I just got done reading and commenting on the diary making the (false) claim that the military charges for rape kits. Apparently it was debunked (title uncorrected), and quite frankly, I question the motive of the diary.
It seemed to me more like an intentional jab against our veterans disguised as a pro-veteran diary laced with... "concern." Yes the quotations denote an accusation of concern trolling of the worst sort.
My posted reply was lengthy enough that I thought I would open up a real discussion about the issue, as well as make the obvious correction that the author refuses to make.
First, I find it extraordinarily hard to believe the military charges women for rape kits. In fact, I'll just say it... I don't believe it. Of course, IF it turned out to be true I would find it outrageous.
(Snip) It is actually debunked here:
http://regulations.justia.com/...
SUMMARY: This proposed rule implements section 701 of the John Warner
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, Public Law
109-364. Section 701 amends Chapter 55 of title 10 section 1079(a) of
the U.S.C. by authorizing coverage for forensic examinations following
a sexual assault or domestic violence for eligible beneficiaries. This
authorizes forensic examinations following sexual assault or domestic
violence provided in civilian health care facilities (e.g., civilian
rape crisis facilities), which is consistent with the services that are
authorized in Military Medical Treatment Facilities for all
beneficiaries who were victims of a sexual assault or domestic
violence.
If you read through my past posts and diaries you can clearly see I'm not some macho-military meat-head that is going to blindly defend anything military related. I'm a staunch Democrat and I consider myself socially liberal.
Now I will leave this disclaimer. I'm a male so I can't speak from personal experience as to what it's like to be a female in the armed forces. But from my own (non-female) perspective I do not see the "nowhere to turn" mentality at all if a woman is sexually assaulted. There are TONS of resources for cases of sexual assault as well as sexual discrimination, i.e. the Inspector General, Equal Opportunity Representatives, etc. As leaders we receive regular training in what to if a person makes a complaint, All Soldiers receive training in what constitutes sexual harassment, sexual assault and sexual discrimination.
Now, it is possible for individual units to have a "code of silence" (an accusation I've heard before) but such a thing can easily result in great peril for everyone involved. The victim (any Soldier really) can pick up the phone or visit the office of the Inspector General. If I knew of an accusation and I tried to bury it, I would be up shit creek without a paddle. Hell, they could call the military police with the same affect.
Before I came back to the 82nd Airborne I did one tour of (involuntary) Recruiter Duty. I experienced the typical protesters and I've seen a number of "anti-recruiting" fliers with "facts", most of which are extremely misleading or outright lies. Just one example; one flier stated that Hispanics are underrepresented in the Officer ranks and overrepresented in the Enlisted ranks. To them this was "evidence" of racial discrimination. I would need to validate the numbers myself, but if true, that's absurd. You have to factor in that being an Officer requires a college degree, figure out (on a percentage basis) how many Hispanics vs Caucasians have one, how many of each apply, then factor in any other dynamics that are involved. ALL of them spoke about how horrible it is for women in the military.
Where I do know of potential problems is in the area of Recruiting and Drill Sergeants. On several occasions I've heard stories about Drill Sergeants getting in trouble for sexual relations with trainees and likewise Recruiters with applicants. And yes, sometimes they do involve females in power positions with males, although, I would bet the farm that is far less frequent.
And now you also have the issue of false accusations. Before you start throwing stones (if you haven't already) allow me to explain. I recognize that rape and sexual assault are real, it does happen it is devastating to the victim. I have absolutely no sympathy for whatever happens to any asshole who does it. But I also think false accusations are more common than one might think. I personally know a guy who, at a party, met some girl and they had sex. Her boyfriend found out about it and she cried "rape." He called the police and she went along with the story. To make a long story short the police did a thorough investigation and found the determined they charge was unfounded. My friend's life was turned upside down from that and nothing happened to the woman. No charges, nothing. I've heard similar stories from other men. In fact, I went to the Warrior Leader Course at Fort Sill, OK and I guy in my class is an army Licensed Practical Nurse. According to him "more than half" of the cases that are brought to him end up bogus, often tied to a pissed off boyfriend or husband.
The point of the last issue is NOT "women are liars." It's that false accusations DO happen. Many men (like me) either know someone it's happened to or had it happen to them. False accusations not only destroy the life of the accused, but it also hurts every single woman who really is victimized. And it's something that is seldom talked about. Hell, the Duke LaCross team is another example.
This subject is very important and convoluted, and it's worth examining in depth. But since I've seen a lot of ridiculous "doom and gloom" fliers about life in the military, I tend to take information with a grain of salt unless it's a statistic from an official source.
And one last thing, being that the military is dominated by young males (who tend to be more aggressive than women) I don't doubt that sexual assault may happen more frequently than in the general public. I would be open to seeing official statistics, and also how those stats compare to colleges, etc.
Now here's an open ended question. What should the military do on this issue that it isn't already doing? I'm open to ideas.