Melissa - Raped!

[kpete]

“Hell, if I dehydrate at least I won't be afraid of fellow Americans in the infirmary.”


MELISSA stopped drinking water in the early afternoon so she didn't have to walk to the latrines after dark. Women were being raped by members of their own battalion and she didn't want to risk that. She knew the risk of dehydration in 120 degree heat but " raped by fellow troops? Wasn't going to happen to her.

...........


Six years ago she'd joined the National Guard and her contract stipulated she'd never be in combat. She'd really believed she'd be building roads and fighting fires in Montana while saving money for college. Even without the risk of rape, life was a far cry from the recruiter's promise: “You'll build houses and orphanages. The Iraqis will love you and greet you with flowers and candy.”

Instead, she'd been stuck in a Humvee gun turret and she'd seen combat...she'd even killed people. Not to mention the tanks and armored vehicles, strewn in the road with bodies still inside. Worse, when she asked why the bodies were still there she learned people were afraid to approach because of chemical contaminants and depleted uranium. She'd been told, “Just don't breathe the red dust”—but she wasn't given a mask or protective equipment.

It finally happened because one woman actually died of dehydration and Melissa had stupidly thought things had been tightened up. She and her friend went to the latrines and both were attacked. Through the blanket thrown over her head Melissa heard her friend screaming but no one heard them over the sound of the generators. Then the tearing and the raping with her arms and head held so tight she couldn't fight back.

more:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Melissa--Raped---For--by-Susan-Galleymore-091119-23.html

[ensho]

1. kick

nt

[blackbart99]

87. Hey Du........lets combine our outrage and do something!

Lets all e-mail the white house and especially Michele Obama, and try to get this shit stopped.
Michele is one tough Lady. Can you see her talking to the Generals and confronting them about this.
We need to do something for our women in uniform.

What do you think? What is the best way to get to the first lady so she gets our message?:shrug:

[Naturyl]

2. There is a military contract that stipulates no combat?

Just curious...

In any case, this is awful and here's hoping the perpetrators are drummed out and jailed.

[lonestarnot]

4. hmmmmf.

:rofl: not funny.

[Warpy]

6. The military doesn't care, never did and never will

Boys will be boys, you see, and women are only fluff to be tolerated in a war zone.

This is why my blood boils when some witless character suggests women be drafted. Drafted into this? I would suggest to my younger sisters that they get pregnant during the last half of their senior year of high school to avoid it should the witless get their way. Being stuck with a kid at a young age is no picnic, but it beats the hell out of a choice between dying of dehydration and getting raped by males who are supposed to be comrades in arms.

I want the perpetrators disarmed.

[lies and propaganda]

14. As a an 19 year old girl who enlisted in 99

and went through every kind of sexual harassment before Basic and Tech School were even over, i tell everyone I know.. women have NO PLACE in this military. We are but holes to plug and staff more easy to fuck over.

I took up a Captain on sexual harassment charges after he repeatedly brought girls to my dorm room in the middle of the night, amongst many other things. 4 of 5 of my claims were substantiated by other people, esp my roommate who directly saw everything. Because of how implicating that was, it went to an Officers panel where they found 0 of 5 to be substantiated. good times.

[alarimer]

32. This only happens in the US military.

Because American men are misogynistic assholes, especially the 18 year old rednecks that join the military. They are uneducated in this area because our whole society reeks with sexism and sex is used to sell products. Yet we are very immature when it comes to discussing matters of sex and sexism. Our society is misogynistic and it teaches these fucks that women are mere objects.

But I would say that the reason this is a problem in the military is that the brass DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. They probably even contribute to the problem themselves. I would say the answer is drumming out anyone who allows this to go on, whatever their rank, as well as the perpetrators.

[bertman]

34. Remember "Tailhook"? Officers. All officers.

[dgibby]

44. One of my CO's was relieved of his command because he was caught fondling an enlisted woman.

His career was over in a skinny minute, especially when the rest of the women at the command testified that he had attempted the same stuff with them. He was a full Navy Captain (06), one rank below Admiral.

[caseymoz]

90. It happens when the crimes are that blatant, certainly.

And when the guy is caught in the act. So, how many women was he allowed to assault? I am curious whether that was actually the first complaint against him. Was it really in a "skinny minute" as you think?

My experience in the military, in the enlisted ranks, was that women were treated and thought of very badly. I was stunned by it during my service. It made enforcement of laws and policy regarding them very difficult.

[SnakeEyes]

50. Well done

Fantastic job of broad and sweeping generalizations. Reality is that this is not as you say it is. Sexual misconduct, and even rape occurs, but the military DOES take action when reported. There are top brass that have lost everything for immoral and unethical conduct, both while deployed and also on base. Anyone that has actually been in the military, and living on base, knows this is true. Also, being a rapist has nothing to do with age. It's a mindset about control and power and exists. In fact, perps usually are older. Finally, the prevalence in other countries military is higher than ours. Want to know where the worst occurs? The UN peace keepers. With them it's not just against fellow members but against the people in the worst areas they are sent to, not just against adults but children as well. Are you not aware of the scandal reports over the years?

[rhett o rick]

75. So are you saying the OP is a lie? That women can feel safe in the military? Do you have any basis

for this?

