

[JMS]

Sexual Abuse in the Military

USA Today has a chilling story today on sexual abuse in the military. A new study shows one in seven female Afghanistan and Iraq veterans who visit the VA for medical care report being victims of sexual assault or harassment during their duty. More than half of these women suffer post-traumatic stress disorder. Less than 1-in-100 male soldiers experience sexual assault or harassment. The study covers 125,000 soldiers who sought care between 2001 and 2007. An employee who works at the Miles Foundation, which aids military-related trauma, estimates that less than a third of women who come for sexual attacks report their abuse to the military.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-28-military-women-sexual-trauma_N.htm?csp=34

[The Evil Genius]

Not to belittle the situation, but I wonder how much of it is harassment and how much of it was assault.

[BigMike619]

I was on the USS Indy when they first put a handful of women onboard and it was so sad. They would be standing in the port quarter smoking and nobody would talk to them. they would literally be by themselves with a group of 30 people standing away from them and ignoring them. i used to of course walk right up and be my normal self. the fear of sexual harrassment causes some to just ignore them totally and thats almost just as bad as the comments themselves.

the sexual assault though is just downright dispicable. ive never understood the mind frame of those kinds of people and frankly Im glad i dont.

[Koolblue13]

The military is not the place to "push" rights.

We have come a long way and it's getting better all of the time, but we don't even integrate our jr. High School soccer teams, why are we doing it in the military.

[China]

A different version of the same story:

Sexual trauma afflicts 15 percent of U.S. veterans: study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical care from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department have suffered sexual trauma, from harassment to rape, researchers reported on Tuesday.

And these veterans were 1.5 times as likely as other veterans to need mental health services, the report from the VA found.

"We are, in fact, detecting men and women who seem to have a significant need for mental health services," said Rachel Kimerling of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California.

The study, presented at a meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego, raises many questions.

Kimerling said in a telephone interview the term "military sexual trauma" covers a range of events from coerced sex to outright rape or threatening and unwelcome sexual advances.

Kimerling said for her purposes it is not necessary to find out what kind of sexual trauma occurred. Her study also did not determine when it happened.

"If you think about military service where you are living and working so closely with the same people, that even if it is not sexual assault ... it is possible that severe sexual harassment is just as traumatic," she said.

The study does not cover active-duty servicemen and women, as VA services are only available to discharged veterans.

A spokeswoman for the VA said about 40 percent of all discharged veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have sought medical care of some sort from the VA, which has a universal screening program for military sexual trauma.

Kimerling said that may mean many veterans are unaware they can be helped and she said she hoped more would come forward to seek treatment.

"There are dedicated health care services for military sexual trauma at every VA facility across the nation," she said.

Sexual trauma can lead to depression, anxiety, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, Kimerling said.

"We know there are effective, evidence-based treatments for them that are used in VA," she added.

Most veterans who were affected were women, with more than one in seven women seeking health care services of some sort also reporting sexual trauma. Just under 1 percent of male veterans also reported military sexual trauma.

[zoony]

The military is not the place to "push" rights.

We have come a long way and it's getting better all of the time, but we don't even integrate our jr. High School soccer teams, why are we doing it in the military.

agreed 10000%. And quite frankly, anyone who doesn't see it this way is wrong.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

What is the percentage of sexual assault in the population as a whole? I've heard numbers as high as 1 in 4 (but that includes childhood abuse).

The military tends to reflect the problems of society at large.

[10fttall]

So this could include unwelcome sexual advances? Let's find a good study on 18-25 year olds in college or general population.

[Thiebear]

The Army is College on steroids..

Its got the same age and ideas but WAY more stress.

Add that up and you get twice the trouble by default.

Captain Obvious to the rescue....

[JMS]

The military is not the place to "push" rights.

We have come a long way and it's getting better all of the time, but we don't even integrate our jr. High School soccer teams, why are we doing it in the military.

I strongly disagree with you.

Are you actually attempting to blame the women for this issue? If the women weren't there this would never happen? Is that your logic?

There is nothing in a female's make up that says she can't contribute as well as a man in most if not all MOS's. I just think the military is rather brain dead in how they utilize women. It's brain dead to think you can introduce women and not make allowances for that.

