Military Masculinity

Throughout the world, deviant acts and social controls are committed everyday. An incredibly significant one that is often unreported is sexual assault within the military. Sexual assault is already determined as an extremely deviant act throughout the world. All acts of rape and other abusive acts should never be dismissed or ignored, but rape within the military is often not reported or recognized. If it is brought to light, the victims are generally in fear of losing their positions, rankings, homes, relationships with their spouses and families, etc…. This is not to state that men are not also victims of sexual assault, but women are much more prone and vulnerable to being attacked and harassed. I will be focusing on the female victims of military assault in this paper.

Women have been sexually harassed and assaulted in the work force for years, and for many years, the US Army has been dealing with this enormous and overwhelming issue, through the help of their agency known as the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP). In the US Army regulation 600-20, Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond T Odierno, States the purpose, “This regulation prescribes the policies and responsibilities of command, which include the Well-being of the force, military discipline, and conduct, the Army Equal Opportunity (EO) Program, and the Army Sexual Assault Victim Program.“ For a long time, the Army’s EOP Equal Opportunity

Whether or whether not women speak up, doesn’t change the fact that it is happening in the military. Women in general deal with the effects of sexual trauma, but military women may have to re-live it on a day to day basis. As quoted in the article, perpetrators are typically other military personnel, and victims often must continue to live and work with their assailants daily (para. 5). Because of the seriousness of MST, each VA hospital now has a designated coordinator to oversee MST screening and treatment (para. 5). The authors purpose is ultimately to study the VHA’S MST program. It provides the opportunity to investigate the screenings for sexual violence (para. 2). It is very important that women with MST are able to get some type of help, and medication for the after effects of the traumatic experiences they endured while in the

In “The Invisible War,” it is noted that “women who have been raped in the military have a PTSD rate higher than men who have been in combat” (The Invisible War, 2012). The impact that military sexual assault has on victims is tremendous. Both physical and mental trauma are common, and they play a significant role in how victims of sexual assault are able to return to their daily lives.

Other concerns include the way individuals are treated based on race, gender, and other factors (Singer, 2000; Solomon, 1984). With more women in the Army today, there are concerns about rape and sexual harassment. There are also concerns regarding trust, because some types of soldiers do not feel comfortable trusting their lives to other types of soldiers. While this should not be the case, it often is - and it can be a serious problem because trust is vital for

Erdreich, B. L., Slavet, B. S., & Amador, A. C.. Sexual harassment in the federal workplace: Trends, progress, continuing challenges. 1995

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military. The number of attacks for rape and sexual assault in the military are at an all-time high. Women have recently been allowed to fight on the front line. While this may be a huge achievement for women-kind, for this woman, it is a very scary thought. I am a junior at Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences; a school geared towards students wishing to enter the medical field. I may be forced to join the military one day if a war breaks out and women are needed to protect the country. I would be happy to serve my country if I did not have to be scared of my fellow soldiers. Rape and sexual assault are major issues in the military and

A service member’s emotional and psychological issues are not like malfunctions of a piece of equipment and must not be treated as a troubleshooting problem in a technical manual. And yet this seems to be the only way the military, as a whole, knows how to address the issue of a service members mental health. It requires a holistic approach that is not currently embraced by the military. Historically, the military has been ill-equipped to handle the shifting nature of the psychological issues created by introducing a service member to the battlefield.

Abstract The purpose of this essay is to discuss the grave issue of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Army. It explains the steps I would take as a leader in the event of a sexual assault in my squad or platoon. It discusses the resources available for the victim and possible outcomes for the victim and the accused Soldier. Finally, it describes the actions I would take if the victim was a male, or if the victim and accused were the same gender. Guidance on how to assist the victim was taken from the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention

Our country is currently served by the American military that is comprised of a set of armed forces, whose sole purpose is the protection of our people and our freedom. Within these systems soldiers are taught to work together as a team trusting one another with their lives, while being guided by the core values that are inevitably embed within each service member creating a sense of moral and ethics that distinguishes each member as a true guardian of our country. Although this is so, unfortunately within these governmental systems this sense of comradery is tarnished when individuals that serve face the potential dangers of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). According to the Federal law Title 38 United States Code 1720D and the Department of Veteran Affairs military sexual trauma is defined as “Psychological trauma as a result from a physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment which occurred while the Veteran was serving on active duty or active duty for training” (Department of Veteran Affairs, 2014).

The military has become the epicenter for rape and abuse of women, all of which military officials have swept aside with all too little concern. Case after case of rape and sexual harassment are dismissed with little to no investigation made. The women of the military live scared of their male superiors and colleagues, and what they might do. Victims of sexual harassment or rape often see their pursuers honorably discharged and returned to society with no criminal record.

In the past, military news typically evolved tragic training incidents or deaths during overseas combat. However, over the last several years many incidents involving military personnel and sexual assault have made headlines across the United States. Military women and men have brought to light the lack of justice for victims of sexual assault, and the prevalence of such attacks. Questions arise as to why victims do not report incidents or seek assistance when they are physically or sexually assaulted. Many reasons are due to how the system of reporting is established within the military, retaliation and further re-victimization within the chain of command. Modifications to the current system have begun within the Department of Defense and

Midshipmen were asked whether issues of sexual assault received the same emphasis as other issues and ways to change the culture to reduce inappropriate behaviors.

Finally, the military’s deep sense of personal control and strength can have many survivors of MST questioning their personal identity with these traits after the incident(s) of MST and these thoughts can be amplified is survivors of MST are labeled as weak (Bell, Dardie, Vento, & Street, 2017).

Examining sexual harassment complaints may involve intrusive investigations into the victim’s past, potentially exacerbating feelings of victimization. Furthermore, re-victimization may occur in the form of peers avoiding the victim, causing her to feel isolated. Retaliation is another potential repercussion of reporting harassment, representing another form of re-victimization. Pershing (2003), who examined experiences of sexual harassment among women in the United States Naval Academy found that women highlighted two consequence of filing grievances which prevented reporting, including a perception that nothing would be done, and the possibility of negative repercussions including social ostracism and retaliation. As a consequence of reporting sexual harassment, 74% of women reported that the victim would be viewed as a ‘crybaby,’ 57% believed the victim would be shunned by others, 59% had a fear of reprisal, and 36% believed they would receive negative performance evaluations. Pershing (2003) cites a case from the United States Naval Academy in which the victim filed a sexual harassment report that was later dropped due to a lack of evidence; however, despite the incident being dropped the victim experienced retaliation from her peers in the form of social isolation and name calling. In the United States military, few women use the military’s formal or informal grievance