[patriotic music]
- Today, the latest weapons,
Coupled with the fighting skill
of the american soldier,
Stand ready on the alert
all over the world
To defend this country,
You, the american people,
against aggression.
This is the big picture.
Now, to show you part
of the big picture,
Here is sergeant stuart queen.
- The privilege of serving
the United States in uniform
Is no longer limited
to men.
[patriotic music]
- The value placed by
the women's army corps
On meticulous grooming
and feminine grace
Is one of the first lessons
learned by the recruit.
- There were demands
that would require of her
Perfect physical health
and stamina.
- Cadence count.
All: One, two, three, four.
One, two-
three, four!
- I'm sure you've all heard
the saying,
"there's a right way,
a wrong way, and the army way."
[the women's army corps'
duty ]
- # duty is calling
you and me #
# we have a date
with destiny #
# ready
# the wacs are ready
# their pulse is steady
# the world to set free
# service
# we're in it heart and soul
# victory
is our only goal #
[fading, airplane whooshing]
- # we're looking for
computer specialists #
- # lab technicians
- # plumbers
- # carpenters
- # electricians
- # art illustrators
# statisticians
- # air controllers
- # security police
- # auto mechanics
- # fire chiefs
# look up
# we look up
here in the air force #
- 212, radar contact.
Turn right heading 150.
- With a fogbound
helicopter hanging
On your every word,
It doesn't matter whether
you're a man or a woman,
Only that you're good.
- Coming up slowly.
- # be all that you can be
- Thanks for your help.
- Roger.
- # 'cause we need you
in the army #
- I'm flying a helicopter
right now.
- Don't second-guess
yourself.
- It's a lot of work,
but it's totally worth it.
- I would just always see
the movies of the military,
And I just knew
that was me.
That's what I wanted to do.
It's what I wanted to be.
There was a-a waiting list
for the navy, over a year.
And I knew I didn't
wanna wait that long,
So, um, I had a friend
tell me about the coast guard.
And I went to the coast guard
and they said
That they could get me in
within a month, so-
I said, "okay, ship me off."
- I tried college and, um-
I had a good job at a vineyard
in east texas.
I had bought my own
little house.
And the military was something
I always wanted to do.
I come from
a military family.
I always taught that
it's every citizen's duty
To join the military.
If you can, you should.
And so I wanted
to go ahead and join,
And start a career.
- I joined the air force.
I was 17 years old.
I had a boyfriend
that encouraged me to go in.
So that's what I did.
My mom signed,
gave me permission to go.
- When I was in high school,
I was impressed
With the marines
that I had met.
There used to be
a lieutenant colonel
That used to run laps around
the track
After soccer practice.
And he said, "you'd be
perfect for the marine corps,
"'cause you're really fit
and smart.
And that's what
the marine corps needs."
The professionalism,
the camaraderie,
Everything about it
inspired me.
- After I graduated
high school,
I left for orlando, florida,
which was
The first time I was ever
on an airplane in my life.
[chuckles]
Initially it was just
wanting to go see the world,
'cause I'm from
a really small town.
I had a college scholarship
to go play basketball,
But I instead opted to go
into the military.
You know, it's what
I chose to do.
- I come from a long line
of military lineage.
Somebody from every generation
on both sides of the family,
All the way back
to the revolutionary war,
Had served
in the armed forces.
I chose the marine corps
because
No one in my family
had ever done it.
- I love putting on
a uniform every day
And, you know,
just getting out there
And giving it my all,
and-
It's a very proud feeling.
All: 1, 1,000, 2, 1,000,
All: He's a piece...
- I would have done boot camp
over and over again.
It was great,
the camaraderie, the discipline.
Everything it taught you-
Who I wanted to be,
That's what
they taught you there.
- Obviously it was different
taking a shower
With 80 different people
all of the sudden,
'cause I was pretty shy.
Um, but, just a great
experience.
I was a 4-"o" sailor.
Every single report
done on me was,
"excellent, great."
I knew what I needed to do
in my job.
I was a great team leader.
- I really enjoyed
the whole challenge of it.
I got several different
awards and kudos.
It was mainly men.
I loved that I could
blend in,
And keep up with the guys,
and work as hard as I did.
[cheers and applause]
- The naval academy
was challenging.
The education
was top-notch.
My senior year
I was selected to be
One of the top 30
leadership positions
By the company-grade
officers there.
- After basic,
I went to
Naval security group,
adak, alaska.
I remember getting there,
you know,
Issued a parka.
Got set up in my room,
and then he
Took me to the "bar,"
which was in our barracks
And set down at a table
where it was me
And about ten other guys.
And, you know, kinda
felt like a piece of meat
On a slab,
at that point.
And I never wanted
to turn around and leave
So much in my life,
but I couldn't.
- Hi, mama.
- You go.
You go get it this time.
- Okay.
- Get him. Get him.
- [excited babbling]
- Hey, you give me
that ball.
- Roller derby style,
get him.
- No, I got it.
[giggling]
- I met kori December 17th
of 2007.
I was on watch when
she got to the station.
And, uh, she kinda just
blew me away when she walked in.
- Cookies, right?
Is that what you ordered?
Okay, thank you.
- The command told us
that she was coming,
And there were some issues.
But we didn't-
none of the crew knew
Exactly what had happened.
And I didn't find out, um,
for a long time.
- The heart, for mommy.
Where's the heart?
He loved his job.
And it's kinda like
he gave it up for me.
- She loved the coast guard
more than I did.
She wanted to make it
a career.
But seeing how
they treated her,
I, uh, I didn't wanna
stay in.
I did it and then I did
my extra year and I got out.
I could believe what
had happened to her
And what she had
went through.
- I was stationed
in saginaw river, michigan.
I was the only female
in my section.
I had a supervisor.
It got to the place where
I'd get calls
At 3:00 in the morning
and he'd be drunk at a bar,
Telling me
to come get him.
And I'm like,
"I can't, I'm in bed."
And he would then
threaten me.
I'd walk in from training
and he'd be
Sleeping in my bed.
When we went to
one of the higher-ups,
The chain of command,
They were all, like,
his-his drinking buddy,
And they told me just 'cause
I didn't like somebody
They weren't gonna switch me
away from this guy.
It was in the evening
around taps,
And he had unlocked the door,
and he had come in.
And he had an erection
and he
Tried to get me
to touch him.
And I took my right hand
and I pushed him in the chest.
And started to yell
for the other guys
To kinda hear me-
"hey, hey, hey."
Um, he hit me across
the left side of my face.
I remember holding
the closet thinking,
"what just happened?"
And my face hurt so bad.
[crying]
And when we went
to the command about it,
Me and this petty officer
who saw my face,
They just-
they let it wait,
'cause they didn't want
any kind of problems going on.
A couple weeks later,
I needed the key
To do my clean-up.
So I knocked on his door
and he said,
"okay, yeah, come on in here.
It's in here."
And I said, "no, no, no,
I'm gonna wait out here."
And he screamed at me
and he made me come in.
And he grabbed my arm.
[crying]
And he raped me
in his berthing area.
- Everything came
to a complete change
The day that I was raped.
- I got there in February.
Um, by April, I was drugged
and raped for the first time.
- I had, like, a cold
or pneumonia-like symptoms,
And so they sent me
to get checked out.
And while I was waiting
to be examined,
He came in
and he helped himself.
- He said he was
going to the bathroom,
And he came into my room
and-
And that's when he raped me.
- The entire time,
I was screaming
And yelling for help
and for him to stop.
Nobody came to the door.
Nobody came to help me,
came to my rescue, or anything.
- They made it very,
very clear
That if I said anything,
They were going
to kill me.
Um, you know,
and then of course,
I didn't have anyone
to go talk to,
Because the people
that were perpetrating me
Were the police.
- It was my first time ever.
And it-
I've had a tough time
Convincing myself
that I'm still a virgin.
- If this happening to me,
you know,
I can only-
surely I'm not the only one.
In which I found out later,
Going through
the claims process,
That I wasn't.
- It's just after 3:00 a.M.
I see shadow of a human head
over my body.
- Next think you know, like,
I wake up.
And, like,
he's on top of me.
- He pushed my legs apart
and put himself on top of me
And started pulling
at my shirt.
- And I wake up and that-
he's on top of me.
He's already penetrated me.
- I was drugged.
