From the Tailhook scandal in 1991 to the arrest of Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski—the chief of the Air Force’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office—the The New York Times among others have been busy tracking the history of sexual assault in the U.S. military.
A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) survey now estimates that in the United States about 1 in 5 women are the victims of rape or attempted rape at some point in their lives, but such national statistics mask what happens within particular institutions. In the U.S. military, 1 in 3 servicewomen are sexually assaulted, and in 2011, 22,800 violent sex crimes were reported. What this means is that military women in combat are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. Adding insult to injury, the soldiers who commit rape have an estimated 86.5% chance of keeping their crime a secret. They have an even better chance— 92% —of avoiding a court-martial (military judicial punishment).
Sociologists argue that in order to make sense of the prevalence and persistence of such assaults, we need to face the fact that the problem is not a problem of a “few bad apples,” but is rather institutional, entrenched and systemic. The assaults need to be examined as manifestations of rape culture, which scolars refer to “a complex of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women” (Buchwald, et. al).
Why is Sexual Assault so Prevalent in the Military?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PGPWp-4kvQ
The Invisible War
As we saw in the award-winning documentary film,The Invisible War, a senior officer dismissed reports of sexual assault at the Tailhook Convention by expressing a not uncommon belief that, “That’s what you get when you go down the hall with a bunch of drunk aviators.” The officer in this instance can be understood as drawing from a repertoire of myths that collectively characterize a rape culture — namely that such assaults are inevitable and perhaps natural.
Similarly, when the officer leading the Tailhook investigation remarks that “some of these women were kind of bringing it on themselves,” he is effectively blaming the victims for their assaults. The fact that these remarks were spoken by men with formal and legitimate power is added evidence that the sentiments run deep within the military, but it is also significant that these remarks are somewhat compatible, and taken together, formulate a relatively coherent logic.
Sadly, the movie illustrates a pernicious thread of thinking that comprises the military rape-cultural repetoire: First, servicewomen who do not learn their places in male-dominated spaces will inevitably be raped. Second, their rape will be no one’s fault but their own. On this score, Germaine Greer’s famous observation has a certain resonance: “Women have very little idea how much men hate them” [Greer is considered one of the major voices of second-wave feminism].
Bitch, Whore, Feminist, Terrorist
The following video is a spoken word performance given by Cassandra Faith, an Iraq veteran, in Brooklyn, New York. The transcript for the video follows here for the clip below:
September 2002, upon completing basic training, my Company Commander shared the following with the women of Bavo Company 795. “In this world you will always be a ‘bitch’ or a ‘whore’ — decide now which you prefer they call you.” We’d just learned to maintain and fire M-16s effectively, but we’ve not yet been indoctrinated properly. And her words were preparing us for front-lines of a different kind.
Like February 2003, when I had not yet mastered tactical maneuvers after dinner and drinks, was ill-prepared for the blockading of “no” from my mouth. It wasn’t forcefully. More like an apprehensive surrender. My exposed skin, white flag, soft target — I became easy prey to a Staff Sergeant who promised he’d square me away. This would later include $315, a drive to and from an abortion clinic, and a plea not to tell his wife about what we’d done.
June 2009, for refusing a [Depo-Provera Birth Control] shot strongly suggested to deploying female soldiers, a fellow squad member accused me of wanting to get pregnant. As if I had in mind an EPT Test “blue “+” sign to be my ticket home and early trip back from Iraq. As if my choice of birth control with anybody’s business but my own he stated, “Well if bitches can’t be counted on to keep their legs closed overseas, they damn sure can’t be trusted to take a pill every day.” I would later hold convoy security alongside him, drive, gun, or at the same checkpoints he did, search women and children he couldn’t, ensuring our safety. Once home, his wife thanked me for helping him to get back in one piece.