[JonQ]

61. So many wrong statements in such a short post

1) rapes occur in every military, not just the US, perhaps you've only heard about ones in the US, but that doesn't prove a thing.
2) "American men are misogynistic assholes", and apparently american women are bigoted liars, :eyes:. *Some* american men are this way, most are not. And if you think this is a strictly american problem I suggest you find out how enlightened men are in say south africa (one of the highest rape rats in the world) or the middle east (rape is punished by death, but only the female victim is punished).

3) Sexual images being used to sell products has no correlation with rapes, none.

4) People are drummed out of the military all the time for rape. Yes many go unreported and it is a problem worth addressing, but to say that it is never punished is a lie.

[Tumbulu]

74. where is your proof for number 3?

of course the sexualization of women contributes to rapes and murders etc. The world is misogynist. That every rapist is not given life without parole tells that truth clearly. No, buddy, you are living in a mans world.

the rest of your points seem off to me as well.

[Odin2005]

77. +1,000,000,000,000

[JonQ]

94. -1,000,000,000,001

[AllHereTruth]

80. Proof

Number 3 was: 'Sexual images being used to sell products has no correlation with rapes, none.'

Rape has been going on...well ever since...ever. Dogs rape other dogs. Chimps rape other chimps. Humans rape other humans.

This does not take anything away from the utter horror are trauma rape causes both men and women. But to suggest modern sexualization contributes to a culture of rape is ignorant. You have to first understand that those who rape do not do it because they read playboy, or ogle over scantly clad women on American Idol. They do it for power, for pleasure, and do not think of those involved as equals.

This is where you have a valid point about a 'misogynist' world. But the root cause is not Sexual images. The root cause is Human Nature. Until you can change that, it will always be there.

Just as you can not blame violence on movies; you can not blame rape on images.

[caseymoz]

109. You talk about the root cause, but what if it is an irritant?

And how big of an irritant? It may be true that rape exists in the animal kingdom, but then you turn around and say that humans do it for power. You might call something "human nature," but the environment we create will exaggerate some traits, reduce others, and change others. You must know this. So, do animals do it for power or for sex?

There is a power aspect to even ordinary sex-- and women feel it, too. There's a certain feeling of power to it that women tap into when the sex is consensual. Strippers, those who say they like their jobs, will describe a certain power aspect to it, and this is something other women usually dismiss, but it bears examining. I have doubts whether what they experience is actually power, or if it's the feeling of power caused by the heightened sexual atmosphere in the club. Sexual release and power can emotionally feel remarkably the same, even ordinarily.

I have a different take on sexual imagery: in advertising it might be harmful to women for reasons that have nothing to do with whether it demeans them (a different discussion). Look at it like this: when a product uses a woman's sexually to sell, it is on some instinctual level a bait and switch. A man's body begins to respond to the sexual image, and his lower brain is anticipating what's natural: sex, but then instead of sex, they then get a sales pitch for something else, and then, it's over. This includes even using sex to sell a show that is otherwise garbage (not thinking of "Charlie's Angels.")

When men are bombarded with the strategy over and over again, it might condition men to associate women with connivance, and associate their own sexual arousal with a woman being conniving.

In this hypothesis, pure pornography might be healthier to men psychologically than sexualizing ads.

[JonQ]

93. Alright let's see

if sexual images, and having access to them led to rape then we should be experiencing a rapid increase in recent years, every year higher than the one before since the invention of the internet.

Is there any doubt that everyone in this country has access to any kind of porn he/she could want, no matter how violent or degrading it may be? And yet the rate of rapes in this country has been in decline.

So clearly there is no correlation.

"That every rapist is not given life without parole tells that truth clearly."

That certain crimes do not warrant life without parole?

"No, buddy, you are living in a mans world."

Heh, would you rather be a 40 year old male or female teacher accused of statutory rape against an underage female student? The conviction statistics don't lie: we don't consider statutory rape committed by a female to be much of a crime, whereas we severely punish men who do it. Yeah, that patriarchy doesn't work out so well there, does it?

And the rest of the post, like point 3, was exactly correct. Unless you believe rape is limited entirely to the US, which is of course, idiotic.

[Tumbulu]

106. You know we have just been reading about this guy who kidnapped the young girl

after being let out on parole as a sex offender. Lets see, he captured a woman and raped her and kept her in a container as a hostage....and got some light sentence (6-8 yrs) and then was out roaming the streets on parole. Why aren't VIOLENT sex offenders given life without parole? So, statutory rape is different than the rape being discussed in this thread.

Then we just read about this monster who killed a girlfriend's child and was given a sentence of 5 or 6 years and then he is released and kills another girlfriend's child and then her. I see this as the same sort of thing. Someone strong beating up someone weaker.

Who is to say that the number of these crimes would not decrease more without the constant dehumanizing of the female in our population by these images we are bombarded with?

I am a woman, an older one now and I have seen the increase in sexualization and violence against women over the years. I equate it with the rise of the wrong wing violence. I see it as the same animal.

Rape and violence against women is a worldwide problem. Dignity of all humans is the issue, I think. Pornography I believe is a giant step backwards for all humankind.

[JonQ]

118. Violent rapists are different

I would have qualms sending a 20 year old who had consensual sex with his 16 year old girlfriend away for life. Or a guy who was drunk who had sex with a woman who was likewise drunk, who later decided it was non-consensual although you made no indications of it at the time.

Violent rapists however I have no problem sending away for long terms, life even, depending on the case.

