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Sexual Assault in the Military: A DoD Cover-Up?
There was quite a struggle in Congress this week. The Department of Defense refused to allow the senior civilian in charge of its Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) to testify in Thursday's hearing on sexual assault in the military. Rep. John Tierney, chair of the House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, angrily dismissed Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Michael Dominguez from the hearing when Dominguez said that he, the DoD chief of legislative affairs and the chief of public affairs, had ordered Dr. Kaye Whitley, chief of SAPRO, to refuse to honor the subpoena issued by the subcommittee for her appearance.
Full committee Chairman Henry Waxman called the DoD's decision to prevent Whitley from testifying "ridiculous and indicating DoD is covering something up." It could also place Whitley in contempt of Congress. Rep. Christopher Shays said the DoD's decision was "foolish."
One of the questions that would have been put to Whitley was why DoD had taken three years to name a 15-person civilian task force to look into allegations of sexual assault of military personnel. The panel was finally named early in 2008 but has yet to meet. She would have also been queried on the SAPRO program's failure to require key information from the military in order to evaluate the effectiveness of sexual assault prevention and response programs.
I spoke with Dr. Whitley in April 2007 and had asked for an appointment to bring to her office four military women who had been sexually assaulted and wanted to tell her in what ways the DoD programs to prevent sexual assault were not working. Whitley declined, saying she worked at the policy level, and steered me to the chief of the Army sexual assault program. I called the Army program's chief, who initially said she would talk to our group. However, when I mentioned that the mother of Army Spc. Suzanne Swift, who had been raped in Iraq, would be with us, she said she could not meet with anyone involved with an ongoing case. I replied that Swift's case was closed as far as the Army was concerned. Her rapist had not been prosecuted, and Swift ended up with a court-martial and 30 days of jail time because she had gone AWOL for her own protection when the Army would not move her out of the unit to which both she and her rapist were still assigned. In view of the fact that the Army chief of prevention of sexual assault refused to meet with any of the four women who had suggestions on how to improve prevention and reporting of sexual assault and rape, I'm not surprised that the DoD snubbed Congress over the same issue.
Rep. Elijah Cummings joined Rep. Waxman in speaking of cover-ups. Cummings raised the cases of military women who had been sexually assaulted before dying in "non-combat incidents." He spoke specifically about Army Pfc. LaVena Johnson, who was found beaten and dead of a gunshot wound at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in a burning tent owned by the contractor KBR. Her parents suspected that Johnson had been murdered and that the homicide was being covered up by the Army, which deemed the death a suicide. Cummings also spoke of Army Pfc. Tina Priest, who was raped at Taji, Iraq, and found dead 10 days later of a gunshot wound. After her family had measurements taken of her arms and of the angle of the bullet and found that she could not have pulled the trigger of her M-16 with her finger, the Army said she had pulled the trigger by using her toe. Cummings asked Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, chief of U.S. Army personnel, for assistance in getting all the documents the Army had on Johnson's death. Additionally, four House members have asked for congressional hearings on the deaths of military personnel who have been classified as suicides, among them LaVena Johnson.
The fireworks with DoD followed the dramatic testimony of Mary Lauterbach, the mother of murdered pregnant Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who had been raped in May 2007 at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Accused in the case is Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean. After the rape, several protective orders were issued to keep Laurean away from his victim. The burned body of Lauterbach and her unborn baby were found in a shallow grave in the backyard of Laurean's home in January 2008. Laurean fled to Mexico, where he was subsequently apprehended, and he now is awaiting extradition to the United States to stand trial. Lauterbach's mother explained in great detail the warning signs that Laurean was a danger to her daughter and claimed that all these signs were ignored by the Marine Corps.
Two other military women have been murdered near military bases in North Carolina in the past two months.
Red Cross employee Ingrid Torres told the subcommittee of being raped at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea by an Air Force flight doctor. She spoke of the difficulty she had obtaining medical and emotional treatment from the facility where the doctor still worked, and later from military facilities in other parts of the world where she was assigned.
Rep. Jane Harman cited Veterans Administration statistics that one in three women in the military has been sexually assaulted. She said the prosecution rate of those accused of raping fellow military service members is abysmally low. Of the 2,212 reported rapes in the military in 2007, only 8 percent of the cases ended in court-martial of the perpetrator, while the rate of prosecution in civilian courts is 40 percent.