Today, planted along Capitol steps, a daisy chain of trip wires — Bills against women lie and await, rape redefined, the attempt to overturn of Roe v Wade, restrictions on birth control — politicians spew, “It is unpatriotic to use this phrase ‘War on Women.’” The phrase was somehow disrespectful to the millions of Americans who actually served in a real war. But each time they speak, they awake the 144 women who’ve died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, spinning them over in graves and unearthing their sacrifice. Listen closely. You will hear a platoon of ghostly voices question, “What else should we call this, then, because war is a state of hostility, a struggle between opposing forces for a particular end, and this here is women against Right Wing so-called ‘Christian’ men. It’s a [Rush] Limbaugh or a [Donald] Trump verses ‘sluts’ or ‘prostitutes”’who are to to lay down, take it, roll over, beg like the good bitches they trained us to be — unable to make decisions concerning our own bodies, yet able to die unacknowledged for this country.”
It has always started with the name, bitch, whore, feminist, terrorist… And I fought enough wars to know labels, that strip us of our humanity, make mass murder easy.
U.S. Air Force Academy Rape Scandal
Cadets walk the campus at the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colo., on their way to the dinning hall for lunch. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
An investigative report on sexual violence and other misconduct at the United States Air Force Academy (AFA) offers a wildly disturbing look at campus rape culture at the prestigious military school. Disturbing, but here once again the story is sadly familiar. In the latest incident, cadets on the school’s athletic teams were alleged to have sexually assaulted female classmates. To make matters worse, their crimes were largely ignored by coaches and administrators. When cadets were held accountable, the school took no further action to discipline the coaches and other officers who failed to act. The report exposes, as Alan Pyke of ThinkProgress put it, “the intersection of hero culture and rape culture.”
Here are just a few of the findings from Colorado Springs Gazette reporter Tom Roeder’s work on the story:
“‘The girls’ drink (Captain Morgan with the blue lid) was only for girls to drink (at one party at the school),’ [Office of Special Investigations] confidential informant cadet Eric Thomas told investigators in a written statement obtained by The Gazette. The blue-capped bottle, he explained, was laced with ‘roofies,’ a street term for flunitrazepam, a powerful sedative known as a date-rape drug.”
“After academy leaders were told about the allegations of rape and drug use, OSI agents planned their own party, one with informants in the crowd and special agents nearby to bust bad actors. But leaders determined that the risk that women would be raped was so high that the idea of a January 2012 sting was quashed, academy officials said.”
“In the 2012-2013 academic year, cadets reported 45 sexual assaults, representing nearly two thirds of the 70 reported assaults at all three service academies.”
These things are, of course, outrageous and unacceptable. They are also depressingly common, both at military and non-military schools. Roeder’s in-depth examination shows just how bad things are at AFA and with Title IX. Title IX — in all its weak imperfection — doesn’t protect cadets at AFA or any other service academy. So despite being taxpayer-funded institutions, they are all exempted from the federal anti-sex discrimination law. That means victims of sexual assault at these schools are more or less on their own, more so than students at other universities who are already quite on their own.
Sexual assault at these schools “is something that’s being tracked, but doesn’t get a lot of attention because the academies fall in this middle ground between an academic environment and a military environment,” Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) policy director Greg Jacob told Salon. “But there is no reason the academies shouldn’t be included in Title IX. It would bridge the gap between what Congress is trying to do with colleges and what they tried to do with the active duty military.”
And as Roeder’s report makes clear, AFA officials mostly framed the sexual violence problem on their campus as a matter of a few bad apples who don’t meet the school’s “strict conduct rules” rather than a systemic lack of accountability that started at the very top.
There has been some movement toward reform — AFA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson ordered a review of the athletic department, a few cadets were punished following the OSI investigation, and other cadets started a sexual assault awareness group — but, as Roeder points out, “While pains were taken to punish the cadets for the conduct, there’s little evidence that academy leaders asked wider questions about whether the misconduct of so many athletes exposed deeper problems within the sports programs.”
This is the problem with “bad apple” thinking, Jacob said. “How many times do you have to try to point out the bad apples before you realize the whole bushel basket needs to be thrown out? How many bad apples do you have to eat before you cut down the poison tree?”
Failures of accountability at the service academies can have serious consequences throughout the military, since most generals and admirals come from these elite schools. “When you look at the number of four-star generals in the military — the military academies are unique not only because of the nature of the education, but also the influence their graduates have on these institutions,” Jacob noted. “All of the top leaders come from the academies.”