I remember the sounds,
the smell.
- He put his locked
and loaded.45
At the base of my skull,
Engaged the bolt
so that I knew
There was a round chambered.
- All I could do was continue
to concentrate on breathing.
- He slammed my head
against the concrete wall,
And, um, very forcefully
had sex with me.
- I just went to my tent,
pulled a sleeping bag
Over my head,
and cried myself to sleep.
- So, within the two week
period,
He raped me five times.
- When we got tested,
I had trich and,
uh, gonorrhea.
And I was pregnant.
- He did.
He raped me.
- In 1991,
in congressional testimony,
It was estimated that
Had been sexually assaulted
so far
In the u.S. Military.
If you take into account
that women don't report,
Because of the extreme
retaliation.
And that was, you know,
more than a decade ago.
Um, I would say you could
easily double that number
And it's probably somewhere
near about 500,000 women
Have now been sexually
assaulted in the u.S. Military.
- Well, according to
the department of defense,
reported assault
In the last fiscal year,
fiscal year of 2009.
But they also admit,
d.O.D. Itself,
That 80% of sexual assault
survivors do not report.
So if you do the math,
were assaulted,
Which is an extraordinary
number.
[pills rattling]
- We have more
in the cars, rob.
There's some in here too.
This all was prescribed in
the last three to four months.
This is paroxetine.
This is seroquel.
Citalopram.
This is xanax.
I'm tired of taking
all these meds.
I just want the v.A.
To fix my jaw.
I was having the most
horrible pain in my face.
But I went to the dentist,
'cause I thought
It was my teeth,
or something was wrong.
The doctor came in
after the x-rays
And asked me if I'd been
in a car accident.
When he hit me my face,
He dislocated my jaw,
And sent both of my discs
forward in my face.
So I don't have any discs
where they should be in my face.
They told me
I'd probably need
A partial bone replacement
From where my bone had been
laying on my nerves for so long,
It's starting
to actually disintegrate.
I've been on a soft diet
for five years now.
I can't eat the foods
that I used to eat.
Everything
is mashed potatoes, jell-o.
- Whoo!
- Ready.
- Well, I can go out
during the summertime,
Springtime if it's warm.
If it's too cold outside,
It's usually just rob and shea
go outside.
When it's really cold,
it's, like,
My jaw will just lock up.
I just stand,
watch from the window,
And hear about the stories
when they come in.
- We are sorry, but due
to a large volume of calls,
And unusually long
wait times,
Counselors are unable to answer
your call at this time.
- Please stay on the line,
as calls will be answered
In the order received.
[on hold music]
- 15 minutes could save you
hundreds on car insurance.
- It's a st. Louis
holiday tradition.
[mouthing along]
- # been away for awhile now
# you got me feeling
like a child now #
- Hey, this is stan.
- Hi, stan, I just wanted
to check
That status of my v.A. Claim.
- There's still
no final decision on it yet.
- Okay, it's-
- looks like it's about
A year old now.
- Yes, it is.
Um, okay,
it's still pending?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Did it say what status
it was in?
- Well, it looks like
they've gathered
All the information
that they, um, need.
But it still hasn't moved
to the arraigning board yet.
- Okay.
- Thank you for calling, ma'am.
You have a good day.
- You too, thank you.
This is the stuff they
prescribed me for migraines,
Even though
I don't have migraines.
So I was looking online
and there's actually
Other vets at the age
of, like, 25, and they just-
They would actually
just die
Because their body
wasn't processing.
'cause the mixture
of the seroquel,
The gabapentin,
the, um-
Some kind of anxiety,
which was the xanax,
And there was
something else-
And an antidepressant.
The mixtures of that stuff,
which is everything
I have here,
that other vets were taking
And they have died.
- Hey, baby girl.
Hey, hey.
- Ah, sit.
- Sit, sit.
Can you sit, baby?
Both my dad an my brother
are prior navy
And now army national guard.
And it's kinda like
it follows in the family
And follows the footsteps.
I was excited and completely
just hyped up about going.
And all my family
was proud of me.
My dad is my biggest hero.
- I told her, I said,
"you're gonna be taken care of."
And I guess that's
one of the hard things
That I have to accept,
because I told her
That she would be-
It was in February.
We got a call.
- Once he was done,
He rubbed his hand all over
my entire body.
And told me-he said,
"I own all of this."
And I was just
absolutely scared,
Didn't know what to do.
I called my dad.
- One of the first things
she said is,
"dad, I'm no longer
a virgin."
And, uh-
[crying]
I said, "what happened?"
- She said, "I was raped."
- And I said,
"hannah, you're a virgin.
"because he took something
from you
That you didn't give."
[crying]
I said, "so don't ever
think you're not."
- My main nerve in my spine
was pinched in three places
And my hips were rotated.
I could barely walk.
I had collapsed due
to muscle spasms in my back,
Because my back was injured
during the rape.
- My title is director
of military plans
And personnel policy
for the navy.
We have specifically trained
judge advocates,
Our navy lawyers,
and our naval criminal
Investigative service.
Those investigators,
they're all specifically trained
In sexual assault.
Any report
of a sexual assault
Is fully investigated
in the United States navy.
- They didn't
take care of it.
For a year and a half,
They were
tracking down witnesses.
They had
all these students there.
And they could have
locked 'em down
And said, "hey, you're on
legal hold
Until get this statement."
and they didn't.
Hannah went through
three investigators.
It was like,
"okay, I'm given this case."
That's what
it sort of felt like.
"oh, all right,
I'm given this case.
"I gotta take care of it.
"oh, well, this is an e-1.
I really don't have the time
to deal with it."
- Females would come up
to their commanders
Or their n.C.O.S and say
that they were
Either sexually assaulted
or abused.
And I don't think
it was taken seriously.
I think a lot of times a cursory
investigation was done,
And they were basically told
to just suck it up.
- I remember bringing in
a young service member
Who had been brutally raped.
And bringing her in
to see her command.
And trying to make sure
that this young girl
Was taken care of properly.
And this idiot-
[chuckles]
This idiot chewed her out
for crying.
He told her to stop crying
over spilt milk.
- A lot of times
the credibility of the witness
Was called into account.
Had the potential victim,
had she made
Claims like this
in the past?
There was a lot
of witch-hunting going on.
- I was ordered to advise
a victim
Of her rights
for false statement
When I knew that
she wasn't lying.
I asked to bring her in
and advise her of her rights,
Like a criminal,
and interrogate her
For false statement.
Quote, unquote, "until I got
the truth out of her."
If a woman makes
a rape complaint,
There are always people
asking
What she was doing there,
what she was wearing,
Whether she had
a boyfriend or not.
- If rape cases came in,
they were never given to women.
Um, the men always took care
of those.
- Why's that?
- Because we were
too sympathetic.
- Is that what
they said to you?
- Mm-hmm.
We didn't-
We couldn't see
what was really going on,
Because we always
took the woman's side.
- I was told I should have
been a social worker.
I had no business being
in the police field.
There was a lot
of resistance there, uh-
Toward the idea that
victim's should be
Afforded some kind
of sensitivity.
It was-it was almost
a laughing matter.
- We have given
specific training
And continual training
to our n.C.I.S.,
Navy criminal
investigative service,
Those investigators,
on how best to, um,
Respond and to investigate
those crimes.
- They told me they lost
my rape kit, and my-
My nurse examiner's report,
And the pictures
from the bruisings on my-
From the bruising
on my arm.
- They lost these things?
- That's what they told me.
They had told me
that they had lost 'em.
And me being me,
I decided
To do a little digging
of my own.
And I spoke with
n.C.I.S. Headquarters
In washington d.C.
And they have
all the evidence.
- So what does this mean?
- Because the case
is already closed,
There's nothing
they can do.
[door buzzes]
- What we hear again and again
from soldiers
Who have been raped
is that as bad
As it was being raped,
what was as bad,
If not worse,
was to receive
Professional retaliation
In their chosen career
Merely because
they were raped.
- When you report something,
You better be prepared
for the repercussions.
- If a man gets accused
of rape, it's a setup.
The woman's lying.
- I could choose
to report it,
But if I wasn't,
you know-
If they found out
that what I was saying
Wasn't to be truthful,
then I would be reduced in rank.
- You could your rate.
You could lose rank.
You could lose your school
if you file a false report.
So do you wanna
file a report?