Lt. Gen. Rochelle, the Army chief of personnel, reported the little known statistic that 12 percent of reported rapes in the military are of male military personnel.
Rep. Shays said he had no confidence in DoD or the military services and their policies of prevention of sexual assault, and asked how recruiting will fare when young women learn that one in three women is sexually assaulted and when young men find out that one in 10 men is raped while in the military.
Brenda Farrell, director of the Government Accountability Office, said that getting data on rape from the military services is difficult because there are no common definitions of terms for the services to use in such cases.
Farrell said the GAO believes rates of sexual assault currently used by DoD are low because many military personnel do not want to report what happened and suffer the gossip, harassment and stigma prevalent in units when confidential reporting is compromised. In a survey of 3,757 persons on 14 military installations, 103 said they had been sexually assaulted in the past year and had reported it, while 52 others said they did not report the sexual assault.
Several Congress members spoke of lack of leadership and accountability in stopping sexual assault. The same day as the sexual assault hearing, the Navy relieved two senior officers of the USS George Washington because of the injury to 23 sailors and $70 million in damage to the ship caused by a smoking violation. Imagine if commanders in units where rape occurred were relieved of command for the harmful actions of their subordinates. That would send a signal of zero tolerance of sexual assault, whereas in the current climate victims are intimidated and alleged perpetrators are given administrative punishment instead of court-martial.
Sexual violence against both female and male military personnel must stop. Let Congress know of your concern about sexual assault in our military. Call or e-mail members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees and members of the Oversight and Government Reform committees.
Ann Wright is a retired Army Reserve colonel and a 29-year veteran of the Army and Army Reserves. She was also a diplomat in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan and Mongolia. She resigned from the Department of State on March 19, 2003, in opposition to the Iraq war. She is the co-author of "Dissent: Voices of Conscience" (www.voicesofconscience.com).
Copyright © 2008 Truthdig, L.L.C.
28 Comments so far
Show AllBoys will be boys! I bet none of the supervisory military officers would want their sons or daughters in the situation so many other military personnel have faced. Maybe,if the DoD would "walk in the shoes of another", then maybe, they would take criminal assault seriously.
"...how recruiting will fare when young women learn that one in three women is sexually assaulted and when young men find out that one in 10 men is raped while in the military."
Who's going to tell them? The military? The media?
I haven't seen any such information on any military tv ads. It should be mandatory, just like all the side-effect caveats at the end of drug ads.
"You may notice adverse side-effects to military enlistment, like bleeding from rape trauma, feelings of utter helplessness and paranoia, followed by what will be described officially as your suicide."
When a systematic regime of torture (General Taguba's conclusion) is left to sham military tribunals and the people ordering it not held accountable, is it any wonder that similarly criminal activities (a systematic regime of rape) within the Army is dealt with with similar disdain? Zero tolerance is the only way to make torture and sexual assault become uncommon occurrences. Better still, get rid of the military. No grey here.
The situation is even worse for women working for private military contractors where justice seems even less likely.
http://tinyurl.com/48jr6w
"Rep. Jane Harman cited Veterans Administration statistics that one in three women in the military has been sexually assaulted. "
A statistic for Outrage!
Letter to Congress on the way. It is becoming a full time unpaid job communicating with my representatives. I wish they would just do their job that they get paid for.
My, my - Rep. Harman is concerned about such things. Harman - the warmonger neocon Democrap, yuk!
Once upon a time, Congress had power and knew how to use it.
Did anyone notice the scene in "Charlie Wilson's War" where he wants answers on what's going on in Pakistan, and he threatens to cut money every day from the budget until he gets it. The CIA guy is in his office by 10 am to talk to him.
That's how to handle this. You don't BS around with contempt charges. Instead, they call Sec. Gates personally and say this ....
"Every day of delay before Dr. Whitley testifies before my committee means $10 billion gets cut off the overall DoD budget."
Do that, and be willing to back it up, and I'd bet Dr. Whitley is there by 10 am.
and asked how recruiting will fare when young women learn that one in three women is sexually assaulted and when young men find out that one in 10 men is raped while in the military.
If I , a rationally-thinking female recruit surmised my possible fate when surrounded by ten , twenty , thirty...MALE "admiring eyes" who ,state-side, would be admiring spouses , girlfriends , fiances , kids... and whose punishment for "enhanced admiration" goes unpunished,unreported , I would weigh that fate against the alternative of perpetual poverty or the risk of being labelled unpatriotic and then politely shun the recruitment centres.