"Who is to say that the number of these crimes would not decrease more without the constant dehumanizing of the female in our population by these images we are bombarded with?"

Who is to say that the number of these crimes would not decrease if we all accepted jesus christ in to our hearts?
Who is to say that the number of these crimes would not decrease if purity pledges before marriage were mandatory?
Who is to say that the number of these crimes would not decrease if all women were forced to wear burkhas and were not allowed out of the house without a male relative?
Who is to say that the number of these crimes would not decrease if you were to send me all your personal financial information?

The "who can say" game is fun for talking about at the bar, in the real world it is not that practical. Fact is that countries with strong restrictions on female sexuality (the middle east comes to mind) have very high occurrences of rape. Whereas countries that are more, shall we say liberal when it comes to sex (like the western world) have comparably lower rates.

If any correlation could be found between porn/sexualization of women and rape believe me it would have, and it would have been screamed from the mountaintops. But it hasn't been because there is no correlation. If anything I would say the view that women exist only for sex has been on the decline. Unless you think women in the 1800s were more valued for their minds and personalities (and less for their skills and brains) than women of today.

"Rape and violence against women is a worldwide problem. Dignity of all humans is the issue, I think. Pornography I believe is a giant step backwards for all humankind."

According to some on this thread it is exclusively an american problem.

[Odin2005]

107. First, I would make a distinction between stranger rape and acquaintance rape.

When we say things like "rape is all about power, not sex" IMO that is more relevant to stranger rape than it is to acquaintance rape, I would guess that acquaintance rape is more often then not the guy wanting sex and not caring and out the woman's consent (as what happened to a disabled friend). The statistics, to my knowledge, do not distinguish between the two. I am quite sure that the number of stranger rape cases have declines sharply, like most other violent crimes, I doubt, however, that acquaintance rape is following the same trend.

[Name removed]

83. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Seldona]

103. It couldn't be that perhaps people who kill for a living have become

predators of another kind?

Nah, American men are misogynistic assholes.

Fuck off.

[chrisa]

114. That's completely untrue.

I mean, the army is full of idiots, but to say that this only happens in the US is ridiculous.

And by the way, the "military brass" are a bunch of tools. They could probably care less about women being raped, if not doing the rapes themselves.

[dgibby]

43. Me too,

specifically, I want their short arms removed. :evilgrin:

[LynneSin]

28. Call me silly but I thought the purpose of the National Guard was to protect the homelands

I mean wasn't that the big stink about the National Guards during Vietnam? There was such a big demand for the National Guards during that era because NG duty pretty much kept you at home and not in Vietnam. Was there a big stink that people like Dan Quayle and George W. Bush received favoritism to get enlisted in the National Guards so they didn't have to go to Vietnam.

So my question is this - why are the National Guards being deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan?

[mr clean]

30. BUSH is the reason why the National Guards being deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan!

Bush's war's. He didn't have enough bodies in the regular service so he tapped in the National Guard.

Just think how much different it would have been if the Guard was here at home during Katrina.

[dgibby]

45. National Guard has always been called up for active duty during wartime. n/t

[Zywiec]

48. Not silly, just ignorant of the facts

National Guard History:

1636 The First Muster
1756 French and Indian War
1775 American Revolution
1794 The Whiskey Rebellion
1825 Lafayette and the National Guard
1847 The Mexican War
1861 The Civil War
1863 Gettysburg
1898 Spanish-American War
1918 World War I
1941 World War II – Pacific
1943 World War II – in the Air
1944 World War II – Europe
1951 Korean War
1966 The Cold War
1969 Vietnam
1991 Operation Desert Storm
1999 Post-Cold War Peacekeeping
and Warfighting
2001 9-11
2002 Global War on Terror
2003 Global War on Terror
2005 Hurricane Katrina

The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest-enduring institutions, celebrated its 370th birthday on December 13, 2006. The National Guard traces its history back to the earliest English colonies in North America. Responsible for their own defense, the colonists drew on English military tradition and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias.

The colonial militias protected their fellow citizens from Indian attack, foreign invaders, and later helped to win the Revolutionary War. Following independence, the authors of the Constitution empowered Congress to "provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia." However, recognizing the militia's state role, the Founding Fathers reserved the appointment of officers and training of the militia to the states. Today's National Guard still remains a dual state-Federal force.

Throughout the 19th century the size of the Regular Army was small, and the militia provided the bulk of the troops during the Mexican War, the early months of the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. In 1903, important national defense legislation increased the role of the National Guard (as the militia was now called) as a Reserve force for the U.S. Army. In World War I, which the U.S. entered in 1917, the National Guard made up 40% of the U.S. combat divisions in France; in World War II, National Guard units were among the first to deploy overseas and the first to fight.

Following World War II, National Guard aviation units, some of them dating back to World War I, became the Air National Guard, the nation's newest Reserve component. The Guard stood on the frontiers of freedom during the Cold War, sending soldiers and airmen to fight in Korea and to reinforce NATO during the Berlin crisis of 1961-1962. During the Vietnam war, almost 23,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called up for a year of active duty; some 8,700 were deployed to Vietnam. Over 75,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called upon to help bring a swift end to Desert Storm in 1991.

