Jackie Speier: “Today I rise, once again, to talk about the epidemic of rape in the military. This is the ninth time that I have stood…”

“Today I rise, once again, to talk about the epidemic of rape in the military. This is the ninth time that I have stood on the floor of this House to speak about the unspeakable. Each of these military members have served proudly for their country. Each of them has been raped, and each has been revictimized by a system of justice that protects perpetrators and punishes victims. I will continue to share these stories until something changes. Survivors can email me at [email protected] if they would like to speak out. Today, I want to tell you about Sergeant Rebekah Havrilla. She served in the Army from 2004 to 2008. Her job was as an explosive ordnance disposal technician. In other words, she was responsible for disposing of IEDs before they went off. So she took on one of the toughest jobs in the military. Yet during basic training, she heard her commanders repeatedly equate being female with being weak or incompetent. They used words to describe women that cannot be repeated on this floor. Commanders required Sergeant Havrilla and her colleagues to attend classes regarding prevention of sexual assault and harassment once a year. Commanders made a mockery of these classes. As the instructor would describe prohibited conduct, one or more of the soldiers would begin engaging in that conduct. One soldier went as far as to strip completely naked and get on the table during a break in the middle of class.…”