Solutions
The solution is not just self-correction from AFA and other military schools, but for Congress to act to bring them under the umbrella of Title IX. “This is why we have Title IX,” Jacob explained. “We have an atmosphere right now where a student has to be worried about being sexually harassed or assaulted. How are they supposed to learn when they have to look over their shoulder walking to and from class?”
Thankfully, there’s real momentum right now to give the federal anti-sex discrimination law some teeth, but if service academies continue to be exempted, survivors at these schools won’t be able to share in those gains. “The service academies are the hothouse, where you’re either going to sprout leaders or predators,” Jacob said. “It’s a unique challenge, but it’s really one that Congress hasn’t taken up. They should.”
Sources
The Sociological Cinema. Downloaded from http://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/videos/the-us-military-and-its-rape-culture Last accessed March 2016.
“Rape culture at the Air Force Academy: The shocking truth no one wants to confront,” by Katie McDonough. Downloaded from http://www.salon.com/2014/08/05/rape_culture_at_the_air_force_academy_the_shocking_truth
_no_one_wants_to_confront/ Last accessed March 2016.
Discussion Questions
Were you aware of the magnitude of the problem of rape in the U.S. military?
In light of the statistics presented, both in the film and by the CDC, what do you think about the current state of affairs?
What do you think should be done to men who committ these crimes against service women and other men?
What do you think can be done to more effectively solve the problem?
After watching the film and becoming more aware of the crime statistics, are you more or less likely to recommend military service to women as a career option?
About a year after I finished Air Force basic training there was a report of multiple training instructors that were arrested for sexual harassment and assault. I recognized at least three of the names from my previous training squadron, two of which had regularly been involved in training my flight (a smaller group, part of a squadron). This made me realize that some of the women in my sister flight, the group of female trainees in our squadron, were probably assaulted while I was there.
The rest of my enlistment, there was regular training and presentation geared toward ending sexual assaults in the Air Force, but as with most training it was usually undermined by the toxic culture that we lived in. Male service members regularly and openly are able to talk about women as sexual objects with virtually no discouragement from leadership. Sure, they wouldn’t speak that way around a commander, but immediate supervisors and higher ranking enlisted men would almost encourage this type of behavior, sometimes even joining in.
Because of these statistics and from what I observed while I was in, I honestly would not encourage women (or anyone really), to join the military if they can help it. While I was still in, my younger sister finished high school and began talking about joining the Air Force as well. Ultimately she chose not to go through with it, to my relief, but that disturbing feeling I had when she told me she wanted to join helped me realize how messed up the military was.
I had no idea that sexual assault within the military was at such a high point. I am extremely shocked not only by the amount of sexual assaults that take place but also the amount of sexual assault reports that fall on deaf ears. This almost makes you stray away from joining if you are a woman. Why would you ever put yourself in a position where there is a high rate of sexual assault and if the sexual assault wasn’t bad enough, why would you put yourself in a position where no one would be held accountable for their actions against you? Why would you ever want to be in a position where reporting a sexual assault may be swept under the rug by your Commanding Officer? Why would you want to begin an uphill fight that you more than likely will lose if you didn’t have to? To avoid that uphill battle and to avoid the mental/emotional issues you will face due to a sexual assault, I would avoid joining the military as a woman and I would raise those topics when talking to a woman who may be thinking to join the military.
Were you aware of the magnitude of the problem of rape in the U.S. military?
I for one was not aware of the magnitude of the problem presented in the article. I think sources like nsvrc are helping the advertisement of the cause, but something like that needs to be looked for by those interested, rather than being advertised to the people like most things. The same could be said for institutions such as the prison system. An issue that lessens a good image of said institution (prison or military) would not be let out into the general population. The issue of this issue not being known itself is just as big as rape itself. Taking a course on a related issue should not be the way a number of people learn about these issues. I’ve learned more of what’s wrong with institutions themselves in two years at Penn State than my life experiences themselves. That in itself speaks to how uneducated/unaware the public is to these issues.
