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"The Stories Are Shocking In Their Simplicity And Brutality..."

July 31, 2008 10:12 AM

"A female military recruit is pinned down at knifepoint and raped repeatedly in her barracks. Though her attackers hid their faces 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 the war zone, is raped by her commanding officer. Afraid for her standing in her unit, she feels she has nowhere to turn."

Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., says these are all true stories. When she testifies this morning she will tell her congressional colleagues that during a recent visit to the West Los Angeles VA Health Center, doctors there told her that 41 percent of the female veterans they see say they have been victims of sexual assault while in the military, and 29 percent report being raped during their military service. She says female veterans told her of their "continued terror, feelings of helplessness, and the downward spirals many of their lives have since taken."

A victim will tell Massachusetts Democrat John F. Tierney's Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee how painful and difficult it was to get her attacker tried and convicted.

Mrs. Mary Lauterbach will also testify. She is the mother of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach from Camp Lejeune who was raped and murdered and buried in the backyard of a fellow soldier.

The Government Accountability Office has some new discouraging information. The GAO will tell Congress the Department of Defense and Coast Guard have established policies and programs to prevent, respond to and resolve reported sexual assault incidents involving service members; however, IMPLEMENTATION of the programs is HINDERED by several factors. The GAO says while MOST commanders at military bases support the DOD programs, SOME still do not and required sexual assault prevention and response training is not consistently effective. GAO also says DOD has a shortage of mental health care providers needed to help the victims.

Rep. Harman wants the military to do a lot better. She has a bill that would require DOD to review all current training methods for all military investigations into charges of sexual assault and rape, and to require the DOD to establish a policy to coordinate with and notify local civilian authorities of any military protection orders. Her legislation would require the military to offer any service member the option of a base transfer once they notify their command that they have been the victim of a sexual assault.

July 31, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

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Any woman who votes Republican, to keep this going in our Military, should have her head examined.

Posted by: Katie from Kentucky | Jul 31, 2008 10:44:04 AM

I plan on holding a ANTI War protest against Obama for wanting to invade Pakistan a country that has never done nothing to us.

Posted by: Katie from Kentucky: | Jul 31, 2008 10:46:34 AM

How is this surprising to anyone?

Posted by: Ben | Jul 31, 2008 6:31:51 PM

this is sad and disturbing... more needs to be done to stop this from happening. however many people will use this as an excuse to not support the troops.

Posted by: soldier-cold | Jul 31, 2008 6:57:14 PM

The military trains soldiers in acts of violence and to dehumanize people. Sounds like they're doing a good their job to me.

Posted by: Ben | Jul 31, 2008 8:42:59 PM

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