Since that time, the National Guard has seen the nature of its Federal mission change, with more frequent call ups in response to crises in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, and the skies over Iraq. Most recently, following the attacks of September 11, 2001, more than 50,000 Guardmembers were called up by both their States and the Federal government to provide security at home and combat terrorism abroad. In the largest and swiftest response to a domestic disaster in history, the Guard deployed more than 50,000 troops in support of the Gulf States following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Today, tens of thousands of Guardmembers are serving in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan, as the National Guard continues its historic dual mission, providing to the states units trained and equipped to protect life and property, while providing to the nation units trained, equipped and ready to defend the United States and its interests, all over the globe.

http://www.ng.mil/About/default.aspx

[gorfle]

65. This is incorrect.

The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest-enduring institutions, celebrated its 370th birthday on December 13, 2006.

This is incorrect, and is simply propaganda by folks who would have you believe that today's National Guard is equivalent to the State Militias of the founders' era. It is not.

The State Militias were federalized in 1903 with the passage of the Dick Act. Since that time the State Militias, which were intended to replace, or at least counter federal infantry power, became an adjunct to it.

The National Guard since 1903 is essentially reserve federal military power. It does not function as State Militias did prior to 1903.

[merh]

76. This is misleading.

the Guard deployed more than 50,000 troops in support of the Gulf States following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Eventually NG troops were deployed but even the military admitted they were not timely deployed and that it took far too long to deploy enough to make a difference in the first weeks after Katrina. They definitely were not there during Katrina and immediately after Katrina.

.

[valerief]

66. If the Beast can do it, the Beast will do it. nt

[pundaint]

86. Because the full time military was too smart?

It's time we stop confusing compassion for approval. I do not honor what was and is being done in our name in Iraq and Afghanistan. Carrying out aggression ordered by criminal tyrants is not an honorable deed. I have compassion for the troops as I would for any victims of brutality and bad leadership, and I appreciate that part of their motivation as with mine in writing this, is love for a concept of America that has long been corrupted by people who swore to defend it.

Being cannon fodder is not sexy, or romantic, it's painful, and destructive, and to con a young person into taking such risks is immoral except for defense of the innocent.

To over praise the actions and the concept of military service in a military that has been used so badly is to hide the truth and prevent improvement. Jefferson and Eisenhower warned us about the military as an institution. As with any mob, the cost of the protection has risen above the cost of the risk.

Let the brickbats fly!...

[patrice]

92. Their was a fundamental change in their command structure in the '80s (I think it was).

[Frank Cannon]

112. Because if you deploy the NG, then Biff and Skippy don't have to be drafted

That's really what it's all about.

[dgibby]

41. It's a law. No women assigned to combat. See my post below. n/t

[pasto76]

70. no, that was a stupid thing to print

her contract stipulated no combat....because why? cause she didnt graduate the same basic training as everyone else? cause her uniform said something other than "US ARMY"?

a troop is a troop. AS we all found out these last years. Guard, reserve, whatever. Boots on the ground is what you are.

[Alcibiades]

71. Recruiters will say all kinds of things

And, of course, women are not supposed to be in combat, but I'd bet that seems to be splitting hairs once they are actually deployed with a weapon to a war zone.

[Lagomorph]

88. They don't get to decide that....

...the enemy gets to decide that, same as rape.

[Barack_America]

3. Has it always been this bad?

Or are we just more aware of the evil in this world due to the internet age?

[Xenotime]

100. Yes. Over enraged-hormone males have always been a problem.

[XanaDUer]

5. Sexual assault in military 'jaw-dropping,' lawmaker says

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/31/military.sexabuse/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A congresswoman said Thursday that her "jaw dropped" when military doctors told her that four in 10 women at a veterans hospital reported being sexually assaulted while in the military.

[NYC_SKP]

7. A shocking tale. I cannot tell if this is based on a true story if it's a tale about...

...the kinds of things that likely happen.

I went to the link, I read what is there, I expected to see something about the background of this event.

I expected to see something about charges that might be filed, or an investigation.

I'm skeptical, but no less shocked by what I'm sure happens.

I'm sure these things happen.

But is there a real Melissa, and where is the rest of this story?

:shrug:

[XanaDUer]

8. It's a strange-looking website

and, after reading it, it seems to be a story based on an acutal event, to bring these crimes to light.

[NYC_SKP]

10. Thank you for your post above mine with the CNN link to the awful things that are happening.

It's the kind of link I'd have expected to see included with the story of Melissa.

I fully support action being taken, but a story that's just shocking but absent any further content is kinda weird.

In any case, these things go unreported by the MSM, rape and suicide, etc., and it's unforgivable.

:patriot:

[XanaDUer]

11. You're welcome

I'm sure the author of the story has the best intentions. However, the overall look of the website it is posted on is a bit of a turnoff, and confusing.

[lib_wit_it]

18. Woefully under-reported and, when reported, the same inexcusable "how dare you try to smear them

like this," that comes with any report of police brutality. Mindless apologists for the institutions they glorify beyond all reason.

[EFerrari]

52. Rape,suicide, homelessness. It's not good. nt

[EFerrari]

51. Amy Goodman has been doing good, careful reporting

on the rape and sexual harassment of women in the military.

You might search her site for more info: democracynow.org

[stray cat]

9. Anybody know anything about the reliability of the site or story?

or is it just believable because people know bad things can happen....