I was not aware of the magnitude of the problem of rape in the U.S. military. After going through the documentary and article, several shocking pieces of information that I had never heard of were provided. It said that 1 out of 3 women is sexually assaulted in the military. This is crazy to me. If you were a man in the military, I figured there were many things put in place to prevent this from occurring. Especially since you are in the military and are supposed to be protecting our country. You would also hope that after what a problem this has become, there would be some solution. Yeah, they have attempted to post signs telling women not to stay alone, but there should be something more significant to prevent this besides just a sign at the end of the day. I think this is heartbreaking, and the fact that there is no justice for this problem is horrifying.
I was not aware of the magnitude of the problem of rape in the U.S military. This is probably because stories like these are not covered on headlines for the people fighting for our country. If they were, maybe something more could be done about it and more people would know. It surprised me that 1 and 3 service woman are sexually assaulted and thousands of violent sex crimes were reported. In the article it talks about how this means that military woman in combat are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by an enemy and that’s honestly disgusting to think about. Why do they get to keep this crime a secret and not be punished? Nobody asks to be raped and blaming the victims for their assaults is terrifying to think that these people have this sense of power. Anybody who gets raped or sexually assaulted should be able to fight their case and address this issue to the end, to prevent this happening in the future. It does not seem like any military discipline is shown because they are protecting and hiding from any negative consequences they might have to face.
I was aware that there was a problem of rape in the U.S. military, but I was not aware of the magnitude. The statistics are high, and the statistics only show those sex crimes which have been reported. The cases that are not reported because of fear or other factors are left unreported and unnoticed. I think men should obviously be punished for these crimes that they commit. Men in the military who commit these crimes should be treated just as any other person committing this crime perhaps even worse because you are in the military and you know that that type of behavior is not accepted. These men should be kicked out of the military and given prison time or get a dangerous assignment as punishment. I think if this sexual crime is a serious worry that they should separate the women from the men. There is not anything you can seriously do to prevent this from happening unless you start to punish those who have done it first. After watching the film, I would never recommend for a woman to join the military.
I think that the men that do these horrific things to men and women should be charged. This is so uncalled for and should not be a worry if someone was to go into the military. People go into the military to do something good and to try and get their life together but then a man assaults you and ruins your life, is so sad. Someone is trying to turn their life around but instead some creepy man can totally ruin their life. They need to be charged and take full accountability for their actions. I have heard about how mad this was in the military but I never saw the statistics and it just erks me to know that this is happening. After reading the article and watching the film I would definitely be less likely to recommend the military service to a woman. I have a lot of family in the military and most of them are men but they have told stories about other men in the service who do that and nothing happens. The speech from Cassandra was so loud and just spoke to you, I had goosebumps, to say that he got to go home to his wife like nothing had happened and this woman had to go totally make a very hard choice and pay money. Men should not have a say in womens rights or what goes on in our body because they have no idea!
Before viewing the movie “ Invisible War “ I was absolutely unaware about the magnitude of the rape problem in the U.S. military. One in three servicewomen are sexually assaulted! Such a shocking statistic! It is really disturbing that there is no publicity about these heinous crimes. More over, the institutions many times are blaming the victims and punishing them; while the rapist walks free, or even gets promoted in the job. It is incomprehensible why females are joining the U.S. military knowing these terrifying facts, or they are well hidden during the recruitment process?
I was aware of the magnitude of the rape problem in the US military. It is not an issue that has caught fire in the media, but it has been covered over the years. I am glad to see it is finally breaking through and gaining the attention it deserves. It is sad the situation had to get this bad before talk about maybe thinking of something that could be done to start addressing the issue… the previous awkward wording is my sarcasm at how little has been done, and my perspective on meaningful action being taken any time in the near future. There will be plenty of blah blah blah, and maybe a sacrificial lamb or two, but once the media moves on to the next big story, the whole issue will be dropped. Well, maybe not the whole issue, but very little will stay in focus.
What should be done with soldiers who rape their fellow soldiers? That is kind of a silly question. They should be court-martialed (I know, they have a 92.5% chance of avoiding court martial) and, as the cliché goes, have the book thrown at them. Odds of that happening? Slightly better than would have been the case a decade ago, but I wouldn’t bet my rent money on it. What we need is court-martial of high ranking officers for failure to maintain military discipline. A few dishonorable discharges of high ranking officers and the rest of the officers will get the message that they need to take rape seriously and do something about it. Even if they do not care about women in the military, they should care about military discipline. It saddens me to say an appeal to their best angels is likely to be a waste of time. However, an appeal to their fear may work. The culture of shielding rapists has to end. I don’t care whether the end comes because it is the right thing or because high ranking officers are scared to lose their commands.