As with most "diseases" the Sexual-Assault-in-the-Military syndrome is going to have to approach HIV/AIDS proportions before there is a mass movement against the military in general.
Americans just don't care;it's understandable;it's the "just say no" to socialism slip that's showing.
In the mean time , a lotta lt.-and-under-ladies will die.
typical- this committee, not unlike other committees is shut out with wonderful excuses.
typical- the governmental systemic impotence is kept covered.
typical- the abusers shift the blame to the victims.
typical- justice in the courts is profaned daily.
break the traditional. vote Nader
wild
Ann Wright is correct in every facet of her article.
This is a disgrace for the service's, but even more so for military leadership. Heads should roll and some careers should be wrecked because many senior officers forgot their prime directive. Protect theier troops. Not the service, not the officer corp and damn sure not the government.
The DOD needs a good house cleaning anyway. Why not start now?
Citizenbolog said: "When a systematic regime of torture (General Taguba's conclusion) is left to sham military tribunals and the people ordering it not held accountable, is it any wonder that similarly criminal activities (a systematic regime of rape) within the Army is dealt with with similar disdain? Zero tolerance is the only way to make torture and sexual assault become uncommon occurrences."
Exactly right! Either you have the Rule of Law or you don't. Either officials are held accountable or they aren't. Either the Congress does its job or it doesn't. Pretty clear cut.
So, as citizens we also have a job. Either we hold our elected officials accountable or we don't. Either we speak up or we don't. Either we vote on principle or we don't. Pretty clear cut really.
"One of the questions that would have been put to Whitley was why DoD had taken three years to name a 15-person civilian task force to look into allegations of sexual assault of military personnel."
Well, it probably took them 3 years to figure out how to get around these allegations and/or destroy any evidence that would convict these misfits.
Rebel Farmer August 4th, 2008 5:22 pm &
Citizenbolog
"Exactly right! Either you have the Rule of Law or you don't. Either officials are held accountable or they aren't. Either the Congress does its job or it doesn't. Pretty clear cut."
Well said!
Citizens For Ethics and Responsibility in Washington Releases Report Honoring "Those Who Dared"
On July 16, CREW released a report titled "Those Who Dared: 30 Officials Who Stood Up for Our Country." Offering a more optimistic view of Washington, the report tells the tales of thirty brave individuals who have acted and spoken out against unethical and dishonorable conduct in the Bush administration. The report is the culmination of the review of hundreds of news articles, inspector general reports, and congressional reports. The impact of the individual's actions, the risk involved, and the changes that resulted were also taken into consideration in the decision making process. Some of those included in the report, such as Glenn Fine of the Department of Justice and John Higgins at the Department of Education acted to check agency-wide corruption, misconduct, and undue political influence. Other individuals are included because of a single act of courage, like Army Specialist Joseph Darby who was responsible for turning over the picture of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib to authorities. Other honorees include Inspector General Earl Devaney, Dr. James Hansen of NASA, and U.S. Army Major General Antonio Taguba.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/33317
This has been going on forever. When I was a young PFC back in the 1950's the women who were then called WACS were considered something less than trailer court trash and the fact that it continues today is a tribute to the military mind. The 4 star generals who set the pace are usually tough old birds of the paternalistic order who don't take kindly to anyone telling them how to treat women folk; after all, its their property.
It is slowly changing; the rhetoric has certainly changed, but when women are being raped and murdered on a regular basis it is clear that the Department of Defense is largely responsible. I few well publicized castrations would cool the ardor of these cowardly military bastards.
Years ago I said to a group of women - all of whom had children, boys and girls - that the rate of violence in this world would be greatly reduced if at birth males had one testicle removed. Anticipating anger from the mothers of boys - they surprised me by saying (to a woman) "why stop at one?" (I like millions of women had MY ovaries removed at some doctor's whim - I didn't know better - so don't start with the charges of male bashing.)
As a gender, males are dangerous to society.
In the Iliad rape was part of the spoils of war. You conquer your enemies and take the women as concubines.
These days we try to claim war is "civilized," that there are rules for it.
Its like compassionate slaughterhouses, a contradiction in terms.
Removing a testicle probably would be a good idea.
Testosterone is a very bad thing.
Not being facetious either.
As a male I know its bad.
demonic males....