[chill_wind]

12. Here's her book

http://www.mothersspeakaboutwarandterror.org/about.php

and more:

http://www.mothersspeakaboutwarandterror.org/author.php

blog:

http://www.mothersspeakaboutwarandterror.blogspot.com/

[kpete]

13. thank you

chill_wind
tough subject,
kp

[chill_wind]

15. Thanks for posting this kp.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

17. I have known a number of young women in the military "over there"

From what they have told me the harassment varies from non-existent to serious. Depends on the location and rank. Also there apparently have been some attacks covered up when the woman turned out to be armed and cut up their attackers.

[chill_wind]

16. Susan Galleymore on Democracy Now

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/8/author_susan_galleymore_on_long_time

[chill_wind]

26. Veterans For Peace Distinguished Service Award (Pic)

http://www.mothersspeakaboutwarandterror.org/gallery.php?level=picture&id=123

[Kaleva]

19. "her contract stipulated she'd never be in combat." I don't know about that.

[dgibby]

35. There is still a law that stipulates no women in combat.

The way they get around it is assign them as mechanics, truck drivers, etc. Of course, the mechanics and truck drivers go with the troops, so women do end up in combat, even through it's not offically recognized as a combat assignment.

[Kaleva]

37. I know about the law but was wondering if it's actually stated in a contract.

[dgibby]

47. I'm not sure, but probably.

I was AD Navy for 22yrs, and knew before I joined that I'd never be assigned to combat. Of course, being an RN, we were all subject to being IN a combat zone. I was in during Viet Nam, had lots of friends who were stationed at the Navy Hospital at Da Nang. They took incoming fire all the time. One night a round hit one of the OR's. Blew it to hell and gone. They thought one of my friends was killed, but she had gotten off duty about 5min before the round hit.

[Kaleva]

59. Actually, there is no law that prohibits women from combat but...

there is this:

"There is no statute specifically exempting women from land combat, but there are Department of Defense (DoD) regulations that have that effect, and a law requiring prior notice to Congress if the DoD wishes to change those rules."

http://www.cmrlink.org/WomenInCombat.asp?docID=233

[wolfgangmo]

60. Does that mean that they don't get combat pay?

.

[johnaries]

20. "We have met the enemy, and they are us." nt

[Kaleva]

21. I remember this being discussed at the Kerry/Edwards forum

Did a google search and did find articles dated 2004 reporting this.

http://www.why-war.com/news/2004/01/25/femalegi.html

[invictus]

22. That's a really nice military we've got. If this is how they treat their fellow troops, imagine how

they treat Iraqi civilians.

[earth mom]

23. Meanwhile there are actual DUers who don't give a damn if the wars continue forever.

They defend it just because Obama is in charge. For no other reason.

That's not what DUers would do when I first joined this website. :thumbsdown:

[Echo In Light]

102. You'll notice the Usual Suspects have kept well away from interjecting their bluster in this one

[Odin2005]

24. There are no words...

:cry:

Something like 1/3 of women in the military are raped, and something like 90% are victims of sexual harassment. :(

Reading that make me break down sobbing. :cry:

[Kaleva]

25. Similiar to the rate during the Vietnam War...

and I imagine Korea and WWII

[bertman]

36. I was IN the Vietnam war and I don't remember ANY female soldiers. NOT ONE. There

were female civilian nurses, and aides who were affectionately referred to as Donut Dollies, but I never saw EVEN ONE WOMAN IN UNIFORM during my tour.

So, which soldiers are you referring to in Vietnam. I'd like to hear details. Thanks.

[dgibby]

40. All women who served on AD during the Viet Nam War are

Viet Nam Era Veterans. Furthermore, there were many, many military nurses assigned in country, and on the 2 hospital ships. You may not have seen them, but believe me, they were there. The Navy had a large military hospital Da Nang, Army nurses were assigned to MASH units, and AF nurses were flying air-evac regularly.

[Kaleva]

46. +1

The stats I saw earlier was in reference to the Vietnam War and not specific to Vietnam itself.

[bertman]

67. Thanks for the info, dgibby. And thanks for your service. nt

[dgibby]

85. You're welcome. It was an honor to serve. n/t

[BlancheSplanchnik]

29. ...

:hug:

[Odin2005]

55. Thank you!

[dgibby]

38. And it 's not just in combat situations, either.

I was attacked in my quarters by "An Officer/gentleman", a grad of the Navy Academy. He broke in, tried to rape me, but was so drunk, I was able to get away from him. Two days later, his wife arrived to join him. Nice guy, huh?

I made his life a living hell. Made the little missus my new BFF while they were living in the BOQ waiting for housing. I never told her what happened, but he was sweating bullets the entire time!:evilgrin:

[Odin2005]

54. BWAHAHA!!! Sweet payback!

[EFerrari]

57. Well done.

:hug:

[Plucketeer]

27. Disgusting

And then we have the push for christian religion in all branches of our military. Damned little difference that makes.

I'd bet that one factor that drives this is the sort of guys that are drawn to our "all-volunteer" services. I'm sure they're not all like this, but if you see glory and future in learning how to kill other humans, that says something in itself.
Don't get me wrong - our troops are great, for the most part. But I met a real OOOH-RAH sort that was headed back to Iraq the other day. He just couldn't tell me enough of how lucky I am to have him and his kind beating back the bad guys. Made me feel really uneasy.

