The inevitable issue: Rape

HeWantsTheBFE

USAFA Class of 2017
5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
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So I was talking to my friend (who will also hopefully be attending I-day) and a subject came up in conversation. At first, I didn't think to much of it. But it came up a few more times since then, almost as a joke. But each time it does come up, it seems a lot less funny.

Rape.

The statistics aren't pretty, and they've shown up all over the place. I could post a hundred other such links.

Example: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=123748

12% rape rate? Even if it is half of the civilian college's rate, that's still pretty scary, considering the caliber of people who are supposed to be studying at this fine institution.

So for my friend, and any other males/females whom this may concern, does anyone have any advice? Any information that may be of practical use to anyone who might know someone who was involved? With it being one in eight (roughly) who are raped I think it would be impossible to avoid not knowing someone.

Is there anything someone can do to prevent this or mitigate risk?
 
With the Ohio trial and the Air Force trainer sentencing from Lackland and assaults on women in India on the front pages of the news, it's understandable why this would be a topic that would come up. It hasn't been that long ago that USAFA was mired in sexual assault accusations and the eventual attempt of addressing the issue that still occurs as recent as a few months ago with the court marshal and sentencing of an upperclassman just a couple of weeks ago.
The common advice given that we've heard are:
1-Avoid alcohol
2-Safety in numbers
3-Avoid situations where you're unnecessarily put at risk.
4-Be aware of your surroundings and if possible avoid being alone and vulnerable
5-Educate yourself with preventive measures
6-Enroll in a self defense class
 
That might have been the culture of the the Academy in the 90's, but in no way is that representative of the school now. If you want to talk about it, get material that is newer than 7 years old.
 
That might have been the culture of the the Academy in the 90's, but in no way is that representative of the school now. If you want to talk about it, get material that is newer than 7 years old.

Update us then O' enlightened one. Give us the latest. Help us out oldies.
 
Do sexual assaults happen? Yes, unfortunately they do.
Fortunately, the academy has prevention training and a strong response system. Cadets have access to several programs that are available 24/7 for help. They can choose to keep any incidents private, via Restricted Reporting (medical help and counseling provided, but no legal response) or initiate a full legal investigation, at their choice. The academy does prosecute, as evidenced by recent Courts Martial cases. (There are also several thousand cadets who tend to be protective of each other...and I definitely witnessed cadets preventing a possible incident involving some very drunk cadets and some overly friendly guys they met at a bar.)

Now, on the prevention side, there is training for all cadets, but I'll leave it at my observed points.
1. Associate with upstanding people. Very rarely do people get abused by people widely considered to be paragons of decency and respect. This is very subjective, but you should know it when you see it.
2. Don't booze it up at parties, especially if you don't follow point 1. Most incidents I've read about involved both parties being intoxicated, and usually one is "blackout drunk." If you are of age, feel free to have a couple drinks, but when you take it to the extreme, you put yourself at increased risk for a myriad of problems, including these kinds of crimes. The vast majority of serious cadet misconduct issues I saw involved intoxicated cadets.
 
There was a documentary called "The Invisible War" made in 2012.

It received the U.S. Documentary Audience Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

disclaimer - have not seen it

I can't post links so just google it
 
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That might have been the culture of the the Academy in the 90's, but in no way is that representative of the school now. If you want to talk about it, get material that is newer than 7 years old.

If you're talking about icarus's comment, it seems to be right on it.

Yes there are exceptions, but for the most part those steps will keep you pretty safe.

At some point you have to trust others. The VAST majority will honor that trust and trust you as well.

12% seems high to me though. I can't imagine 120 cases at CGA.
 
My daughter is a C3C and she does not fear for her safety! She loves these guys like brothers and trusts them with her life. That being said, she said that those women who do get taken advantage of are the "party" girls.
 
If you're talking about icarus's comment, it seems to be right on it.

Yes there are exceptions, but for the most part those steps will keep you pretty safe.

At some point you have to trust others. The VAST majority will honor that trust and trust you as well.

12% seems high to me though. I can't imagine 120 cases at CGA.

LITS, I think that the statistics in general are very difficult to confirm but some of the claims made in the movie are hard to fathom, i.e. 500,000 women raped in the US military!?. It just does not sound right me, it is counter to everything I ever knew. That said, I agree that there is a problem with how these cases are handled, often there are circumstances that make prosecution difficult, and the system has had some disappointing breakdowns that never should have happened.
 
LITS, I think that the statistics in general are very difficult to confirm but some of the claims made in the movie are hard to fathom, i.e. 500,000 women raped in the US military!?. It just does not sound right me, it is counter to everything I ever knew. That said, I agree that there is a problem with how these cases are handled, often there are circumstances that make prosecution difficult, and the system has had some disappointing breakdowns that never should have happened.