The crime against women statistics in the military do not influence whether I would advise a woman to pursue a military career. If I were to advise women to avoid pursuing a military career because of the military rape culture, then I would also have to advise them to avoid higher education for the same reason. The college rape culture may not be as bad as the military rape culture, but it is close. My advice to women thinking of a military career (or attending college) would be to understand the potential risks and be cognizant of this bleak reality, so that they are better prepared to deal with this both physically and legally.
In my perspective, gender role is also important and feminism has a great impact on the gender role in our society. Based on proper definitions for literature characters and certain characteristics, the relationship between gender roles and role relationships was tested. Even though gender role is important, I am not supporting men who commit these crime against service women. Criminals who against the law should be punished by law properly but it is fact that feminism affected these crimes and caused so many social issues. In my perspective, the invisible war is feminism tries to break this stereotype that men should do men’s job and women should do women’s job and unbalanced gender role causes these crimes. Even in the bible, god created men first and only men can carry on a family line and women only can help him to do it. That’s a law of nature and we could not defy it. We still cannot change this fact in the modern society.
Before I take this class, I believed that gun fighting is important to make the United Strong and it is necessary and investing on military service would be necessary. However, at this point, The United States defense spending at a rate of 3.9 percent of GDP. I believe that America’s military spending rather than social service spending causes social issues and that is the invisible issue in the society. I would never recommend military service to not only women but also to men. It is appropriate time that government should reduce investing on military and should change the policy of militarization.
The documentary provided many shocking information that is unheard of in our everyday media. I have heard about rapes in the forces before but the statistics are shocking, 1 out of 3 women are sexually assaulted says a lot about the servicemen we look up to. The documentary shows clips of how the military attempts on preventing rape by posting banners and encouraging women to not be alone. If the blame is put towards women for being raped, what does this say about gender inequality? Victims would hope for a solution however commanding officers questions them, and then debates their claim of being raped. The military have found ways to cover those stories, denied those claims and almost made no actions to help victims who have been assaulted. I feel like the military isn’t protecting us, they’re protecting their image or honor, pride, respect and most importantly justice.
Before I watched the film The invisible war, I was completely oblivious to this horrifying issue of rape culture in the U.S Military. Not only is it shocking to me but very heartbreaking. To know that there is so many different cases of rape but not one has been given justice, is very disgusting to me. I feel that these women and men should be given some justice, it is not fair that the higher authorities can have that much power to push aside the pain and suffering these individuals go through after such incidents. This documentary was very powerful and touching to me as it really changed my perspective of the military as a whole, and opened my eyes to the reality. I also found Casandra Faith’s poem of “war on women” to be very touching as well. Her words were brought into light and struck out to me as she was speaking from heart and experience. The reasons why many veterans have issues mentality and socially can be very much influenced by the experiences they have with their service. These issues of rape have such a huge toll on these individuals after their time in the military, when going back into the real world their perspectives of the opposite sex or same sex can change and mentally be very hard to cope with.
I had never seen a film about the things that go on behind he scenes of the military but the movie the Invisible War left me in shock. It was about the rape of people in the armed forces, women and men. I’ve heard about rapes in the armed forces but never to the extent that this movie showed me. Many of these people’s lives were ruined by them being raped. The saddest part is that when they told their commanding officers, it was treated as though they were lying about being raped. It was so sad to see these people cry and talk about how they were afraid to even say anything because of he consequences of them telling. The other thing that shocked me was the fact that many of these people actually have more PTSD symptoms than actually going to war. That would make since because even though they might not have been in the fight using their guns they were in a way worst fight for their personal space. Having someone invade your space is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. I was really happy that the movie showed men who were also raped because there are so many ignorant people who believe that men can’t be raped too. I’ve always thought that men being raped affects them more than women because even though it affects anyone, I think it affects men more because in their minds they don’t expect to be raped since they are seen as the dominant sex. I think that even though women are affected by it too, as women we kind of know in the back of our minds that there is a possibility for it but for men I don’t think that they think it could truly happen to them. Honestly, after seeing this movie, it made me completely throw out the idea of ever wanting to join the armed forces because if something happens to me, I shouldn’t be afraid to tell a commanding officer, someone who is suppose to have my best interest at heart. We are suppose to be protecting our country and the saddest part is that that war is right here at home.