[dotymed]

99. I know, I was an "Army Brat", of a "lifer".

But these (clinically insane) heroes (usually cowards), are
pious saints compared to the Homeland Security guys I have met
and heard about. They really are power mad and use their
"virtually unlimited" authority to settle personal
scores on a regular basis. I was attending school last year,
with a female "kid" that had attended HS with my
kids. She got involved with a Homeland Security guy. At first,
she thought he was great. After their relationship was settled
in, she introduced us, I knew the type immediately. Shortly
after that, she was injured (old softball injury) and I
noticed she was hesitant about everything (not like her).
Finally, (I know her whole family) she started telling me
about some of the petty things this guy did. And how he
bragged about being able to cause trouble for anyone (true).
She was raised better than that and left the guy. She was
stalked, had banking "problems", school
"problems", you name it. She was terrified of the
guy. He would tell her who she talked to (even on her cell)
and give verbatim accounts of her private conversations. I saw
her last week and he still occasionally "plays" with
her.I have met other HS people. Never one that I felt was
sane. I saw a lot of them in NO, after Katrina. It was if all
of them were created in the image (not physically) of W. and
Perle....1984

[havocmom]

31. If gay troops are outed, they are out. Heterosexual rapists don't even fear justice

Oh, gee, is it democracy we are spreading? Really?

Frankly, if I were a parent of a young woman who was raped by fellow troops over there, I might become an advocate of directed friendly fire.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[BrklynLiberal]

39. Horrifying...just horrifying.

This kind of behaviour means that there can be no condemnation of other countries whose soldiers rape women...it is what our soldiers do too..to their own comrades.

[BlooInBloo]

42. Aargh. :( There's no doubt I would do everything in my power to prevent my daughter...

from going into the military.

[TicketyBoo]

101. Way back in the Vietnam era

my father made it very clear that he would not permit me to join the military because, "girls get raped there."

I took his word for it, and had no desire to join.

[Vidar]

49. K&R

[Odin2005]

53. KICK

[EFerrari]

56. “Rape in the Ranks: The Enemy Within”

“Rape in the Ranks: The Enemy Within”


As with suicides, the rate of sexual assaults within the US military now exceeds that of the general population. A Pentagon report earlier this year found one in three female service members are sexually assaulted at least once during their enlistment. Sixty-three percent of nearly 3,000 cases reported last year were rapes or aggravated assaults. Rape in the Ranks: The Enemy Within is a documentary that focuses on the cases of three female service members victimized by rape and other forms of sexual assault. We air excerpts of the film and speak to filmmaker Pascale Bourgaux.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/27/filmmaker_pascale_bourgaux_on_rape_in

[defendandprotect]

98. And from what I've heard/read of these rapes, they are indeed sexual ASSAULTS . . . very damaging

physically to the women involved.

Rape is a tool of war, including in our own military!!

Against our own soldiers!!

Because, evidently the war on women is still a more important war for males than

any other war!!

[EFerrari]

105. Iirc, Amy's guest said service women have a 1 IN 3 chance of being sexually assaulted.

That's horrendous. :shrug:

[jwirr]

58. 1930's - the only thing we have to fear is fear itself - 2009 - the only

thing we have to fear is our protectors.

[MadMaddie]

62. This is * and Rumsfelds Blairs war I don't care what anyone

says! There was never a plan to protect our soldiers and there was never a real war plan.

Why didn't the brass protect the womens showers and latrines? Is it that hard? The rapist will never be caught and they will come back to US soil and continue with their crimes.

Unbelievable!

[AwakeAtLast]

63. I posted more than once here that my husband's unit actively protected their female soldiers

They knew very well what could happen. The women were also prescribed birth control pills upon deployment, whether they were sexually active or not. The army knows what is going on if they did that.

My daughter will NOT be following in her father's footsteps.

[tabasco]

64. And what to do with all these CIVILIAN RAPISTS??

The New York Times recently editorialized against rape in the military noting that there had been 112 reports of rape in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait during the past 18 months. Given that there have been as many as 172,000 troops in Iraq, alone in 2007, that is a miniscule number as compared to a similar civilan population.

To place military rape rates in context, it is valuable to compare them with civilian rates. Comparisons of the crime rates of civilian and military populations during peacetime periods in 1986–92 reveal that contemporary peacetime rates of rape by American military personnel are actually lower (controlling for age and gender) than civilian rates.

http://www.sexcrimedefender.com/2008/01/questionable-mi.html

[EFerrari]

68. Sex Crime Defender? Really?

[tabasco]

110. Is that your rebuttal?

Weak.

Does the name of the website disprove the facts?

[EFerrari]

117. I don't find this guy to be in any way credible.

I was a military prosecutor in during that time frame in Afghanistan. Our brigade level command (approx 1600 troops) had exactly 2 reports of rape. Both accusers relayed stories that were on their face incredible and that they ultimately admitted were false. The CID investigator I was dealing with informed us that of approximately 40 rape accusations he had investigated that year that 80% were unsubstantiated or outright false. Each of the situations I dealt with was an attempt by the woman to avoid punishment under General Order Number 1 which prohibits sexual contact of any kind between everyone except spouses. Both parties to the sexual contact are normally punished with the loss of rank and extra duty. (Ironically, we had to advise a commander not to require females to travel on base in pairs after dark because such a regulation would have been sexist) And yes, the full machinery of the Army's extensive protections for rape victims was employed for as long as the accusations were pending. We were also advised by Division not to prosecute the women for attempting to frame their sexual partners as it would have a "chilling effect." While I couldn't take the accusers to a general courts martial, as was my desire, they did recieve a minimum of an Article 15.