I remember Okinowa in the mide 1980's. 30,000 servicemen penned up on that island for a year or more at a time and, 120 women. Most of the women stationed there were raped. It was a given. At night they converted a former stockade into a woman's dorm and guarded them like gold bullion. Women were told not to go to the bathroom alone at night for fear of being raped. Women would stop drinking liquids after 3pm to make sure they didn't have to go at night.

Personal solutions to a systemic problem which should have been handled significantly higher up the chain of command.

I haven't really read anything on this problem for 20 years. 20 years ago the problem was defined as a PR problem. Something classified and something which was zealously kept out of the press less it impact the careers of commanding officers.

The issue needs a little sunlight put on it, and the military is the problem, not the women who volenteer to serve their country.

[Koolblue13]

I strongly disagree with you.

Are you actually attempting to blame the women for this issue? If the women weren't there this would never happen? Is that your logic? That's frankly makes me want to vomit.

You are such a wet blanket sometimes, do you know that?

Get a kitten or something.

I'm blaming women for being raped. Get a grip.:doh:

[JMS]

You are such a wet blanket sometimes, do you know that?

Get a kitten or something.

I'm blaming women for being raped. Get a grip.:doh:

I apologize, It's a sensitive topic. I used the atomic knee drop when you were just offering up what you thought was a senseable solution. I do think your "senseble solution" puts the blame on the women and ignores the problem. I think your solution is popular wisdom and is often the solution in the military or even civilian cases. Cases of systemic abuse, and cases of individual abuse.

I don't think the problem has anything to do with the service women. I think even if you removed them, the civilian women arround US service bases, especially remote bases which see long deployments, still face systemic rape and abuse from our service men...

It's a systemic problem which frankly our top military leaders don't concern themselves with, because so far they've mostly been able to avoid the statistics of the problem from being published.... with some pretty notable exceptions. The problem is handled as criminal deterance one on individual case by case basis. The statistics show it's significantly a bigger problem.

[sacase]

I strongly disagree with you.

Are you actually attempting to blame the women for this issue? If the women weren't there this would never happen? Is that your logic? Your logic, frankly makes me want to vomit.

There is nothing in a female's make up that says she can't contribute as well as a man in most if not all MOS's. I just think the military is rather brain dead in how they utilize women. It's brain dead to think you can introduce women and not make allowances for that.

I remember Okinowa in the mide 1980's. 30,000 servicemen penned up on that island for a year or more at a time and, 120 women. Most of the women stationed there were raped. It was a given. At night they converted a former jail cell into a woman's dorm and guarded them like gold bullion. Women were told not to go to the bathroom alone for fear of being raped. Women would stop drinking liquids after 3pm to make sure they didn't have to go at night.

Personal solutions to a systemic problem which should have been handled significantly higher up the chain of command.

I haven't really read anything on this problem for 20 years. 20 years ago the problem was defined as a PR problem. Something classified and something which was zealously kept out of the press less it impact the careers of commanding officers.

The issue needs a little sunlight put on it, and the military is the problem, not the women who volenteer to serve their country.

You are so out of touch it is not even funny. Every woman on Okinawa was raped? Yeah right! In case you don't remember there were many Japanese women right there. My grandfather was there. He said GI's were more interested in the Japanese women than the American ones.

That issue has never been classified....There is something called original classificiation authority and commanders in the field typically don't have it.

Sometimes I think you just like to hear yourself talk.

Oh and you think women can do any job a man can do. They can't. How about as a loader for an arty piece?

Here is an example just from basic. I was at Ft. Jackson and it was Coed. We had some infantry guys as a DS's. So one day some of the females start popping off at the mouth that they can do the infantry just like the men can. DS says ok, let's see if you can. Take my ruck and do the 4 mile road march with it. Needless to say, she didn't make it a mile. Sure you may be able to find that one woman here or there, but 99.9% of them cannot handle the physical load.

Hell at PLDC we made the females carry the radios and the SAW's....I have never heard so much whining in my life.

[Koolblue13]

I apologize, It's a sensitive topic.

I was just saying the military isn't the place to force peoples rights.

This is one area where an intelligent conversation could take place about the benefits of segregation.