The Invisible War was one of the only films in which I was truly left in shock and, for lack of a better word, disgust. I was always awed by the choice of women to go and serve in our country’s military. However, what most people don’t know is the unfortunate and dehumanizing acts that occur to these brave women. These women willingly partake in this dangerous job, and what they do not even know is that there is an even greater danger than they initially expect coming into it: sexual assault.
Whether you are female or even male, you should be guaranteed and truly trust the military system to protect you against any form of rape or sexual harassment. Unfortunately, this is not the case. This is a reoccurring, and more disturbingly, an institutional issue throughout warfare which needs to be reevaluated and reassessed. This film brilliantly sheds light on this issue and how it is completely ignored and ‘swept under the rug.’ It is extremely emotional to be exposed to the epidemic of rape of solider within the US military and how its existence is completely covered up, which only further produces personal and social consequences amongst these soldiers.
War is arguably the most dangerous position a person can put themselves into, assuming of course they are willingly partaking (forget the draft for a moment). It’s a lot like playing Russian roulette and requires a lot of blind faith but different than Russian roulette it also requires an intense faith in those around you. I come from an Irish family with a lot of cops within our ranks the thing I hear the most about being a cop and how they do it is about the “brotherhood”. Being in the armed forces requires that same brotherhood. Without trust and the strength of the familial bond formed during training and otherwise how could one most confidently enter into such a dangerous situation? That being said a statistic from the post sticks out: “In the U.S. military, 1 in 3 servicewomen are sexually assaulted”. Considering how the amount of women enlisted is naturally much less than men this is an incredibly large amount of servicewomen who are being taken advantage of and violated while in the presence of their “brothers”. Then as if the actual harassment isn’t enough the brotherhood that so adamantly sings praises of their strength, bond and righteousness in commercials and other recruitments turn against the women blaming them instead of those culpable. The Invisible War shows the hardship faced by servicewomen in their fight to get justice because not only were they violated but they were violated both physically and then judicially by someone who is supposed to have their back, supposed to be their family and their support. I think that this army brotherhood is an important notion and it sticks in the forefront of my mind because of how marginalizing it is. Women join the service for a multitude of reasons but I would argue that most of the women within the service, and these aren’t based on facts just personal feelings, would feel the need to “run with the boys” and prove themselves. In the readings on Abu Ghraib and the harassment perpetrated at the hands of what is painted as only women, one can see the need to fit in and prove themselves in such a hostile environment toward women. Women so immersed in the culture of the services would obviously have to not only assimilate but work to surpass judgment and prove themselves. Servicewomen, although capable of the same things as men even when that means torture, are not respected as or considered a part of the brotherhood which is problematic. The gendered nature of the service targets women as outsiders and creates an atmosphere which is more dangerous than most people realize for servicewomen and the civilian women in the lives of servicemen. An ideological shift would have to occur within the services as well as within their judicial system in order to stop the stigmatization of these servicewomen and end the machismo tide that encourages this hostility. Women are just as capable as men, which has been proved, but the sexuality of a women still blurs any accomplishments she has made or any injustices done to her, which frankly is bullshit. The rules, ideologies and practices of the armed services seem a little archaic and I think it is time to enter into the 21st century and stop blaming the servicewomen who enter into service wanting to protect their country just like the men for any and all problems that occur in times of war and otherwise. It’s time for the armed services to “man up” and take accountability and actions to change things.