He doesn't talk about the little problem of reporting a sexual assault if you're a woman in the military.

And I'm not sure what you're after with this material. Are you saying that the military is being unfairly accused?

[invictus]

69. K&R

[4lbs]

72. Salon.COM wrote an article about this 2 years ago..

Here it is:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/07/women_in_military/

<snip>

The private war of women soldiers

Many female soldiers say they are sexually assaulted by their male comrades and can't trust the military to protect them. "The knife wasn't for the Iraqis," says one woman. "It was for the guys on my own side."

By Helen Benedict

<snip>

[undergroundpanther]

73. Disarm rapists

Cut thier 'weapon' off.Rape will matter when it costs the rapist too much personally to risk raping. I say if they rape,cut it off.
It is proper to take away a gun from a murderer,so take the penis from the rapist. I would gladly shoot anybody raping. I don't care about a rapists life or' rights'.I don't care who they think they are.Cut it off or they die.Catch the rapist pig later with some reinforcements who know the truth or have been raped also and cut it off and let the rapist suffer.Rapists ,torturers and pedophiles all deserve death.

[Odin2005]

78. I agree.

[Mixopterus]

79. Oh man, here it comes

Make way for the revenge fetishist parade.

[AllHereTruth]

81. Wow.

Rapists should die.
Tortures should die.
Pedophiles should die.

Ok. Lets start there. Lets make that a set law. Anyone who rapes gets shot in the head, like you suggest. Anyone who jerks off to Snow White gets shot in the head. Lets start with those two. Ok?

So, here in lies the problem with your little 'solution'. Where does it start? Where does it stop? I know! If you steal we cut off your left hand. If you steal again we cut off your right hand...How about this one! If you cheat on your wife we castrate you. If you cheat on your husband we stone you.

Lets keep going shall we?!?! Im having fun. Ok. How bout this one. IF, and this is a BIG IF. If you get hooked on an illegal drug, which will thus negatively impact those around you, we will send you to a camp. In this camp you will be forced to build things for the sake of building things. You will be forced to dig holes for the sake of digging holes. Food will be rationed, Only the strongest will survive.

How can you post such filth on DU and get away with it? It truly sickens me.

'I say if they rape,cut it off.' How the fuck is this at all RATIONAL.

[Xicano]

82. OK Since This Is A Combat Zone I Have A Question?

I am assuming that since this is a combat zone these women are issued weapons. And since this is a combat zone where these women have firearms I think these women should form a group and sign a notice to their chain of command, to their representatives and to the media that they will go outside in groups of two or more and locked and loaded to fire on anyone who comes too close to them. AND, if the chain of command doesn't like it, tuff! deal with it! What are they going to do, send them to Iraq?

[The Wizard]

84. What are they going to do, send them to Iraq?

That's what we told them 40+ years ago in reference to being in Vietnam.
When those charged with defending the country are violating laws they are sworn to protect we have a big problem. Putting on a uniform doesn't negate moral responsibility, nor does it bring automatic respect or hero status.
Those who command respect deserve it. Those who demand respect......

[cactusfractal]

89. This is what happens...

When a once-professional military has to send its recruiters not in search of "the best to defend America", but in search of "the good enough to do the will of America's corporate masters". Not that there haven't always been corporate masters, but George W. Bush's Babylonian Misadventure shortens the link maybe even more than since Marine General Smedley Butler said,

"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."

But now there's no longer even a frisson of selfless service to much of the recruiting, except perhaps in the most rural communities. Now, they relax restrictions on enlistees with criminal backgrounds. Some even need waivers for visible gang tats.

I'm not surprised that we're where we are. Criminals got us into Iraq; it's natural that they would have to seek out criminals to keep it going.

Oh, and Tailhook? Appalling, but not the same thing. Drunken sexism-drenched bacchanal is not the same as lying in wait in the dark for a fellow servicemember.

Gee, isn't it great they kick gays out? They're SUCH a danger to the morale of our warriors :sarcasm:

[invictus]

95. +1

[defendandprotect]

97. "Criminals got us into Iraq" -- terrific post!!

[patrice]

91. WE DON'T KNOW THAT WAS OUR GUYS!!!

All sorts of things could happen over there. Any kind of deal for any kind of purpose.

A - N - Y - T - H - I - N - G

[chill_wind]

115. Senate Testimony to Armed Services Commitee

by the Miles Foundation.

Many, many accounts. And that is OLD data circa 2004.

http://armed-services.senate.gov/statemnt/2004/February/Hansen.pdf

It's a serious, ugly problem.

[defendandprotect]

96. This is a military hierarchy/leadership which wants to remain male-dominated and exclusive ...

homo-social . . .

And attacking women makes clear their mindset --

Certainly this couldn't happen without protection from higher ups --

[era veteran]

104. Rape in a combat zone?

Immediate execution.

[Electric Monk]

108. Hmm, really serious allegations here. Not sure what to believe. nt

[chrisa]

113. Sorry to say that rape in the military is commonplace.

There's no way to say this nicely. Some "people" in the military are power-hungry, angry, and at times psychotic nutcases who do not value or care about human life at all. It's like the most corrupt police force X100.

I wouldn't invite them into my home, and I wouldn't even call them "heroes." In fact, some are the exact opposite, and would be in jail otherwise.

