On January 28, 2009, Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA), chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, presided over the first of several hearings that will examine how the armed services handle cases of sexual assault. You can watch video of the first hearing on CSPAN.com, where you will hear the heart-wrenching testimony of Laura Watterson, former service member of the Air Force.


In researching this week's article, I looked all over Propeller for a post about the hearings, but didn't find any. What I did find, were lots and lots and lots of stories on the topic posted over the last few years. The Propeller community, it seems, is passionate about the issue of sexual assault in the military. To spotlight this longstanding concern, I have transformed this week's "Overlooked" into "Not Overlooked," and have solicited comments from a selection of users who posted and commented on the topic over the last two years.

berkeley

Story originally posted: "A Scandal Bigger than Walter Reed - The Rape, Assault and Harassment of Women in the Military"

Not simply is it a disgrace, but it is one that has been there for decades and been maintained by repeated official military cover-ups. The one recent event that came closest to getting coverage in the major media was the death of many women in Iraq from dehydration during the summer months. Because they were afraid to get up at night and have to walk outside to the bathroom for fear of being attacked by their fellow male soldiers, they didn't drink very much water in the afternoon or evening.

So officially, they died of dehydration. In fact they died because of the army culture of harassment and direct attack on female soldiers. Everyone in the military in Iraq knew this, and everyone knew nothing would be done about it.

What would make the military accountable? Severe consequences for any officer who failed to act against the men responsible for these crimes. Congressional hearings, with women telling their stories, would be a good first step.

TechnologyExpert

Story originally posted: "U.S. Military Sexual Assault Reports Spike by 24%"

I basically feel it does not get enough mainstream media attention. a) Some big story will come up, they will cover it, and it will vanish again. b) See a) :-) But also, I believe the military is a "good ol' boys network" that promotes or at least ignores that behavior. c) They should convene an overarching investigative committee to examine the issue. d) Well, Obama is the Commander in Chief....

Neophile

Story originally posted: "Rape in the Military: Congress Charges Cover-Up"

It is shameful that a woman is more likely to be sexually assaulted by a fellow service-member than killed by the enemy. It should give any woman considering serving her country pause. The military should stop trying to cover these cases up (obviously) and promote more women up through the ranks. Unfortunately, a better question would be, "How much interest does the military have in putting a stop to this?" Judging by their actions, it seems like they have little interest in that.

I am not sure what drew me to the story. I have always been concerned social justice I guess. I watch the Democracy Now! podcast every day while working ( http://www.democracynow.org ). It is likely that I first heard about this story there.

Please add to this important discussion so we can all attempt to understand why this happens, how it happens, and how it can be stopped. To read more Propeller stories on the topic, click here: Sexual Assault in the Military.