On the recordMarch 28, 2012
I rise again to highlight the epidemic of sexual assault and rape in the military. Next week will mark the 1-year anniversary of my first floor speech on this issue. That day, I told the story of Technical Sergeant Mary Gallagher, who was raped by a coworker while deployed in Iraq. The week leading up to the rape, Sergeant Gallagher's assailant harassed her, stalked her, and attempted to break into her room. Though she twice reported the assailant's threatening behavior, her command did nothing about it. They called it a ``he said-she said'' scenario. Justice was not served. I've told the story of Army Specialist Blake Stephens, who was consistently assaulted and sexually harassed by the men in his unit. He reported the harassment to command, but no action was taken. Fellow servicemembers later sodomized him with a bottle; and the only punishment his assailants received was extra pushups. Justice was not served. Last week, I told the story of Marine Lieutenant Elle Helmer, who reported repeated sexual harassment by superiors, to no avail. The Marine Corps did absolutely nothing in response to the harassment. Lieutenant Helmer was later raped by another superior whose behavior went unpunished. Her command ultimately told her, You're tough. You need to pick yourself up and dust yourself off. I can't babysit you all of the time. No justice was served.…