[laughs]
- Even with the rape kit
and everything,
And-and-my friend
catching him raping me,
They still don't believe me.
- I reported it two different
times to my squad leader.
And he told me that there is
nothing he can do about it,
'cause I didn't have
any proof.
- They actually did
charge me with adultery.
I wasn't married,
he was.
- They took me before
my lieutenant commander.
He says,
"you think this is funny?"
And I said,
"what do you mean?"
He's like, "is this all
a joke to you?"
I was like,
"what do you mean?"
And he goes,
"you're the third girl
"to report rape this week.
"are you guys, like,
all in cahoots?
Do you think
this is a game?"
- We are sorry, but due
to a large volume of calls,
And unusually long
wait times,
Counselors are unable to answer
your call at this time.
- Okay.
- Your name, please.
- It's kori danielle mcdonald.
- Okay.
I show that we've got
a claim open
For a non-service connected
disability pension.
Depression, t.M.J.,
unilateral disc condition,
P.T.S.D., nerve damage,
and I'm trying to-
That's gone to the arraigning
board in cleveland.
- Okay, and how long
does that usually take?
- Anywhere from
- Really?
- That's just
an estimated time frame.
- 139 days?
I mean, that's, like-
I've already been waiting,
like, waiting 14 months.
What the fuck
is going on up there?
Like, what the fuck
is going on with the v.A.?
Like, my shit is new
and it's 14 months?
I bet if were there
in person
They'd have
to do something.
[engine starts]
- Are you ready?
Say, "ready."
Do you know
where we're going?
Both: Where we going?
- Beach.
- No, to the doctor.
Why are we going
to the doctor?
What hurts on mommy?
- Face.
- My face, that's right.
- You're gonna want
to get on 75 north.
- On 75 north?
- Yep.
This goes everywhere
with me.
And then this
goes everywhere with me.
You always have protection
with jesus,
But sometimes you need
just a little bit more.
- All right.
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
- I will.
- Be good.
- Mommy, mommy.
- Mommy'll be out
in a minute, all right?
Say bye to mama.
- Be good.
- Bye-bye.
- In doctor appointments,
I come to every one, um,
Just in case
she gets worked up.
And she's uneasy
around men already,
So, um, I have my phone
up on me.
And you know,
she already has-
I tell her to have
a text message
Or me on speed dial if she needs
to get out of there.
- Big surprise, big surprise,
big surprise.
- We'll get you
a big surprise.
Come on.
How'd it go?
What'd they say?
- Uh, it went good.
They-
- mama!
- Of course they-
they ordered a back x-ray
Instead of a face x-ray,
but-
Here, here's some makeup.
They should have-
they should know-
They should know
what's wrong with me.
Like, read my stuff and
you'll see that it's my face.
It's not my back.
It's not my legs, my arms.
It's my face.
- So the people who need
The proof don't even know
what your case is even about.
Like, I don't even know
why we wasted the gas money,
The trip, anything.
It was completely
a waste of time.
What a good veteran's day,
right?
- Yeah, it's a perfect way
to spend it.
- Yeah.
Screw it.
[dog barking]
- All right, it's around
midnight on October 24th.
And kori woke up myself
and our baby.
She woke up screaming.
So, uh, it's been
happening quite a bit.
[baby shouting excitedly]
- Go, go, go.
Oh!
- Got any more?
- I'm sorry I woke you up,
but it's fun, right?
We're having fun.
- Can we dive more?
- Yeah, let's put more in.
- I know kori almost
likes it better,
'cause it's quiet.
And, you know, really no one
to run into at night.
- Here.
- Because it was
an isolated duty station,
They were in charge,
and we were just
Kinda like cattle.
So-
That was the first time that
I was drugged and raped.
I was in this room
with some of my friends.
And I only had, like,
one or two drinks.
And I went and laid down.
It was, like, instantly.
I was not feeling well,
and came to
To having a pillow
over my head,
And my "friend"
raping me.
And that went on
repeatedly.
You had to call an operator
to get a line off base.
So, they listened
to your phone calls.
So they were screened.
And I used to call my dad
and beg him
To get me out of there.
He would always ask me,
"hon, well, what's wrong?"
And I'm like, "I can't
tell you what's wrong,
"because the people that
are listening
"to our phone calls
are the same
People that could
hurt me."
- Most sex offenders
are hunters.
Just like any hunter,
they study their prey.
They study their movements.
They study their behaviors.
They study
the environment.
- You have rapists that prey
on other human beings.
They-they stalk them.
They wait until
the victim is at
The most vulnerable point
in time
To perpetrate
their crimes.
- A lot of times,
the victim is somebody
That the suspect
is very familiar with,
And they're very aware
of what's going on.
- Most sex offenders
have this hidden persona
That nobody ever sees
except for the victim.
Therefore, when they're caught,
or if somebody reports,
People don't tend
to believe that
Because they don't see
the typical sex offender.
- If it's an officer,
it's an officer
That has habitually
in the past
Preyed on an enlisted.
They would do it once,
they'd get away with it.
And then they think,
"wow, this was pretty easy.
Um, I'm gonna try it again."
- Particularly
for a savvy perpetrator
To work within a relatively
closed system,
Like the military,
It becomes a prime, um-
Sort of target-rich
environment for a predator.
- When I was discharged,
I moved to seattle
Where things got
really bad.
I started to lose
everything.
I was homeless.
And there was addiction.
I was selling drugs,
packing a gun.
- 40% of homeless female
veterans
Have been raped
while they were serving.
They spin into such depression
and abuse
That they can't
hold jobs.
They can't hold
their lives together
And they end up
on the streets.
- My partner, amy, uh,
I met her a few years ago.
I was going and trying to do
some stuff at the gym and-
And, uh...
[chuckles]
- When I first saw trina,
I was at the gym.
And I look over
and it was like the universe
Was, like,
"there you go."
And in my head I was like,
"well, there you are."
Well, I knew there was
something "special" about her.
- [laughs] wow.
- For sure.
When we first
started dating, it was hard.
The biggest hurdle was
not taking p.T.S.D. Personally.
It does get
really stressful.
[video game gunshots]
- What's that?
- A trader.
- Trader?
- Yeah.
- Oh, like a vendor?
- Yeah.
- Oh.
Not like, "I'm a traitor."
Like, "you bastard traitor,"
that kind of thing?
[laughter]
okay.
- If I've ever lived
with anybody,
It's just been
with that person.
So when I moved in,
it was like, "oh, my god."
You know, it was amy,
three boys.
- "I'm not just moving in
with amy,
I'm moving in with
an entire family."
- And I was like,
"oh, my god."
- Yeah.
- So they were so used to so,
you know, such open space.
And with my p.T.S.D.,
you know?
Yeah, we had some moments.
- I'm sort of sad to have
never known trina beforehand.
- Yeah.
- When she was sort of
In her-
in her prime.
Now she's anxious
and sad a lot.
- You gonna go-
You gonna go protect me,
mitch?
Suzy, come.
Let's go.
A lot of times if, like,
we're out doing something,
You know, mitch will
be, like, checking in,
Like, "oh, it's okay, trina.
It's all right."
I'm appreciative of it,
you know.
But it makes me really sad
That here's this little
That's watching out
for my well-being.
It hurts, you know?
I want it to go away,
you know?
And it doesn't go away.
- Move it!
All: Yes, sir!
[indistinct yelling]
- I think the men that
we attract to the military-
You know, we've got,
"the army of one."
You know,
"be all you can be."
All those themes that
we've had throughout the years,
Um, very, very
heavily masculine.
Masculinity
cannot be victimized.
Because if you're a leader-
If you're a masculine person
and you're victimized,
Then you're weak.
The problem is that anybody
Can be a victim
of sexual assault.
- I joined the service
in, um, 1972.
The military is a great
way of life.
I got to see the world.
Um, I got educated.
I loved the military.
I was 19 and, uh,
I went to chow hall alone.
And the next thing I know
I was laying on the ground.
I was struck from behind.
And two guys were
holding me down,
And one guy was, uh,
pulling my pants down.
And, uh, you know,
He was taking care
of his business.
And you know,
I struggled.
And I was being struck
and hit and told-
You know, told to shut up
or they'd kill me.
And I see how
it destroyed my life.
I mean, I've been married
three times.
Just luckily I have
a wife right now
Who I've been
married to for 25 years.