After viewing “The Invisible War”, I was left in shock. The documentary had opened my eyes to issues that I never knew had existed, let alone were so extreme. This issue of rape culture in the U.S. Military has gotten so bad and has been ignored for too long. The idea that women are able to serve in our army is amazing compared to some nations throughout the world. No matter if you are a male or a female in the military, you deserve the right to be protected from rape or any type of sexual harassment. Therefore, the Military needs to stop wasting their money and efforts on campaigns which are seen as jokes by those who serve. Rather, they need to come up with a solution to protect those whom protect us. In the documentary, you also see the mistreatment of the veterans and how they fall victim to lack of medical attention that many veterans around our country face. It has become evident that our country has failed to take care of our military and the individuals who serve in it. It seems as if the priorities of the country are solely economic based. America needs to step up and protect the men and women who put their lives on the line. They need to end sexual harassment and rape in the army.
Viewing the documentary Invisible War has definitely shed light on the issues of rape within the military and how this issue is not an individual issue but institutional. It’s pretty disgusting that as a democratic government we do not offer better protection for our women in the armed forces. Women are being threatened and do not get half as much of legal protection as a regular civilian if they would have been sexually assaulted. Laws within the military need serious reassessing, the way commanding officers had a hand in a victims case is not only a conflict of interest but unjust.
Growing up, all of my uncles served in the military and it was always looked upon as being extremely honorable. When they would be deployed and get back we always asked what’s it like out there or how did they survive without thinking that for many women serving in the military, there enemies are within their base. The number of victims who have been subject to this type of abuse is extremely shocking but what’s more shocking is the number of cases that have gone unreported due to fear of losing their position.
After watching the film, I feel that crimes committed within the military should be handled exactly the same as civilian crimes are handled, everyone deserves a fair trial and every case should be handled with extreme care and importance. I would not recommend any women to join, I now understand why my uncles would steer us (my sisters and I) away from military as a career.
I had no idea how high the incidences of rape were in the military. I assumed a few isolated incidents happened over the years but never knew it was such an epidemic.
When you think of the military you think of honor, respect, justice and protection. This dark side is not something you would like to associate with the military.
To me, there are few things more vile than rape.And its really disgusting that someone with authority, someone who is trusted to be a leader, who holds a respected position would even do that to a fellow service man or woman.
Even more tragic than the rape itself, is the fact that the military tries to cover up the crimes and the offender walks away with little more than a slap on the wrist. The victim is left to pick up the pieces.
This leaves a trail of destruction not just for the victim but the victims family, spouse and friends who have to deal with the depression,anxiety and general PTSD that occurs after. It is also disturbing for civilians to read about.Rape just penetrates a whole village and reaffirms that you really cannot let your guard down anywhere.
I hope there will be stiffer penalties for offenders who do this. I am also a big fan of chemical castration for any accused rapist .. in the military or civilian world.
Although I was aware somewhat of the attacks women faced both from my enemy lines and home lines, it was shocking to see and hear that the problem of sexual assault is so prevalent and dismissive in the military. The fact that a woman can be raped by her fellow comrade and not seek/have justice for what was done to her is ludicrous.
Most victims are terrified as is reporting sexual assault out of combat and having the knowledge and the experience that other victims faced when this happened to them in the military is deteriorating other victims to come forward when a fellow officer attacks them. Instead of playing the blame game and painting victims as the culprit as to why they were raped the military should take initiative and action on accused officers and conduct investigations and provide justice to everyone involved.
Rape is not an effect or a result of war and should not be expected to happen when individuals are enrolling.
1 out of 3 servicewomen will experience sexual assault.
Let that sink in for a minute.
Here is the conclusion I made after reading this.Our military has allowed 1 out of every 3 servicewomen to be sexually assaulted.
The fact of the matter is that our military has made little to no action to stop this. This leads me to believe that the military is nothing more than a nest for predators that deserves nobody’s respect. This dehumanization of women is a plague that effects the organization as a whole and reflects poorly on the United States.
This is the final straw for me. Because of this information, I now cringe at the sight of a serviceman. I now cringe a the thought of people I know signing up to join this organization of rapists.
This opened my eyes to the truth of the military.
I was aware of the problem of rape in the military to some degree but I was very surprised to find out how wide spread the problems is. The numbers are really alarming. The current state of affairs is disgusting and shameful. The fact that so many perpetrators are not only still employed but even promoted is a slap in the face not only to the victims but to society as a whole. America claims to bring justice around the world but it cannot even bring justice within its own military.