A military that doesn't have the discipline to generally control rape, probably can't control any other aspect of it's conduct. Fire a few high ranking officers for failure to control rape. Assign squads to look out for each other. Be sure to make it a point of promotion that all members of a squad must succeed or no promotion for any member.
Also allow gays in the military and have one set of rules for behavior for everybody. Perhaps then you would have a moral and legal support for everybody.
As for the perverts who want to mutilate approximately half of the population because of the behavior of a minority of males - GET HELP IMMEDIATELY. Not every male looks at females as merely life support for sex toys even if a certain number of females act like that is all they are. Think Madonna, Paris, the Spears females.
kelmer said "In the Iliad rape was part of the spoils of war. You conquer your enemies and take the women as concubines."
Iliad? No need to look to the Greeks. They aren't the cultural bedrock of our nation. Take a look at the Bible which has more of that kind of stuff, and worse, than anyone ought to be able to stand or even read, much less venerate.
What ever happened to the .45 ACP?
What's rape, if you're already killing for a paycheck.
Why these girls don't nuzzle up to these guys with their M9 Beretttas and splatter their brains across the tent walls I do not know.
Or more seriously, why the other soldiers in these units don't hold the rapist down and drive a nail through one of his testicles is way beyond me.
They Have Poor Values. Came Frome Broken Homes Maybe.
I agree with the other writer they are rapists....Unless couple of them are killed they don't stop.
Sexually harassed and assaulted I left Iraq marred in confusion.
Colonel Ann Wright.....I forwarded your previous writing to Commondremas.com to repeated members of the military including Sec of the Army, General Lacquement, Commander of US Intelligence and Security Command and his legal counsel, Col Dupont. DODIG, Mr. Leo Fitzharris....
I was a female linguist, Iranian by birth, who was assaulted in a camp north of Baghdad. I finally had it; March 17 I complained. March 18 I was fired based on lies and misconstrued facts of I being a poor performer which included a fraud counseling...I did not know how to translate etc.
MSG Spiller, today SM, in charge of the unit that I worked for and a linguist came out in my support. A female Captain by the name Shawnette Rochelle whose father is a General Michael Rochelle, cooperated with the MPs...Later she asked CID to investigate allegations of sexual harassment and assault in my case…..On April 8, 2006 her side kick said it was not us, had nothing to do with us it was the MPs, MSG Filer told us…She meant my being fired and lies...
Before I left the MPs had CWO White, Abdullah and Sgt Sanchez to tell me don't bad mouth the Army.
I forgot and told Major Sperry, TF 134, in a respectable fashion, about the CSM....Four days later I signed the first letter of reprimand.....Shortly after Major Jenkins (I was not an employee of any unit...The MPs in Ashraf, 49MP BN, were not allowing my reassignment) fabricated that I was assigned to numerous units of military every where I went I was a poor performer....I was counseled...units across Iraq refused me. This information was not known to me until June 2008 when General Lacquement moved by my plight ordered FOIA/Privacy office to release what L3 put into my records.
I was shocked to know that L3 knowingly and maliciously collaborated with Major Jenkins in telling lies. Two weeks ago I found out L3 altered my employment records i.e. having had my signature on a positive assessment, Jan 2006, they some how attached it to a Jan 31 counseling which was a fraud.
Over a year ago Senator Kennedy's office in Boston resumed advocating for me...CID and DODIG got involved...Yet despite overwhelming body of evidence showing military and L3 (on the account of military) collaborated causing substantial damage to my employment records and my person…… I am not sure if they restore justice to me by clearing my records.
Not that the MPs harassed and assaulted me they also had L3 to file an unfavorable JPAS report about me.
First round of investigation…CID said well her feelings were hurt! Wow! I was sexually harassed, which was daily and ongoing. I was subject of indecent (observed and video taped) and actual sexual assault yet my feelings were hurt…You are correct the threshold of proof in relation to sexual harassment and assault in the military is so low that even death resultant of sexual assault does not qualify as sexual assault…..
____________________________________________________________________
Talking about "Red Barrons" and "Rouge elephants"
Titan-L3 site manager, Adrian Frane, told me go play volleyball, stay out of the site of military, lay low as long as you get paid we get paid. I said Adrian is this ethical.
Colonel Jones, Commander of Iron Horse, inflamed told me I had it with Titan they shove too many linguists into the throat of military….I have an obligation towards tax payers…
Adrian Fran was hiding two female linguists in his office; located in camp Iron Horse in Dialeh…..They were doing office work for L3. At a price tag of $180,000 a year and bonuses compliment of tax payers L3 had two female doing may be an hour a day office work-even if that. Commander Jones found out….