- You start wondering.
And you start sort of
either coming up
With reasons why things
are the way they are.
And for a long time,
I kept thinking,
"I don't know, there's-
something-something else."
- I had never told anybody
in over 30 years.
I decided
to tell my wife.
It was the scariest moment
in my life.
I was gonna tell my wife,
she was gonna leave me.
And I would be lost
without her.
I- I mean, honest to god,
I couldn't-
I couldn't get up
every morning without my wife.
You know?
And, uh, I told her.
- I felt horrified.
And I felt sad.
And I felt angry.
And, you know, along the course
of the evening,
You know, feelings
just started to surface
That were probably
just simmering
For a very, very long time.
- And she puts her arms
around me
And we both sat there
and sobbed.
It was like-
[crying]
This great weight had been
lifted off of me.
- I think it's important
to recognize
That military sexual trauma
is not limited to women.
And, in fact, when it comes
to the absolute numbers,
Because of the proportion
of men
In much larger numbers
than women,
Actually the numbers
are even greater.
- I think one of the last bits
of research
Show that about 1% of males
had been victims
Of sexual assault within
the past year in the military.
That equals to about 20,000.
- You would get labeled
as a buddy-fucker.
And, um, that's not a nice
term to be related to.
So it's one of those things
that you just don't-
You don't talk about it,
or your don't
Bring to anybody's attention.
You just kinda
keep it to yourself.
- It's really, really hard
to forget.
You know, up until now
I still-
They live in my head,
you know?
I can hear them laugh.
I can see
their faces.
I can see
what they're doing to me.
- [breathes deeply]
I felt scared.
And I was scared
to tell my friends,
The people that
really knew me,
The truth about
what happened.
- The shame,
as bad as it is for women,
Is even worse for men
because it's all
Tied in with homophobia.
- The people who are
doing the raping are not gay.
That's not the problem.
And they're worried about
gays in the military.
The gays are not
the rapists.
They're heterosexual men
for the most part.
- This is not an issue
of sexual orientation.
This simply an issue
of power and violence.
Male sexual predators
for the large part
Have targeted whoever
is there to prey upon,
Whether that's men or women.
- Whenever I see that,
you know,
There is, uh, evidence
that another woman
Has been sexually assaulted,
The question I keep
asking myself is,
"when does this ever end?"
- Breaking news
at this hour,
The navy appears to be facing
a huge sex scandal.
Details are still
coming in.
- From abc,
this is world news tonight
With peter jennings.
- Good evening.
We're going to begin tonight
by putting a human face
On the worst case
of sexual harassment
In the navy's history.
At an annual naval aviator's
convention
Called the tailhook convention.
Senior officers have known
since 1985
That the convention included
the so-called gauntlet.
Set up for specific purpose
of targeting
And sexually molesting
women.
- I got off the elevator
on the third floor.
You could see maybe
It was just a few steps
into the hallway
Before, uh, they closed ranks
around me.
And then it happened
very quickly that, um,
From both sides
and from behind,
Men came in and started
reaching in my shirt.
I was getting pushed down
to the floor
And someone was reaching
under my skirt
Pulling my underwear off.
And, you know, it was about
maybe 30 or 40 feet
Of 200 guys trying
to pull my clothes off,
Like I was a high value
target.
The next morning, I met
with my boss for breakfast.
And I said, you know,
"what happened here?"
And he said,
"well, that's what you get
For walking down a hallway
full of drunk aviators."
And I said like,
"I-I don't think so."
- An investigation
was finally begun.
But 1,500 interviews later,
The navy's inspector general
reported
That his investigators
were being stonewalled.
A great wall of silence had
gone up to protect the guilty.
- The u.S. Army today
is trying to establish
The extent
of a new and growing
Rape and sexual harassment
scandal.
It all took place
at the army base
At aberdeen proving ground
Where 30 women have
filed complaints
Of sexual advances
that range from
Unwanted touching to rape
and forcible sodomy.
- Aberdeen proving ground
is a location
Where the non-commissioned
officers were
Assaulting and raping
trainees,
And then passing the name
of the person
They had assaulted
to another n.C.O.
- That is unacceptable
conduct for soldiers.
It's unacceptable
to the army.
And we have zero tolerance.
- 12 years ago,
the tailhook sex scandal
Shook the u.S. Navy,
And now the air force faces
what may be
An even bigger problem.
Rape and other sexual abuse
at the air force academy
In colorado springs.
- 142 allegations of assault
against women
Had been made
in the last decade.
- The highest ranking
air force generals
Knew about serious problems of
sexual assault at the academy,
Yet failed to take action.
- We don't intend
to sweep this under the rug.
Uh, we take it
very seriously.
We're gonna address it
publicly.
- In congress,
outraged senators
Accused air force brass
of ignoring assaults on women.
- We have a clear pattern
Of reports of sexual assault
Where the reaction
of the air force academy
Seems to be
to blame the victim.
- We are in the process
of instituting those-
Those changes now.
- You're in the process of
instituting those changes now?
Obviously you
and I and the secretary
Have a fundamental
disagreement here.
- What needs to be done
and should be done
As it relates to the problem
of sexual assault
Within the military,
women in the military that
Have had, um, a great deal
of difficulty
Accessing some sense
of justice?
- I-I-really-
I totally share your concerns.
We have to be-
we have to have zero tolerance
For any kind of sexual assaults
in the military.
- At a small post
in washington d.C.,
Marine pride, history,
and tradition live on.
Marine barracks
at 8th and "I" streets
Is the oldest post
in the corps,
And for 100 years,
from the early 1800s,
It was marine corps
headquarters.
- [chanting]
- Marine barracks
in washington, d.C.
Is the most prestigious unit
there is in the marine corps.
This is the unit where
the best of the best go.
It is the marine corps'
showcase ceremonial unit.
It handles presidents
and dignitaries...
Security at the white house,
The silent drill team.
- After my deployment
to operation iraqi freedom
In 2008, 2009,
my commanding officer
Recommended me for
the marine barracks washington.
I was excited.
It the tip of the spear
as far as
The marine corps
is concerned.
- She would stay
at work late.
And then she would
drive home
And she'd call me,
and she'd be on
Some kind of little high.
And she'd talk about
how she loved her job.
She was, uh-
This sweet person who was
trying really hard-
And succeeding.
- One of the first things I was
told when I checked in was,
"don't wear any makeup,
because the marines
Will all think that
you wanna sleep with them."
And I thought,
"that's just ridiculous."
- The atmosphere
off the bat
At marine barracks
washington was horrible.
Um, people asked me
what sexual favors
Had I performed
to get my orders there.
- There was a senior officer
in my command who-
The first time
he spoke to me he said,
"female marines here
are nothing but
Objects for the marines
to fuck."
- So the minute a female
shows up at my work,
She's immediately
pounced on.
All of the new females
get talked about,
Saying if they're
having sex,
Sleeping with so and so.
Apparently I slept with
all these men.
And, I mean, I didn't.
- It got progressively
worse and worse.
They determined that
I welcomed
The sexual harassment by
Wearing my regulation length
uniform skirt
And running in
running shorts.
There were several
junior female marines
That came up to me crying
while I was there,
Saying that they felt
too humiliated to come to work.
- One of the duties at
marine barracks washington
Was a ceremonial drill.
The evening parades are what
you would see on the news.
The silent drill platoon,
the president,
Everybody goes
to those type of things.
- [chanting]
- After the parades,
all the officers
Are required to stay
till midnight and drink
In center house at
marine barracks washington.
So we're talking about
Wednesday night happy hours
That start 3:00 and end
at 2:00 a.M.
- It was a partying
and drinking culture.
The atmosphere revolved
around going out
And partying and drinking.
- I was ordered to drink.
I was ordered to attend
the drinking events.
- My boss even said, um,
That they were mandatory
to me.
She's like, "we do our best work
at these events."
- We went to various pubs
and bars
And the goal was
to do a shot at each one,
All paid for
by the marine corps.
- You're talking about
drinking events
Where other senior officers
are drinking to the point
Of peeing in the pants,
you know,
Passing out on lawns.
This is the norm.
At one bar I had water, and
I was ordered a shot anyways
And told I needed to take
two shots to make up for that.
I left the bar
to get a cab.
My company commander
followed me
And said, "I need to talk to you
about some things."