[chill_wind]

111. Rapists in the Ranks. The numbers show a sickening pattern.

Rapists in the ranks
Sexual assaults are frequent, and frequently ignored, in the armed services.
By Jane Harman

March 31, 2008

The stories are shocking in their simplicity and brutality: A female military recruit is pinned down at knifepoint and raped repeatedly in her own barracks. Her attackers hid their faces but 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 a war zone, is raped by her commanding officer. Afraid for her standing in her unit, she feels she has nowhere to turn.

These are true stories, and, sadly, not isolated incidents. Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq.

The scope of the problem was brought into acute focus for me during a visit to the West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center, where I met with female veterans and their doctors. My jaw dropped when the doctors told me that 41% of female veterans seen at the clinic say they were victims of sexual assault while in the military, and 29% report being raped during their military service. They spoke of their continued terror, feelings of helplessness and the downward spirals many of their lives have since taken.

Numbers reported by the Department of Defense show a sickening pattern. In 2006, 2,947 sexual assaults were reported -- 73% more than in 2004. The DOD's newest report, released this month, indicates that 2,688 reports were made in 2007, but a recent shift from calendar-year reporting to fiscal-year reporting makes comparisons with data from previous years much more difficult.


more: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-oe-harman31mar31,0,3129956.story

2004

Female GIs report rapes, assaults by fellow troops
Pentagon accused of foot-dragging

Eric Schmitt, New York Times

Thursday, February 26, 2004


(02-26) 04:00 PST Washington -- The U.S. military is facing the gravest accusations of sexual misconduct in years, with dozens of servicewomen in the Persian Gulf region and elsewhere saying they were sexually assaulted or raped by fellow service members, lawmakers and victims advocates said Wednesday.

There have been 112 reports of sexual misconduct over roughly the past 18 months in the Central Command area of operations, which includes Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, military officials said. The Army has reported 86 incidents, the Navy 12, the Air Force 8 and the Marine Corps 6.

(...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/26/MNGQN58L121.DTL

Female Soldiers Treated 'Lower Than Dirt'

By Rose Aguilar, AlterNet. July 14, 2006.


U.S. Army Specialist Suzanne Swift will spend her 22nd birthday tomorrow confined to the Fort Lewis base in Washington, where she is awaiting the outcome of an investigation into allegations that she was sexually harassed and assaulted by three sergeants in Iraq.

(...)

n 2003, Congress began requiring the Department of Defense to report the number of sexual assault cases on file. In 2005, military criminal investigators received 2,374 allegations of sexual assault involving members of the armed forces worldwide. "That number is a 40 percent increase from 2004. The '04 number is a 25 percent increase from 2003, so that's a 65 percent increase in two years. That's substantial," says Sanchez.

While there has been an increase in sexual assault in reports, Sanchez says there hasn't been an escalation in the number of prosecutions. "Of those cases, only two to three percent go to court-martial, and those who are convicted get only a year in jail."


http://www.alternet.org/story/38942/


From a series originally in the Denver Post in 2004.

"When she began to fight, he threatened to open up her crotch."

Nauseating:

Miles Moffeit and Amy Herdy | Denver Post | January 25, 2004

Female GIs Report Rapes in Iraq War
37 seek aid after alleging sex assaults by U.S. soldiers

(full stories at link)

She was stationed with her Fort Lewis, Wash., unit at Camp Udairi, about 15 miles from the Iraqi border, for training before deployment to Iraq. She had just finished guard duty at 2:30 a.m. and was stepping into the latrine on the edge of camp when she was hit on the back of her head and knocked unconscious, she said.

She recalled waking to a man raping her: He had tied her hands with cord, stuffed her underwear into her mouth and wrapped cord around her head, as well. He used a knife to slice off her clothes, cutting her in the process. She was blindfolded. When she began to fight, he threatened to cut open her crotch. He then hit her with an object between the eyes, again knocking her unconscious.

When she awoke, the man, who remains unidentified, had left. Danielle said she ran, naked, bleeding and gagging, into camp. A fellow soldier cut the cords binding her hands and mouth and put his coat around her before waking her commanders.

She was driven to an aid station, where a rape examination was performed. She received no other treatment for the injuries to her head, back and knees, she says. After the exam, a commander drove her to another camp, where she was allowed to stay. She was interviewed for about three hours, she said.

For the first few days, Danielle said, a fellow woman soldier from her old camp remained with her. Then the woman had to leave to resume training, and Danielle was left alone. Requests to see the chaplain were denied, and she was not given counseling for sexual trauma.

An investigator scheduled a polygraph exam for her but never followed through. "I was hysterical," she recalled. "There I am, all bruised up and beaten, and somebody in my chain of command wanted me to take a test."

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0125-08.htm

Senate Testimony to Armed Services Committee.
The Miles Foundation- 2004

http://armed-services.senate.gov/statemnt/2004/February/Hansen.pdf

[Odin2005]

119. Raped by her gynecologist? My God!

:puke:

[Kaleva]

116. The story has me confused because of this at the bottom:

"(I create the War Series -- mask and accompanying story -- to share the reality of war as I believe too many stories are not being told. The details in this story come from the story Brig. Col. Janis Karpinski shared with investigators regarding Abu Ghraib.)"

Is this a work of fiction but based on a story as told by Brig. Col. Karpinski?

[invictus]

120. kick