The same thing should be done to these people that would have been done if they committed rape in the civilian world. They should be trialled and sent to jail if found guilty. They should not be protected as they are now. I think there should be accountability. The commanders in charge should have some of their power stripped from them in order to remove the ability for them to cover up evidence. The mind set of the military needs to also change. When a soldier rapes someone it is not necessarily the fault of the commander, as it’s often seen. It should not reflect the effectiveness of that commander.
I have never recommend military service to anyone regardless of gender. Watching this film further reinforced my idea to not recommend military service to anyone. Especially women.
War is hell. It’s the enemy within.
Its deviant minds that prey on control and dominance of women. Even more disturbing is knowing that these predators lurk within the same military establishment that women serve under. They wait for the right moment to jump and to destroy the lives of women who only want the chance to serve their country and be treated as equals to men. Women deserve the right to a safe working environment and to not have to worry that their fellow male officers or commanders will sexual assault them. If the justice system in the armed services was fair then these women could get the justice they deserve. The armed services need to change how they treat sexual assault. The chain of command is not in the victim’s favor. In almost all cases, women are viewed not as victims but as criminals. The system needs changing and the victim needs protection from these sexual predators. I was naive to the sexual assault on women in the armed services. I was aware of the assaults but just not to the extent that it happens.
The documentary Invisible Wars brought to life the lives ruined by serial rapists within the armed forces. The thought of having a daughter or niece contemplate joining the service, just wanting to serve and prove that they could contribute to their country; I would have them watch this film and hope it would discourage them from pursuing career in any of the armed services
Growing up we had the idea put in our brain, that men are stronger than women, so we see mens going off to the war and the women staying behind, and if the women happen to go to war they are going as nurses. As society gets more modernized we see females also going off to war. Before watching the film, i knew things like this did happen in the military to both males and females, but i didn’t really know much about it. I know that women would get sexually and verbally abused from what I’ve learned in previous classes.Looking at the statistics presented, I think that there is more people knowing about this and also the fact that its mentioned more on tv shows and movies helps with awareness. Awareness is a good thing, but i also feel that knowing that this happens something should happen to make a stop to this. Those who’ve done this to a person should come and be accountable for their actions because they’ve stole something from someone and this person will never get that back because of them. The person who went through this, they should have psychiatric,and medical review due to the trauma that was inflicted on them. After watching the movie i think about my classmate from middle school who joined the Marines last year and its scary because its probably still going on to many women who are in the military service and thats not right. People go to the military to protect and server their country, well who is protecting them.
Throughout our education career, we learned about the brave souls of men going to war and women who were at home supporting the men by enrolling in nurse corps and armed forces, or working in factories to aid in uniform making. Now, that women have a more active role and participation in the military, power and control leads individual to such inappropriate acts. Before the film, I never thought rape would exist in such a structured, disciplined, and systematic community like the military. In my eyes, they were viewed as heroes and someone I would look up to and admire. In light of the statistics presented, I think that there is more awareness about the issue and appearance on the media now compared to before. However, there is a lack of solution, policy-making and action for individuals to bring up the problem and support the victim. It is difficult to explain why a person would commit such act because their physical, mental and emotional state are fluctuating at all times, creating this instability. In most cases, victims are in vulnerable situations, whether they have been followed, previous experiences or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. There is still a lot more unreported cases of rape victims and there should be advocates or conversation to focus on this issue. Men who commit these crimes against service women and other men should come face to face with these victims, apologize and testify what they did and why they did it. Then, these individuals should go through psychiatric, psychosocial and medical review. Next, these men should participate in creating intervention programs to aid others to not be under the influence or situation in rape culture, it is immoral, inhumane and hurts both sides. Nowadays, the military is not as isolated as before. It is more prevalent among communities and to create “security”. Perhaps, launching recreation programs or classes will give military service men (and women), the opportunity to balance their intense military training with a hobby to reduce stress or tensions they may have. After watching the film and becoming more aware of the crime statistics, I am less likely to recommend military service to women as a career option.