So we walked up the stairs
into his office.
There was a little bit
of a struggle.
Like, he tried to kind of
make an advance,
And tried to kiss me.
I tried to leave and he slammed
the door on my arms.
I fell on the ground
and hit my face on his desk.
And the next thing
I realized was
I had woken up wearing
his shorts
With all of my clothes off
and in tremendous pain.
I knew enough about me
that something wasn't right.
And I had felt
entirely violated.
The colonel at one point said,
"you know,
lieutenant helmer,
"boys, girls, and alcohol
just don't mix.
"we'll never really know
what happened
"inside that office.
"only you and the major know,
and he's not talking.
"so at this point
the investigation is closed
"for lack of evidence.
"and we've reopened
a new investigation against you
"for conduct unbecoming
an officer
And public intoxication."
- I remember-
we're going to the bar.
It was an officer that's
there to buy shots for us.
After I'd a couple drinks,
That's all I remember.
This officer bragged
to his fellow officer friends
That he had "bagged" me.
I got called up
to a major's office
And he charged me with
fraternization and adultery.
He was married.
I wasn't.
And I was charged
with adultery.
- I told the battalion x.O.
About the humiliation
and the comments.
And he said, "you know,
you should do
"what a marine officer
should do,
And that's to ignore it
and move on."
- I used lie awake in bed,
you know,
Wondering what I could do
to help her get out.
- [crying]
he said that
If told anybody,
That he was gonna have
his friend marv from indiana
Kill me and throw me
in a ditch.
Because that's how they
took care of things in indiana.
- She went to war.
And gave nine years
of her life.
And for them to take it
and come back and say...
"yes, they called you
a whore.
"yes, they called you
a slut.
"yes, they called you
a walking mattress.
"it's documented over and over
and over again.
"but you deserved it.
"and when you complained
about it,
You were welcoming it."
- The actions of my seniors,
Both in the assault and
in the ensuing investigations
Have really destroyed me.
- When your wife doesn't
come home to-
To a-
Rummage through the house
searching for the suicide note.
[crying]
To call the police
with one hand
While you're restraining her
from killing herself
With the other-
[crying]
- I think the thing that
makes me the most angry
Is not even the rape
in itself.
It's the commanders
that were complicit
In covering up
everything that happened.
- This is an organization
that gives commanders
An unbelievable amount
of power.
And I felt it
as a lieutenant in iraq.
It's-it's scary.
You appoint
the prosecution.
You appoint the defense.
You appoint
the investigator.
You're in charge
of the police force.
You're in charge
of the community.
You own everything.
- Uh, you are judge.
You are jury.
You are executioner.
- Most americans assume
that there is access
To a system of justice.
So that, for example,
if you're a civilian
And you're raped,
you can call the police.
And then you have
prosecutors.
Either federal prosecutors,
state prosecutors,
Local prosecutors,
that bring
The perpetrator
to justice.
The problem with the military
is that instead,
They have to go to their
chain of command.
- Now, in our system
of military justice,
It is the commander, uh,
who's responsible, um,
You know,
to the chain of command
For how that investigation
proceeds.
- I know that there's been
numerous times
Over my career
that I regretted
Than an individual commander
had the-
The total say-so
over a case.
Most of 'em don't have
the training or the education
To determine
what's appropriate
In serious felony
criminal investigations.
The problem in the military
is the convening authority,
Who is not legally trained,
makes the final decision.
- They had a change of command
at my old squadron
Where the guy that raped me
was still stationed.
Um, he had only been in command
for four days.
And he made the decision
over legal to stop the case.
What I saw was commanders,
And these are
field grade officers,
Lieutenant colonels,
colonels,
Um, who have been in 20,
They're career officers.
And they sweep cases
under the rug.
- The last thing
a company commander in the army
Wants to do is make
the phone call
To his or her
battalion commander to say,
"I have had an allegation
of a rape in my unit."
This is viewed in many cases
as a failure to command
That will adversely then
affect their career.
- Sometimes you'd see
a guy get four, five years
For selling a minor
amount of drugs.
Then you'd see a guy get,
you know,
Two weeks extra duty
for a rape.
- The military hides behind
this notion
That it is really,
really hard,
Almost impossible
to prosecute rape.
But when you look at
prosecution rates
In the 2010
department of defense reports,
You begin with 2,410
unrestricted reports
And 748 restricted.
What that means is they've
already funneled
victims into a system
That absolutely
no adjudication whatsoever.
Then you take the 2,410
that have been reported.
Of those, they identified
Now, what happens
once you send a perpetrator
Over to command?
Well, the command has
just completely
Unfettered discretion to do
whatever it is they want.
And what is it
that they do do?
First off,
they drop 910 of them.
They just don't
do anything.
Then of the 1,025 where
they actually take some action,
Do they court-martial them?
No.
Only half of them, 529,
Actually got court-martialed.
The rest, 256,
were subjected
To article 15 punishments.
discharges.
And then 131 to, "other adverse
administrative actions,"
Whatever the heck
that means.
And then
of the convictions where
They actually get
jail time,
When you work your way
all the way through the numbers,
What you're looking at
is that
Out 3,223 perpetrators,
Only 175 end up doing
any jail time whatsoever.
- I have been in congress
for seven terms now.
And every, single term
we have had meetings with d.O.D.
And they come in and
they confirm to us,
"we are going to be serious.
"we're gonna
take care of this.
We're gonna stop this,
zero tolerance."
But the rhetoric is not
being turned into
The reality
of protecting our women,
And in some cases men,
In our military.
And they're like, "but we have
the sarc and sapro program."
And it's like,
"well, oh, great."
What does that do?
They can strongly suggest
to the military
To do something.
- As a band of brothers
and sisters,
It is our personal duty
to prevent sexual assault.
- They can't order them.
They can't enforce it.
They don't back it up.
In April of this year,
we will debut
A social marketing campaign
As part of our
prevention strategy.
- Preventing sexual assault
is part of my duty.
- So I saw my buddy's
date was drunk,
I told him,
"ask her when she's sober."
- It's ludicrous.
It's the year 2011 and,
you know, we have posters
That say,
"wait until she's sober."
I mean, it's remarkable that
that's allowed to pass
In today's military.
- We've implemented training
at each and every level
Of military service.
From the moment they enter
the service
And basic training,
they're given that.
And our campaign, uh,
consists of a series
Of posters that are
actually training tools.
And each of those posters
has a different focus.
- You cannot prevent
sexual assault
With pretty posters,
all right?
Posters do not prevent
sexual predators
From preying upon women
and men in the military.
We're talking about people
barging into rooms
In the middle of the night.
No poster's gonna prevent
a criminal
From barging into your room-
these are violent people.
- Well, one of the things
that we do
In our prevention strategy
is to focus on
Bystander intervention.
And in that strategy,
and in that training,
We ask for each soldier, sailor,
airman, and marine to be
Aware of what sexual assault
is and how to prevent it.
- Sarc is a joke.
The things that they say
are ignored,
Or they're made fun of.
- # turn the other cheek
is a thing of the past #
# up close and real
when they try to harass #
# so when they there
in the dark #
# and the predator
persists #
# step up in his face
# you can tell him this
# we stand, we stand
# we fight, we fight,
intervene #
- There might be a video
or 20 slides.
Um, it's, like, a lot
of military training
Where it's the once a year
check in the box.
- # intervene, act, motivate
# you need to intervene,
act, motivate #
- Sapro can't fix anything.
- You walking back alone?
- Yeah, it's such a short walk
to my chew.
- All right.
- And all the money seems
to be spent on advertising,
Which is just rife
with victim blaming.
- What's your name?
- Hey, stop, stop.
- Hey, come here.
Come here, let me talk to you
for a sec.
I just wanna talk to you.
- Oh!
Are you okay?
- No, there's this guy,
he grabbed me.
- Why are you by yourself?
Where's your buddy?
- I didn't think
I needed one.
- Sexual assault
is preventable.
Are you doing
your part?
And so this notion that,
you know,
Essentially, like,
anyone could be a rapist.
We all have to be
on alert.
It misses an opportunity
to take real steps
Towards preventing rape.
If they actually had
systems of accountability
That prosecuted and imprisoned
perpetrators,
You would get rid of a lot
of the rapes right away.
- How would you characterize
the typical sex offender?
