Rape in the military

Homeland Security
,
1

I have been a therapist for combat veterans for over 35 years. Too often what was found in dealing with trauma was that it issues were no just combat. Too many times the center of the veteran’s problems was being sexually assaulted in the military by fellow soldiers and officers. The military is made up of some of the greatest people on earth. But, that also draws in many who love the power and prestige and will use it to dominate. I have found that while working with a women from the military there is, conservatively, at least a 75%+ chance she has experienced sexual assault at the hands of her superiors. For men, there is at least a 40-50% chance the soldier had been sexually assaulted. The government knows about this and works hard to keep it quiet. Yes, there are specialized therapy groups for military sexual trauma. Yes, the Department of Veteran Affairs appears to fast track a female’s disability claim who has been sexually assaulted. But it appears that the VA works hard to cover up male sexual assault. There has been research into this problem which a media presentation of Justice Denied: the movie, documents. But the greater problem is that within the military system exists a twisted mindset of personal domination of the lower enlisted. If the victim tries to expose the problem, in some cases they can simply ‘disappear’ and it would appear they went AWOL when, actually, they were killed to keep secrets. The issue must be addressed internally. There remains the question on how to create change. A big beginning would be to stop the cover up. Covering things up to protect high ranking officers does nothing for the military. It simply puts a bandage over the cancerous tumor. If officers knew they would be removed from the military for committing sexual assault then, perhaps, sexual assault would not be such a great problem. It is time to stop the covering up of the predators. The idea of the ‘good ole boy’s club’ must stop.