[Koolblue13]

Hell at PLDC we made the females carry the radios and the SAW's....I have never heard so much whining in my life.

They don't even have the same physical training test requirements.

[skinfan133]

while it never exuses the actions of the agresors, one must ask why women are being put in this position? I've always believed, and still do, that women do not belong anywhere near the combat zone. thats not chauvanism, its just common sense and decency. Women are put in serious danger if they are captured, it weakens our battlefield presence, and it creates tension that should not be in combat zones.

[Thiebear]

the PT test

Male: 50 situps (60pts), 50pushups (70pts), 17:302mile(failed) 131/300

Female: 50situps (60), 50pushups (100), 17:30:2mile(81pts) 241/300

The woman gets promotion points, the male gets remedial PT at 5:30am

http://apft.pftcalculator.com/

Not the topic but a sore subject.

[Prosperity]

The military is not the place to "push" rights.

We have come a long way and it's getting better all of the time, but we don't even integrate our jr. High School soccer teams, why are we doing it in the military.

Our society includes all of our institutions

soldiers are citizens and participants in our society, and will eventually participate in more civil institutions, so civil rights have to be respected there as well or it the lack of it will be instilled in our soldiers and our society upon their reintegration.

I would agree with you on the condition that soldiers are stripped of their civic rights and never reintegrated back into society, at that point we may as well use mercenaries or robots and not citizens

while it never exuses the actions of the agresors, one must ask why women are being put in this position? I've always believed, and still do, that women do not belong anywhere near the combat zone. thats not chauvanism, its just common sense and decency. Women are put in serious danger if they are captured, it weakens our battlefield presence, and it creates tension that should not be in combat zones.

an appeal common sense is not an argument, it is a refusal to make one

[Koolblue13]

Our society includes all of our institutions

soldiers are citizens and participants in our society, and will eventually participate in more civil institutions, so civil rights have to be respected there as well or it the lack of it will be instilled in our soldiers and our society upon their reintegration.

Maybe we should start integrating preteen sports, before thinking about the military.

Have you served?

[BigMike619]

Maybe we should start integrating preteen sports, before thinking about the military.

Have you served?

theyre both about the same in maturity.

[JMS]

You are so out of touch it is not even funny. Every woman on Okinawa was raped? Yeah right! In case you don't remember there were many Japanese women right there. My grandfather was there. He said GI's were more interested in the Japanese women than the American ones.

Unfortunately for you, and perhaps for me, my evidence for my statements was imperical. Systemic rape on Okanawa was as I described in the mid 1980's.

As for the Japanese women, there 1.3 million Japanese around the bases there... ( six camps one airbase, 30+ instilations ). And there were very public cases of rape upon civilians spaning decades.. There were only a few hundred service women at the base I discribed with tens of thousands of servicemen.

The problem got so bad in the mid 1980's there was a popular movement by the Japanese to have all US forces removed from Japan which was discussed at the Presidential level with the then PM of Japan Yasuhiro.

That issue has never been classified....There is something called original classificiation authority and commanders in the field typically don't have it.

So then please post the incidents report for rape of American service women on Okanawa in the 1980's?

I wonder if you even realize that President Bush and Secretary Rice in Feb of this year offered a formal appology to Japan over the behavior of a US serviceman in Okanawa with regard to rape. All US servicemen on the island were confined to base and all military operations were indefinitely put on hold. Feb 2008.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/33606

A quick purusal of the incidents. Every president since Reagan has been personally involved with Japan over cases having to do with sexual abuse of civilians by American servicmen in Okinawa

Here is an example just from basic. I was at Ft. Jackson and it was Coed. We had some infantry guys as a DS's. So one day some of the females start popping off at the mouth that they can do the infantry just like the men can. DS says ok, let's see if you can. Take my ruck and do the 4 mile road march with it. Needless to say, she didn't make it a mile. Sure you may be able to find that one woman here or there, but 99.9% of them cannot handle the physical load.

Not that this has anything to do with the topic, however; I would argue that women can develop upper body strength like men it just takes work. I would also argue that there are men who are not physically capable to loading artilary or going on a four mile march with a ruch sack yet still serve. Thus logically there should be physical requirements for those jobs, rather than an arbitrary sexual restriction.