Col Wright....I have actual account of sex orgies held by male military in Iraq....In one case a female civlian linguist by the name N_________ was subject of a three some by Major P______ and Sgt F__________This would be slander except it is true. The Sgt bragged to LTC heading a unit of MTT stationed in Normandy, the Sgt was from Anaconda.
He wrote, last week we had a three some orgy N_____, Major P_____ and me.
The LTC wrote tell me more about N_____. Is she as good as you say she was. How old is she and how she looks like.
Sgt Wrote back....Our linguist N_______ is hot and she likes to see you.
The LTC bragging about his bisexuality wrote I finally met with A_____, the Armenian Lady. She wasn't half as good as you say she was. Here the LTC described the Armenian layd in a vulgar fashion in the context of her body part and her performance. The LTC wrote After I was done with her I passed her to ______. He spent half a day with her (vulgar reference). He was animated....more vulgar language.
The latter person was the descendent of the embattled general of the "Battle of Little Big Horn."
This person was connected to camp that I was in. Upon arrival I resumed investigating issues of the camp that I was in. I discovered another problem within the military......misguided characters in the military brag about scenarios about female persons. For example, this LTC spread rumors that on a March 5, 2006 he entered my room in Ashraf for the purpose of ill conduct.
In a vulgar fashion he gave the account of a fraud encounter.
He bad mouthed me more than the others....He referenced me as this was no ordinary linguist she thought too much of her little brain. He labled using vulgar words. He described me as a WACKO.
He described his body part.......
In response Sgt f________wrote back...You should have "Descendent" to give her (meaning I) a try...
Not that I was harassed and assaulted when I stood up the fired me...They went after me half way across Iraq...
Mary Dean
shakker writes "Not every male looks at females as merely life support for sex toys even if a certain number of females act like that is all they are. Think Madonna, Paris, the Spears females."
Ok. That's 4 females.
I stand by my earlier comments, comments obviously supported by others.
I forgot to write...The person who assaulted me two years earlier a female made allegations of sexual assault by him. CID investigated him....apparently he was cleared.
A female soldier by the name Robio, 49MP BN, was being harassed by Marines.....The MPs throw her to Anaconda.
I saw her in Anaconda she said they harass and assault us yet we get thrown out.
The camp that I was in I was grabbed, unepxectdly kissed, touched and propositioned. One of the person's who unexpectedly followed and put a kiss on my face was CSM Paul George.
He was caught on video tape behaving improper which was indecent sexual assault.....Yet not one saw...no one was looking..A soldier by the name Sanchez who told me he had everything taped turned in a version which did not contained any scene of indecent sexual assault...
Some times after the event I was assaulted....
CID tells me in your culture and our culture....As though I was raised in a monestary in Tibelt.
My hope for any measure of justice is indecent sexual assault which took place in front of audiences......Yet they are telling me it is normal for a CSM to grabb a female civilian's arm from behind and engage in sudden and vulgar gesture and conduct in front of soldiers...
Then I take culture of the Islamic Republic where who sexually harass and assault a woman get punished promptly over the "Our culture," as CID said.
One of the writers said why don't these females draw their M16 or 9mm and kill them...They don't get the chance. Inside camps guns do not have magazine....On the road you are surrounded by male military.
I was told how come you did not slap the CSM....I was a civilian and unarmed. I had never faced such scenario...I did not know how to deal with the whole thing except by pulling away.
I wanted to look respectable......I never had an experience as such..
Betty from L3 HR said if you would have said anything they would have taken you into deserted area put a bullet behind your head claiming insurgent did it.
When these bloody characters ganged up on me, the first to have turned against me were females of the battalion. I didn't get it they were females yet they approved of colleauges assaulting me...
"When these bloody characters ganged up on me, the first to have turned against me were females of the battalion. I didn't get it they were females yet they approved of colleauges assaulting me…"
They would have suffered severe consequences (sexual harrassment, rape, murder) had they supported you.
It has also been reported that females in Iraq are dying of dehydration because they are afraid to leave their tents at night to go to the latrines for fear of sexual assault and rape.
This has been a part of EVERY WAR since the first ones thousands of years ago. What the hell do people think war IS, other than legalized murder and rape? War is the ultimate obscenity and every human being knows this, yet still allow "leaders" to take them to war. The purpose of war is to steal from others. Period.