- Well, if I look at our data
from the department of defense,
It's young people
that are ages 18 to 24 or 25.
- Would you say that most
of them are serial rapists?
- Um, I don't have data
one way or the other
To determine that.
- And what percentage
of the rapes
Do you think are caused
by serial predators?
- Um, I don't-
I don't have any numbers.
I don't know how to-
I don't think
We collect
that type of data.
- There's been studies done
that people
Who enter the military
are twice as likely
To have committed rape
as the equivalent
Population
in the civilian world.
- I'm not aware
of that study.
My area of expertise
focuses primarily
On prevention
and victim care.
- But wouldn't prevention
include
Focusing on
the perpetrators?
- 'cause I noticed
that dr. Kaye whitley
Is not in her chair.
Is it under your direction
that she has not, uh,
Shown for testimony
this morning?
- Uh, yes, sir.
- You directed her not to?
- I did.
- Uh, do you have an
executive privilege to assert?
- Uh, no sir.
- You've instructed her
not to come?
What is your reason
for doing that?
- If you find
the department's response
In preventions efforts
fall short
Of your expectations,
Responsibility for that
shortfall rests with me.
- That's a ridiculous answer.
What is it that
you're trying to hide?
We all remember tailhook
and the scandal-
And how the military
tried to cover that up.
I don't know who you think
elected you
To defy the congress
of the United States.
We're independent branch
of government.
- So for now, mr. Dominguez,
you are dismissed.
- Intimacy is definitely
affected.
He'll go for months
without sex.
I have to initiate.
If I'm comfortable enough-
If I'm having a good day
and I think
My husband looks hot
for the day-
- [laughs]
- I have to initiate.
When he comes up and hugs me,
sometimes I'll cringe.
And I'll just want him to-
You know, like,
he'll feel it.
And then he gets mad
'cause he didn't-
Like, "why aren't you
hugging me back?"
Or whatever.
- I still do that.
Uh, there were times
where I-
- And, like, him grabbing
my hips and, like-
- I didn't understand,
you know, why.
'cause it's like,
"I'm your husband, why?"
And I don't-
I don't fully understand now.
- I see it in my dreams.
That's what
you don't get.
I don't wanna talk
about this stuff.
And you know that
I don't like, uh-
- Yeah, well,
that's the hard part.
I don't know-
I wanna help you.
But I don't know,
you know?
- But-
- I want to.
- You can't-
you can't help me.
Like, that's the thing,
is you can't.
Sometimes I think
if when he has sex with me
Is thinking about, you know,
me getting raped.
Is he upset?
Is he-you know?
'cause I think-
I think about that.
It'll run-never does it not
run through my head.
That's why I didn't
wanna have sex for awhile.
- What if you
were in my spot?
- It would suck so bad.
- Wouldn't you wanna-?
- I'm not saying
I don't appreciate you.
You're gonna make me cry,
baby.
This is why I don't
express it to you, rob.
'cause it does upset me.
[crying]
Like, we almost
split up 'cause of this stuff.
And I feel like
I'm responsible for it.
I don't know what I'd do
if I lost rob.
[sobbing]
I don't.
I'd be so lost.
He's, like,
my only supporter.
Like my own blood.
I have interviewed women
in the civilian world.
And rape is a very,
very traumatizing
Things to have happen.
Um, but I've never
seen trauma like I've seen
From women who are veterans
Who have suffered
military sexual trauma.
- I cannot remember
how many times
A young female marine
that had been raped
Or sexually assaulted
had told me that
She looked at these guys
as her brother,
Or the suspect
as her brother.
- It's akin to what happens
in a family with incest.
Because, you know,
in the military,
When we're functioning
at our best
In a cohesive unit, uh,
With brothers and sisters.
You know, the band
of brothers and sisters.
I mean, we are family.
When that bond of trust
is violated-
[sighs]
The wound penetrates
to the very most
Inner part of one's soul,
one's psyche.
- I have this folder
that I keep.
I have all my boot camp
letters in it
From my mom and my sister
and, um, people and...
I was just going through
some of this stuff
And I'm like, "what's this?"
you know?
And I open it up
and I'm like, "oh, my god.
My suicide letter."
"mom, I'm sorry for the grief
that you must feel.
"just because
I'm gone physically
"doesn't mean I won't
be there spiritually.
"I truly feel like god
will take me without question,
"even though I took
my own life.
"I've had the most broken
thoughts, dreams,
"and physical pain
to remind me
"of the horrific acts
upon me
"that happened
while on duty.
"a mother, brother, sister,
and husband
"should never live
with knowing
"the horrible acts
upon me.
"find peace in knowing
that the body left behind
"doesn't consume my soul.
"I am free now
and I'm not afraid.
[crying]
Ready to soar,
kori danielle."
- I took a whole bottle
of pills
And woke up,
strangely enough.
I'm not sure why.
[chuckles]
At that point in my life,
I just wanted it to be over.
And I think was 20, 21.
And then, um,
within the next year
I tried again.
- I went out into
the garage,
Which is separate
from the house,
And I turned the car on.
I was gonna sit in the car
and asphyxiate myself.
And we have this
little poodle blondie.
She out her little
doggy door
And she's scratching
and howling at the door,
And I said, "shut up.
God damn it, you're gonna
wake my wife up."
So I get out
and shut the car off.
And I thought for a minute,
"I'll just take her
In the garage
with me."
And then I says,
"why would you kill the dog?
That's stupid."
And then it dawned on me,
"well, why would you
kill yourself?"
- I thought of it
so many times
And in so many ways.
I thought about,
at one point in time,
Hanging myself
from the flagpole
With a sign on me
and explain-
Saying exactly what happened,
to make him feel bad.
- I was gonna, uh, overdose
on pain medication
And sleeping medication.
And I just hoped that
I'd fall asleep
And my body
would just shut down
Or do something.
Um-
When I went to the doctor,
I had been feeling sick
And dizzy and nauseated.
And, um, they took my urine
And they told me
that I was pregnant.
I was like, "you know,
there's a life in there."
You know?
"and maybe her life
will be better than mine.
And I gotta make sure
of that."
[crying]
so-
She's very special.
- Sometimes it takes
a different kind of action
To cause change to come.
And sometimes
that's a lawsuit.
- I grew up
on military bases.
My dad was career army.
When I was a child,
when we answered the phone,
We used to have to say,
"colonel burke's quarters."
And because of that,
I have an understanding
Of the level of control
that the military exercises
That perhaps most
in civilian life don't have.
The feres doctrine
is a judicial doctrine
That was developed
by the supreme court
That says, "if you're
in the military,
"you cannot sue for something
that happens to you
That's incident
to your military service."
If military doctors
amputate the wrong limb,
You are out of luck.
You cannot sue for that-
For that harm
that's been done to you.
So we filed a lawsuit
in federal court
On behalf
of 16 men and women
Seeking to bring, uh,
former secretary rumsfeld
And secretary gates
to justice.
- I heard about the lawsuit
And decided to become
a part of it
Because I never wanted
another woman
To go through
what I went through.
I'm-
oh, I've been so sick.
Like, just sick
to my stomach.
And I think right now
I'm just kind of like,
"just get there."
I'm, like, numbing myself
just to get there.
And then I know
when I get there, it should-
I don't know.
I don't know.
- The lawsuit alleges that
they have overseen a system
That has deprived
the rape survivors
Of their
constitutional rights.
Specifically, we allege
that they deprive them
Of their
substantive due process,
Procedural due process,
Equal protection,
and first amendment rights.
- It made me sick
to see everybody's stories,
And how they kinda closely
tie together.
Everybody's story
somehow has a-
It's consistent, like,
what the military does
To people like us.
- All the things
that they've put in place
Are all pretty much intended
To help women deal
with being raped better.
That's what they're about.
I joined the military
halfway through
My senior year
of high school,
Wanting to serve my country,
and do new things,
And challenge myself
in a different way.
I was in the army
about seven or eight years
Before anything ever
happened to me.
I was raped by another
c.I.D. Agent
Who was senior to me.
I was contacted by an agent
with fort riley c.I.D.
Who said they were
investigating the suspect
As a serial rapist
who had raped
Several military
law enforcement women.
I thought there was
no way that, you know,
He wouldn't be convicted.
If I have a difficult time
with anything,
It's about the fact that
I had an almost ten-year career,
Which I was very
invested in,
And I gave that up
to report a sex offender
Who was not even, uh,
put to justice,
Or put on the registry.