I had 200 classmates. I can't think of anyone (except the one who was Court Martialed) who would rape anyone, certainly not 24 rapists. It was a close class. When my classmate who was eventually found guilty of sodomy and extortion, people didn't rally around him. He was an outcast.

Now, honestly I can't think of a single friend would would rape someone, I'm not sure many people who associate with someone they thought could. I'm not saying it isn't a concern, it should be on any campus, but I just don't really think of it like that at CGA.

But then, I'm a white, married male who isn't in the barracks anymore. I'm guessing I had less to fear than my female classmates. But I'd also say, we were very protective of our classmates. Even now.
 
My daughter is a C3C and she does not fear for her safety! She loves these guys like brothers and trusts them with her life. That being said, she said that those women who do get taken advantage of are the "party" girls.

I'm with you on that.
 
Then there's the other side of the coin.....

The seven-month nightmare of Air Force Academy Cadet Edward Salazar is now over. The El Paso, Tex. native could have been shipped off to the Leavenworth DB for the rest of his life if "political correctness" had prevailed. But instead, a military tribunal of officers found the cadet innocent of a "rape" charge, unsupported by any evidence, and Salazar will be able to graduate and accept his commission as an officer, after all.

This is a story that could not have been told even one year ago, much less back in 2003, when the "sex scandals" at the Air Force Academy were front-page news.

Then, any male accused of "rape" or "indecent liberties" - guilty or innocent - was destined for destruction. Now, to their everlasting credit, the leadership and officers at the AFA, who searched for the truth instead of "getting out the rope," have restored some of our confidence that the pendulum of justice is at last swinging back from the "hang 'em all" mentality of recent years.

We wish to particularly commend AFA superintendent, Lt. Gen. John Regni, for his display of honor and integrity. He had the final authority to over-rule his investigating officer and demand Salazar's head on a platter. He took the more difficult and dangerous route. The general looked at the facts and refused to buckle under to what could have been the easy way out.

It is true the false accuser has graduated (without any punishment for her violations of Academy rules) and is now a second lieutenant. But at least her ex-boyfriend won't be spending the rest of his life behind bars for a "crime" he didn't commit.
 
It is true the false accuser has graduated (without any punishment for her violations of Academy rules) and is now a second lieutenant
Where is the justice in this?
 
Where is the justice in this?

Actually, it largely came out of the 2003 AFA issues. What they decided were, victims weren't coming forward for fear of being held accountable for doing things like, underage drinking.

So they said "come forward and tell us and you won't be punished for these other things."
 
Then there's the other side of the coin.....

This is my two cents from the law enforcement perspective. Sexual Assault is a tough offense to investigate. There is usually alcohol involved and nobody can really say what happened. There may be very limited physical evidence and it all may come down to he said/she said. A frustrating case to investigate when two futures hang in the balance.
 
Do sexual assaults happen? Yes, unfortunately they do.

Now, on the prevention side, there is training for all cadets, but I'll leave it at my observed points.
1. Associate with upstanding people. Very rarely do people get abused by people widely considered to be paragons of decency and respect. This is very subjective, but you should know it when you see it.
2. Don't booze it up at parties, especially if you don't follow point 1. Most incidents I've read about involved both parties being intoxicated, and usually one is "blackout drunk." If you are of age, feel free to have a couple drinks, but when you take it to the extreme, you put yourself at increased risk for a myriad of problems, including these kinds of crimes. The vast majority of serious cadet misconduct issues I saw involved intoxicated cadets.

:thumb:Agreed
As a military member, I have heard briefings about this issue many times and I'm only an A1C. People hear the advice more than they use it. I advocate the "wingman concept." Have a trustworthy friend with you. Also, the more who do not passively ignore such issues around you, the less likely it is to happen.
 
I would love to see the true statistics from a school like Penn State (Main campus up in Happy Valley), where excessive drinking, and likely drugs of all kinds, are the norms there on weekends, and even during the week.

Ladies, do not, ever, put yourself into a position where you could be in danger, if you can help it. Safety in numbers, and really, forget the booze! And don't get into cars with drunk drivers!
 
I am probably going to get jumped up and down upon for saying this, but not only do the 20something% of women at USAFA need to be mindful of their behavior, their associations, etc. in an environment where they are a significant minority, but the 80something% of men need to also be mindful of their own behavior, their associations, etc. when situations can degenerate. Men AND women need to watch their behavior when indulging in alcohol, and men need to be held responsible for inappropriate behavior just as women need to not put themselves in situations of risk. As JMC said before, it is often hard to get to the "truth" in these situations and just because a male cadet is "exonerated" doesn't mean there is a "false accuser" that gets off unscathed. Yes, I have a daughter, and my husband was in the first class of female cadets, Class of 80. We lecture her constantly about making sure she is not misunderstood and that she does not put herself in a risky situation. I expect the same from the men around her. I don't expect them to protect her, but I do expect that they understand boundaries and respect the women around them.
 
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