Senior NCO shares her tale of unreported sexual assault

  • Published
  • By Amy Abbott
  • 452 AMW
Because of the nature of the following story, the Beacon is protecting the name of the alleged victim. 

The Air Force's Sexual Assault Response Coordinator program wasn't in place in 1994 when a March Field senior noncommissioned officer said she was raped by a coworker. Instead, she kept quiet. 

"I truly believe that if we had a SARC I would have gone to them," she said. 

While a young senior airman stationed on active duty at March, she was asked out on a date by a technical sergeant. She met him at the bar, had two glasses of wine and they sat and talked. 

"We had a lot in common and shared many of the same interests. He said, 'I know you are very athletic and you watch sports and stuff, why don't you come back to my place and we watch a movie.'" 

She went. While there he began to make physical advances. "I said no and he said 'oh over to my place and not want to.' I went to get up to leave and he followed me to the door and tackled me - he just pulled my pants down and had his way with me. I was trying to fight him and saying no. I was crying the whole time." 

When her attacker fi nished, she ran home in tears. 

She decided not to go the base hospital, instead choosing a local community hospital where she sat for about six hours. A police offi cer and counselor were brought in and asked her to give names. She declined. 

"I have just seen so many times that it's always a woman's fault and I wasn't willing to do that. I was one of maybe two women out of 80 men in the squadron and I was afraid that it would turn against me. Ten years of active duty being in a predominately male arena; it had always been about drinking and sex. I love serving my country and I just felt that was the way it was and to have a career in the military you just had to accept it." 

Debora Monroe-Heaps, director of programs for the Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center, echoed the sergeant's sentiments, saying that oftentimes society immediately places the level of blame on the victim. 

"When a sex act occurs and there is no conesnt and some level of force used, the public says, 'gosh, you did something our parents told us not to do. You shouldn't have been there so you got what you deserve.' Statistically sexual assualt reports are truthful. Our system is so careful because sexual assault is such a serious crime. The system is too hard on (the victim), it is just too much," she said. 

According to the base's Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Debby Ross, the sergeant's story is all too common. 

"Sexual assault in the military has historically been underreported because of the fear and the shame involved," she said. "People come up to me all the time (saying) this happened fi ve years ago, this happened 10, 15 years ago." 

Mrs. Monroe-Heaps said a victim's silence is the perpetrator's number one weapon. Because of this, a rapist attacks nine to 15 times before they're caught and a child molester between 30 -60 times. The Air Force initiated the SARC program in 2005. According to the 452nd Air Mobility Wing Commander, Brig. Gen. James Melin, the initiative has a twofold purpose. The first is to insure that people who have a problem understand that they have someone who will listen to them. The second part is educating everyone to be a good wingman and to watch out for each other. 

"The Air Force has come a long way since I joined," said the now senior NCO. "I think it's phenomenal the avenues that we have in place to help people." 

What differentiates the program is it gives victims the option to make a restricted or unrestricted report. As per the Department of Defense, the SARC, as well as medical staff on base, have full legal authority to take a restricted report, which means the command is not notified and a legal investigation is not initiated. 

"The moment (victims) start making their own decision, the moment they decide to come in and talk to me, is part of the recovery process," said Ms. Ross. "If they want to concentrate on their own wellbeing, on their own recovery minus any investigation, that is their choice. I don't encourage anybody to do anything except get medical help and get in a safe place." 

Ms. Ross said that over half of the women that report sexual assault are fearful for their physical security and lives. The ability to not initiate an investigation lets the victim focus on their own recovery, she said. A victim has the option to make an unrestricted report later. 

"Since 2005, reports have increased because of the restrictive reporting - - because they (the victim) don't have to back themselves into a corner," Ms. Ross said. "The program is truly survivor centered. That's a huge, huge difference." 

Previously, specially trained individuals weren't available to assist someone who had been sexually assaulted. 

"You didn't have any reporting options," said General Melin. "If you as an individual felt that you were assaulted, the only avenue you had was to go to your commander or supervisor. For one, the supervisor or commander didn't have any place to go to get advice on what to do, the requirements, how to handle it and, two, they weren't particularly well qualified to deal with the emotional stress of the situation." 

The SARC is on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to take emergency calls. Ms. Ross said the first priority is to make sure the victim is safe and to check and see if they need any medical attention. The SARC is under no obligation to inform anybody or release any information. 

The next question asked is whether the victim would prefer a male or female victim advocate, a fully trained volunteer who stays with the person and assists in every step of the recovery process. This can include counseling, a forensic exam, the morning after pill -- whatever it is the person needs. March ARB has five victim advocates who
have attended 40 hours of mandated Air Force courses pertaining to the special duty. 

The SARC then offers the victim the choice of making a restricted or unrestricted report. If an unrestricted one is chosen, the command is notified and an investigation is initiated. If the choice is restricted, the victim is still offered help without notifying the command or beginning an investigation. 

Mrs. Monroe-Heaps said, sexual harassment is the most common form of assault in the workplace. A frequent type of this is quid pro quo, literally meaning something for something. She explained that in this scenario it somehow becomes a game for the victim and they feel coerced into doing it. The common repercussions are the creation of a hostile environment, making people uncomfortable and lowering employees' self-esteem. 

"It's not enough to treat someone after the fact," said Ms. Ross. "We want to do prevention and, for the Air Force, that means changing the culture." 

This summer the Air Force will establish new training to address sexual assault. The Air Force has also been pushing the Wingman program which encourages Airmen to look out for one another and speak up when they see something inappropriate or wrong. 

"I personally can't emphasize enough that I want people, regardless of what happened to them -- it doesn't just have to be sexual -- to be able to go to someone," said General Melin. "Start with the SARC, start with your commander, start with your first sergeant -- and say 'something happened to me.' That's a start." 

The SARC at March ARB, though specializing in sexual assault, also offers crisis intervention for various areas: mental health, domestic violence, suicide and gambling to name a few.