And he's probably doing
the same thing right now.
- I had one female lieutenant
pull me aside, um,
And tell me that,
you know,
She had heard about
my case and she thought
She could talk to me as one
female marine to another.
And she told me,
"well, what he did
"was capitalize on
an opportunity
"that you presented him.
"that's not the same thing
as rape,
And you need to know that."
I think a month
after it happened,
They made me go
on a hike with him.
And I tried having
everybody advocate for me
To not make me go,
because
I just couldn't deal
with seeing him.
So their solution to that
was just to put him
Right in front of me
so I could him the whole time.
So that way I could know
where he was
And know that he wasn't
able to do anything,
'cause he was
right in front of me.
And I remember thinking
the entire time
We were up on the hills,
up in camp hills,
And, like, if only it steeper
I woulda jumped.
- There's no way
out of it.
I mean, if you think
about it,
The only way out of it
is, like, suicide or awol.
- It's true.
- So those are your
only two options,
Suicide, awol,
or deal with it.
- Right now I'm just barely
appreciating
Learning how to appreciate
being a woman again.
That's 11 years.
And I'm trying
to have fun with it,
Not forcing myself
to have fun.
My-
I'm trying really hard
not to-to cry,
But it just pisses me off.
You know, and watching
you girls
Having to go through
what I-
It makes me
want to explode.
- Being here and, like,
knowing that
Me wanting to commit suicide,
I'm not alone.
Me being hit and raped,
I'm not alone,
Everything.
The way that
they treated me,
The way that they
made me feel,
I'm not alone.
And we have all you guys,
with all your knowledge
And everything.
You guys are gonna
stand right up, you know?
It's awesome.
That's awesome,
that's what I'm saying.
- I think the women
who are coming forward
In this lawsuit
are very courageous,
Because they're putting their
names out there
For criticism.
They're putting their names
out there
To go down in history
as they were the ones who-
Who got raped.
And that isn't anything
you wanna go through life with.
[indistinct chatter]
- Today I stand in solidarity
with the courageous
Women and men who have served
in our nation's armed forces.
The inspirational plaintiffs
you see before you
Are a small handful
of the tens of thousands
Of troops and veterans
who have been
Sexually brutalized
by their fellow service members
While defending
our nation.
It is time
to finally acknowledge
That the military
judicial system
Is broken when it comes
to these cases.
- My name is kori cioca
and in my case,
My command was unwilling
to help me.
I went for help several times
with other petty officers
And I-
I was denied help.
Even with other men saying,
"please, get her away from him."
And it was-
it was still allowed.
- My name is sarah albertson.
People were telling me,
"don't go to the public.
"don't let this get out,
because it will
Make the military look bad."
- I really feel like
my social responsibility
To speak out
about this issue,
Especially considering
my investigative experience,
And the fact, uh, that
the military justice system
Allows so many offenders
to escape justice.
[applause]
[indistinct chatter]
- She's actually starting
to play with her toys,
You know, together, you know?
- Yeah.
Imaginative playing and stuff.
- And that's so neat to see.
But it's all the stuff
that you teach them,
If you notice, like,
when they play, you know?
- Yeah.
- It's really cool.
- Yeah.
I miss my baby.
- I do too.
- Thank you
for having us.
- Sure.
Thanks for being willing
To fill me in a little bit
on some of the experiences.
- My name is regina vasquez
and I served
Honorably in
the United States marine corps
For four years.
- My name is kori cioca
and I served
In the United States
coast guard.
I was harassed
and sexually assaulted.
- I was administratively
discharged with no benefits
After nine and a half years
of service.
- Women should not
bear that burden.
That is not part of what
we should
Have to be doing
to do our jobs.
- We're talking about
criminal activity.
We're talking about
a vicious attack
That is criminal.
It is an assault.
- Almost none of the cases
made it to court-martial.
- 8%
- and out of the ones that do,
Almost none of them
result in convictions.
- It seems to me,
in all the times
That I've looked
at these things,
The command is the one
who has so much discretion.
- I think our advocates
should actually be civilians,
Not ones that work for-
in the military.
I think we should have
actual units, civilian units.
- It absolutely tears
in my inside
To think that this
has been going on
For as long
as it's been going on.
And we've never
addressed it.
- All people in the military
must know,
If you are a perpetrator
of sexual assault
Against someone else
in the military,
Woe be to you.
You're gonna
be held accountable.
- As a c.I.D. Agent,
I found it
Tremendously frustrating
when I would demonstrate
Than an offender had
committed an offense-
And taking it to a commander
and having a commander
Be the deciding authority-
You know, I don't think
commanders are capable
Of making, um,
an objective decision.
I do not think it should
be in their hands.
- So you would suggest taking
the discretion away from-
- Yes, absolutely.
- Congresswoman davis
and I are both
On the armed services
committee.
- There are a number of issues
that you've raised
That makes, you know,
me wanna go back
And particularly take
another look.
- On an emotional
and individual basis,
What happens after a crime
like that has been committed
Is a very difficult thing
to go through.
And don't think
I don't know.
I know.
- The fact that you're willing
to tell me
Your stories firsthand
makes it much easier for us
To go back and to say,
"you know, these are policies
That we have to change."
It's a big-it's a big,
big deal what you're doing.
- You rarely find people
like you
Who will stand up
for us.
And just thank you so much
For everything
that you do.
- Very nice to meet
you all.
- Nice to meet you, ma'am.
- Thank you again
For your service.
- Thank you.
- Thanks for your time.
- Thanks.
- Mr. Speaker, last year
the military received
Over 3,000 reports
of sexual assault
Involving other members
in the service.
This week, 17 veterans
are saying
That the military ignored
their cases of sexual assault
While they
were on active duty.
- Today I'm going
to talk about
Seaman kori cioca,
who served
In the coast guard from
August 2005 to June 2007.
She now suffers from p.T.S.D.
And an abnormal e.E.G.
Due to nerve damage
in her face.
Cioca later told the press,
"it's like the didn't care.
"it wasn't important.
I wasn't important."
- So we're eating at
bob evans,
And we overhear a girl
talking about
Getting ready to go
into the military,
So I go over there and try
to talk to her.
Has anybody told you what
to watch for or anything?
- My boyfriend's
in the navy.
- And so he knows how tough
it is for women?
- Yeah, yeah, he's been in
for a couple months now.
- So how does he feel
about you joining?
Like, isn't he scared that
the men'll do something?
- He's a little scared,
but he knows
I can take care
of myself, so he's-
- Oh, I thought so too,
so be careful.
I definitely let her know
that maybe
She should reconsider
college and getting a degree.
And it'll save her
some of that trouble.
I wish someone would've
told me that.
You try to take care,
okay?
- Thank you.
- You can still back out, huh?
You can be a civilian
worker, you know that.
- I'm not-
I'm not signed yet, but-
- Okay, well, just-
be careful.
- Thank you.
- People always ask me,
"was it worth it going in?"
The idea of it is honorable.
Um, serving your country
is great.
There are great people in it.
And then there are the people
who will end up
Ruining your life.
- Just the other day,
I saw a girl
Running along the road
that looked like
She was about high school age.
She was wearing
a u.S.M.C. T-shirt.
And I thought that-
[crying]
If she joins then
she's gonna have to accept
Rape and destruction
of her life.
I cannot-
in good faith,
I could not recommend
anybody to join
With the way the organization
is set up now.
I would not wish that
on anyone.
- You can't ask women
to serve and then say,
"oh, by the way,
if you get in
"one of these
horrendous situations,
We won't be there
to back you up or to help you."
- When I would do nominations
for the air force academy,
You know, it was difficult
to talk to parents and say,
"uh, don't worry,
if you send her here,
She's not gonna
get raped."
- No. I would tell
my daughter
Not to join the military.
Um, they have good things
to offer,
But a rape is not
one of 'em.
- Uh, not in my lifetime.
[scoffs]
she's not joining, no.
- I would terrified
if my daughter
Wanted to join the military.
I would have a serious,
long talk with her
And hopefully she'd-
the one thing,
That's what she'd listen to.
- Losing even one soldier
needlessly
Because of military
sexual trauma
Is one too many.
[dog barking]
- I'm going to get the mail.
- Okay.
- Fingers crossed.