[PeterMP]

Its a shame. Clearly, the military needs stricter punishment, investigative, and reporting efforts w/ respect to sexual crimes.

[JMS]

I was just saying the military isn't the place to force peoples rights.

This is one area where an intelligent conversation could take place about the benefits of segregation.

Segregation might be in some peoples short term interest, but not in the country's or the military's long term interest.

The "right" to not be sexually assulted shouldn't really be a subject for debate in a professional organization.

I think the military should be organized along the lines of what makes it strongest in the long terms, rather than making compromises to avoid short term problems.

When we deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990, the Saudi's told us to leave teh women at home. In 1990 the army told the saudi's that women were so integral to the military that it couldn't function properly without them.

What would it mean in 2008, if we denied women's ability to serve in order to stop sexual misconduct.

[Prosperity]

Maybe we should start integrating preteen sports, before thinking about the military.

Have you served?

a better analogy: we should enforce society's rules on preteen athletes

no I have not nor will I unless directly asked (or told) to directly by the state, my skills will serve society best elsewhere. Regardless, I don't have to serve to have a stake in this. Soldiers will be in the society that I inhabit and if they are instilled with poisonous values then we all suffer, whether civilian or military.

As thiebear pointed out physical requirements are not the same, and this is unfair, if fewer females can meet the physical demands then fewer ought to serve, but this is not the discussion we are having right now.

If they meet the tangible demands then I don't think the social demands that exist in the military currently ought to be a barrier. Segregation is never about tangible differences, it is about socially constructed differences like race and like racial segregation your segregation would also be wrong.

[sacase]

Unfortunately for you, and perhaps for me, my evidence for my statements was imperical. Systemic rape on Okanawa was as I described in the mid 1980's.

As for the Japanese women, there 1.3 million Japanese around the bases there... ( six camps one airbase, 30+ instilations ). And there were very public cases of rape upon civilians spaning decades.. There were only a few hundred service women at the base I discribed with tens of thousands of servicemen.

The problem got so bad in the mid 1980's there was a popular movement by the Japanese to have all US forces removed from Japan which was discussed at the Presidential level with the then PM of Japan Yasuhiro.

So then please post the incidents report for rape of American service women on Okanawa in the 1980's?

The problem got so bad in the mid 1980's there was a popular movement by the Japanese to have all US forces removed from Japan which was discussed at the Presidential level with the then PM of Japan Yasuhiro.

Again, service members will go out into the public. I have been at overseas bases. I would NEVER pay attention to the American woman because they liked to think they were princesses and wanted you to take care of them. Why deal with that when it was much easier to go out into the local area and get a local girl.

Americans servicemembers have raped Japanese women, there is a long history of that dating back to the 40's. The okinawians do not want us there, they haven't wanted us there in a long time. Anytime there is even 1 incident, the Okinawians attempt to use that to get us to leave. The Service members we not confined to the base to the limited number of American woman really had no impact on the situation.

Your the one making allegations that American female service members were confined to their barracks.

I wonder if you even realize that President Bush and Secretary Rice in Feb of this year offered a formal appology to Japan over the behavior of a US serviceman in Okanawa with regard to rape. All US servicemen on the island were confined to base and all military operations were indefinitely put on hold. Feb 2008.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/33606

A quick purusal of the incidents. Every president since Reagan has been personally involved with Japan over cases having to do with sexual abuse of civilians by American servicmen in Okinawa

Yes I am well aware of it. The Okinanwians make a huge deal about it whenever it happens.

Commanders are very sensative to these issues and they are not tolerated. Hiding something like this will bite you far harder than actively taking UCMJ action against the Soldier, sailor, Airmen or Marine.

Not that this has anything to do with the topic, however; I would argue that women can develop upper body strength like men it just takes work. I would also argue that there are men who are not physically capable to loading artilary or going on a four mile march with a ruch sack yet still serve. Thus logically there should be physical requirements for those jobs, rather than an arbitrary sexual restriction.

Look at the PT requirements that were posted earlier. There are just some things women can't do, and you know what....that is ok. I had to drag a female soldier by her ruck into a patrol base because she decided she was tired after walking up a hill with the radio. You don't have time in combat to pick up the slack for female soldiers if they can't do the job.