On the recordJune 7, 2012
I have now come to the floor some 21 times to tell the story of survivors of military sexual assault and the institution and culture that failed them. Some would tell you that the military has learned from their egregious mistakes and that they are largely now addressing this problem. The situation I'm describing to you today is happening right now and flies in the face of what we are being told by our military and the Members of Congress who believe that they have this problem under control. Recently, a San Antonio newspaper began reporting on a scandal at Lackland Air Force Base that is growing by the day. So far, at least four Air Force instructors have been charged with sexual misconduct with at least 24 trainees. Like many cases of rape and sexual assault, the perpetrators are not denying that they engaged in sexual misconduct; they simply contend that the sex was consensual. It comes down to the words of the accused and the accuser--the instructor against the trainee. In the military, this usually means the perpetrator gets off or receives a disproportionately small punishment and the victim endures an arduous and humiliating legal process with little sense of justice at the end. Two of the women that have come forward were called over an intercom 2 days after they graduated from basic training last fall and asked to leave their dorm and to meet their instructors. In a dimly lit supply room, the women said they had sexual relations with their instructor.…