Here's my fate.
Oh.
- [nervous laughter]
What does it say?
- Um...
"effective
October 20th, 2009."
My overall combined rating
is 70%.
Wait.
"service connection
for anxiety is denied.
"service connection
for disc placement
And bilateral
disc displacement is denied."
Those motherfuckers, man.
Oh, my god.
- Daddy!
- I'll be right there,
shea.
- My face doesn't have
any discs in it.
That's what the x-rays show.
That's what dr. Carcoa's
letters show.
- How can you deny
medical for-
I mean, when there's x-rays?
- [indistinct]
- What?
- [indistinct]
Mommy, [indistinct]?
- Uh-huh, we will.
- "if you do not agree
with our decision,
You should write us
and tell us why."
- 'cause you're an asshole.
- "and you should identify
specific issues."
- You're an idiot.
- "the evidence was reviewed
showed that you served-"
Whatever, "which is less
than minimum active duty
Requirements
for disability pension."
But you-it wasn't
your choice.
- They're gonna punish me
for what they did.
'cause I was short two months
of two years.
- [indistinct]
- I know.
I feel the same way, shea.
- It's nice to see you again
and thank you for coming.
You have been provided
highlights
Of the numbers
of the report.
And I'll walk you through
those slides,
And then I'm going
to play a short
Public service announcement,
And then we can
entertain questions.
I think the prevention
aspect
Of sexual assault goes back
in some ways
To risk reduction.
- What is risk reduction?
- Risk reductions are ideas
like telling women to,
If they're going to go
somewhere together,
Always have a buddy
with them.
- Are there other examples
of risk reduction?
- Um-I didn't-
I'm not familiar.
But that's out of my area
of expertise.
- Well, I wanna continue
where dr. Whitley left off.
You know, looking at
what our focus is,
And that's on prevention
as well as-as response.
We've really done
a very good job there.
And the credit goes
to dr. Whitley and her staff
That has been working this
for the last five to six years.
- I don't think
the department of defense
Has really yet embraced
that they have
A sexual assault problem.
That it's not just an issue
of the culture environment,
Or that the people at risk
for sexual assault,
That their system itself,
though, just does not value
The rights of victims,
And doesn't provide them
adequate protection.
- You know, I have heard
the accusations as well that
You know, commanders are
sweeping this under the carpet.
Now, what I would say
to the people that have
Come forward to you is,
If you feel your commander
is ignoring
What you have
asked them to do-
If they're not taking care
of you
Within that
chain of command,
You need to go to the D.O.D.
The department of defense
inspector general.
- G.A.O.,
general accounting office,
Just did a study,
a report, and guess what.
Not one-not one case
of more than 2,500
Has been reviewed
and investigated
By the inspector general.
And when asked about that,
The inspector general said,
"well, we have other
higher priorities."
- What you really want
is you want
There to be a system akin
to a civilian system
Where you go to the police
and you-your-
The crime is prosecuted
by an impartial judicial system.
- As a commander,
you have no favorites.
You are equally to take care
of every single person
In your organization.
That's what command
is all about.
- These are human beings,
just like everybody else.
You cannot be impartial
when you are already
Involved with people
in other settings.
- I would take exception
with your characterization
That the disposition
of the case
Is based on the relationship
between
Commander, uh,
and the alleged perpetrator.
- I'm gonna speak to you with
my former commander's hat on.
There is absolutely
no conflict of interest.
You do what
the right thing is to do.
You have other avenues.
And those, if you feel like
you have not been taken care of
Adequately by your commander,
Go up through your congressman
or your congresswoman.
File a complaint that way.
- You cannot-
you can't go
To your congressman to be-
to obtain justice
For being raped.
I mean,
imagine how silly that is.
Imagine if you
told civilians that.
"oh, jeez,
sorry you were raped.
Go talk to your congressman."
- If you could
say something to this guy,
What would you wanna
say to him?
- I don't know.
[crying]
I don't think
it's affected his life at all.
And people in my old squadron
that I would talk to,
Um, they-they don't see
any affect
That it's had on him.
And that hurts.
[crying]
Because it's a struggle
every day.
And it's completely changed
who I am.
[crying]
- I'm really hoping that
he falls off
A coast guard boat
and they never find him.
I'm really hoping for that.
- Yeah.
- Like, they find-
there's a poor mishap
Where he got chopped up
by the prop.
- It would be great.
- That would be great.
- That would be
an exciting day.
- It would.
I'd probably celebrate.
- Right?
- Yeah.
- I hope this reaches
them too, you know?
I hope that somewhere,
someone sees my face,
You know,
wherever it is,
And goes, "I know them.
And they're talking
about me."
Because they know
what they did, you know.
And then, all they'll have
to mutter is,
To some friend that goes,
"hey, weren't we stationed
with her?"
You know, and then they
can't be a secret anymore.
So hopefully they
have to deal with it too.
You know, some way,
shape, or form.
- Most rapists
are repetitive criminals.
They're-it's a kind of crime
That has an
obsessive quality,
So people do it again
and again.
So the tragedy of that
is that every one of these guys
Who gets off free will be
doing it to other women
Again and again, often
for years and years and years.
- The average sex offender
in their lifetime
Has about 300 victims.
And the vast majority
Of sex offenders
will never be caught.
- A lot of civilians see it
as being a military problem.
But it really isn't,
because 5% or less
Of reported offenders
are convicted.
So almost none of them
wind up
On the sex offender
registry.
- There is no military sex
offender list that I'm aware of,
But if you're convicted
in court,
A felony conviction
of sex offense-
Of a sex offense, you're gonna
go on the national list.
- For any sex offense
whatsoever?
- Correct.
- That is not the case.
It depends on what level
of conviction they got.
If they received
over a year,
Then that's considered
a felony.
But a lot of these cases
are plead down
So that they're not
felonies.
The military doesn't like
to prosecute people
And keep them
as felony convictions.
- I often ask myself
the question,
"why wouldn't-
why would they stop?"
And if there's nothing
to stop 'em,
Like incarceration
or some other major life change,
They're gonna continue.
- If you run a sexual predator
through the judicial system,
And then you give 'em
a slap on the hand,
All you've done-
is you've done the equivalent
Of the catch
and release program.
You've caught him,
you've educated him,
And now you released him
back into hometown america.
He now knows a lot more
about the law enforcement
And judicial system than
he did when he first started,
Which makes him a much more
capable criminal
And a much more
dangerous criminal.
- They go on
to literally prey
On women and men
in our neighborhoods
Across the United States.
I mean, if we don't care
about women or men
In the military,
then we hopefully
We should care about
women and men, you know,
Girls and boys in our
neighborhoods back home.
[shutter clicking]
- There you go.
- The thing that
broke my heart
More than anything
about this story
Was the young women
who went in with such idealism.
"I want to serve
my country.
I want to give back."
To see a young person's hope
and idealism
Crushed in that brutal way-
I think we owe our young people
more than that.
- Increasingly,
women are becoming
Some of the best trained
professionals
That we have
in the military.
These are great soldiers.
And we can't afford
to lose them.
- Yeah, I'm happy to never
have to wear that again.
- People deeply believe
in their hearts
To serve their country.
They should be given
that chance, with respect.
You know, it's part of,
really, our american way.
- Do you think that
we deserve purple hearts
Because we were wounded
in time of war?
- They're never gonna
give us one.
- You know, but I'm saying
maybe there should be
A ribbon for women who-
- Who served her country.
- Who have survived it,
You know?
- Survived it.
- We have a good army,
a good military,
But not a great one.
And this is the kind of issue
that-that keeps
Our military
from being great.
- We can view this
as a shared challenge.
It's not just
a woman's issue.
It's not just something that
the military has to deal with.
But as a society,
we're all in this together.
[shutter clicks]
It's our national duty.
[mary j. Blige's
need someone ]
- # from where you stand
# there's no way
to change it #
# no way to make it
make sense #
# and it's lonely there
# there in the spotlight
# but, honey,
don't I understand #
# you
# you need someone to love you
# you need someone to hold you
# tonight
# someone to love you
# someone to love you
# when you look at me
# try hard to hide it
# try hard to keep it all in
# well I found you out
# discovered your secrets
# well honey it ain't a sin
# that you
# you need someone to love you
# you need someone to tell you
# that everything is all right
# someone to love you
# someone to love you