I have my own ax to grind with the Army; and that is one of the systemic 'good old boy' network of the ringknockers from West Point. However, I want to see justice for the women who have died under questionable circumstances. This issue goes beyond political correctness of race, sexual orientation and gender. This is about 'justice for all'.
Please; what can I do?
These men who rape women in the military. Look out for them when they get out. Are they going to stop? No way. They are sex offenders, just as much as any other sex offender is. They go unpunished in the military, and then they are turned loose on society when they return. I am a nurse at the North Dakota State Hospital. Part of our hospital houses a large number of sex offenders. They are sent to the hospital after they have served their time in prison for whatever their offense was. They then have to go through several steps in a rehabilitation program before they can be released into society. Most of them will never make it, as there is a very low rate of success in the treatment of sex offenders overall. It is criminal that our government is letting these guys get by with rape, and then turning them back into a society that doesn't even know what they have done. So, when eventually one of these guys rapes your daughter, wife, mother or YOU, you have nobody to thank but UNCLE SAM.
A vast majority of these perps are minority. The vast majority of the victims are white women. Many of you are making negative commments on the conduct of a minority.
Once you see the statistics, you will see it is definitely overwhelming minority on white. The other problem is that minority males, especially blacks, have proven themselves for over two hundred years to be extremely loyal and excellent combatants to the USA and even when fighting for the confederacy.
The other message is that the military may not want women to join.
Mamabear...I suffered much more that evening yet my hope for any measure of justice was the following scene which was video taped:
CSM George caressed both my arms from behind. He grabbed me from behind with his slanted body shoved under my behind he pulled me towrds his groin area for an intimate rub. At this point soldiers were jumping up and down stomping their feet....He was seen to be ripping his shirt attempting to take it off...He muttered provocative words to me, very loud. As I was trying to walk away he followed me and put a kiss on my face saying, I will see you later...
See me later he did...
There were preludes of excessive flattery and approaches and follow ups to these events which public in Ashraf including select AF and Navy visitors saw...
Here is my phone number and email address for those who want to contact me.
509 293 6576 farsi.lady@yahoo.com
I have an ongoign case with the militry. If they can recover the tape of that evening I can get justice in a small measure i.e. for indecent sexual assault although I suffered more. Yet some justice is better than no justice.
They also destroyed my employment records which DODIG says they are looking into it. Sy Hersh,New Yorker said, Mary they dosh.....for you..... Run from them..
I have been looking for an avenue to put them in front of the public. Unfortunately, newspapers do not touch these topics unless they know there is a conviction and they are forced to publish it.
I welcome anyone who wants to assist me.
If they let these men go scott free (there was another person who harassed and assaulted me)and refuse to correct my employment records I file a suit against the US Army on the question of civil right violation. I am told there is a small window of opportunity to that end. I try to have my case heard in a lower court....if I dont get any where I approach the SC....
I am not sure how to get around all of these, but I sure intend to do it.
In response to tolerancenow.....May be so, yet this does not mean that women should be harassed, assaulted....
49MP BN had a female soldier by the name Robio she was a young lady about 22. Ironically she was part of the protective force of the same CSM...When they throw me out of the camp, this was after I complained, I saw Robio in Anaconda. I asked what she was doing there. She said Marines were harassing me and they throw me over here. She said they made up stories about me.....
I often wonder if she told me the entire story....After all the CSM who once before was investigated she rode in the same humvee...
This CSM has been married 4 times.
Ken Shaw...You wrote that the women of the battalion would have suffered rape if they were to support me. These women wanted to cut my head off, leave alone support.
I would like to believe that their show of discreet compassion would have cost their lives- I am sorry I don't buy that.
FRankly, I was approached repeatedly. I spent 4 weeks in Abu G during which time 4 AF and 2 private interrogators approached me for sex.
Short stop in Iron horse I faced an out of line KBR contractor.....
The only people who truly were respectful were third country national.
I was not an slovenly woman as a matter of fact well spoken which comes from my love of reading and knowing about what goes around me (and classic education obviously, highly athletic I came across very professional and tastefully, simple, and conservetively attired even in the midst of war.
No one ever heard me to converse about what was not related to work or the conduct of war. How on earth I fell into this I have yet to figure out.
I did nothing absolutely nothing to deserve or have caused this.