1/3rd of Women in US Military Raped

newsjunkiepost.com...

According to NPR, “In 2003, a survey of female veterans found that 30 percent said they were raped in the military. A 2004 study of veterans who were seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder found that 71 percent of the women said they were sexually assaulted or raped while serving. And a 1995 study of female veterans of the Gulf and earlier wars, found that 90 percent had been sexually harassed.”

The BBC recently reported on The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq by Helen Benedict. This book examines the extreme difficulties female soldiers have in serving abroad. Benedict interviewed several women in the military to get a deeper understanding of the issue, and some of their stories were real eye openers.

Army specialist Chantelle Henneberry spoke of some of her experiences in Iraq, “Everybody’s supposed to have a battle buddy in the army, and females are supposed to have one to go to the latrines with, or to the showers – that’s so you don’t get raped by one of the men on your own side. But because I was the only female there, I didn’t have a battle buddy. My battle buddy was my gun and my knife.”

Are we our own worst enemy? There seems to be some deep seated problems in the military that are not being addressed. Has this war itself created more causalities than the enemy?

PTSD, suicides, depression etc.
usmilitary.about.com...
www.nj.com...

When you train men to be unquestioning killing machines, that's exactly what you get.

Are humans meant to be this way? Of course not.

Therefore, you will get adverse effects - one of which is sexual depravity and mal-behaviour.

Soldiers also need to be psychologically assessed better - especially in the US military.

Parallex.

[edit on 27-1-2010 by Parallex]

LADIES, welcome to the New World Order in all its glory!

Interesting to consider, isn't it, that the people that the Americans are fighting are exactly the people whose religious beliefs are that a rapist should be not only be castrated, but have the whole damn cluster sliced off.

...And this is who you are fighting, and instead supporting an army who don't give a damn?

That's one heck of a statistic.

...And these guys are trained to protect civilization and democracy?

Interesting.

Note: the same people who develop the military's training programs and curricula also run the country. Which has similar problems. ...Think there might be a connection?




ed to add note



[edit on 27-1-2010 by soficrow]

Originally posted by Parallex
When you train men to be unquestioning killing machines, that's exactly what you get.

Bull. Don't you think this line of logic removes some of the culpability of the men?

Are humans meant to be this way? Of course not.

Therefore, you will get adverse effects - one of which is sexual depravity and mal-behaviour.

Soldiers also need to be psychologically assessed better - especially in the US military.

Parallex.

You'd be hard pressed to "screen" for something like this, but yes humans ARE this way.

I also seriously doubt the statistic.

This is not a problem exclusive to the U.S. military. It’s a known part of military behavior throughout history. Hiding the women when the enemy comes is a documented necessity all the way back to the times of the Assyrian Empire. Even the Bible talks about women being carried off by victorious armies. History has proven that women are always one of the most desired spoils of war. Putting women into the military just eliminated the problem of capturing women for the troops.

Many predicted that this sort of thing would happen with the mixing of sexes in the armed forces. Groups of young men who are naturally aggressive and then trained to be even more aggressive and then exposed to great stress are going to act upon their basest instincts. Having women readily available for them was a disastrous idea.

This is a prime example of ‘enlightened’ thinkers believing that they can overcome primal human behavior with well intentioned concepts like ‘equal-opportunity’ and ‘diversity’. The whole thing just shows what happens when people who have no concept of war and human behavior believe that a policy can change reality.

That's an amazing statistic. I've known many military women. None of them seem like the type that would take rape on the chin and keep on truckin' like nothing has happened.

I've often listened to NPR. Many of their stories preach the evils of the military industrial complex as well as the evils of America. Many of their stories have statistics.

I've often heard statistics. They come in 67.3% of stories I've read. 8 out of 10 people believe them. 43% of statistics are unprovable. 89% of statistics are to reinforce a point that everyone knows must be true but can't be proven because either there is no proof or no one's talking. Oh, and 100% of these statistics are made up.

Next time you see a woman in the military, ask her if she's been raped and how many times. After you regain consciousness, be sure to ask at least two more -- those two must be the ones raped.

The story references unnamed studies, and there are two links, one talking about post traumatic stress syndrome and the other domestic violence. But hey, if we all hate the military and men enough, that'll make this true, right?

Originally posted by KrazyJethro


I also seriously doubt the statistic.

I doubt the statistic also. I think the incidence of rape is under reported.
Apparently the military sweeps the real statistics under the rug, dosen't really punish the offenders so what's the point of women even reporting it.

www.inthesetimes.com...

It's a brave new world; welcome to the monkey house!!!

Originally posted by junglejake


The story references unnamed studies, and there are two links, one talking about post traumatic stress syndrome and the other domestic violence. But hey, if we all hate the military and men enough, that'll make this true, right?

This thread isn't about hating the military. Why did you assume that.

Sweeping problems under the rug and not addressing them is much more hurtful to the troops than honest evaluation of errors made past and present.



[edit on 27-1-2010 by whaaa]

This was already covered a couple of times recently........just star and flag fests. If, and I say if the numbers were that high, it would be all over the MSM. They take great delight in trying to embarress the US military every chance they get. Also, I think a few womens organizations would have more than a little to say. I'm not saying rapes don't occur in the military, after all, the people in the military come from all portions of society, but really, 1 out of 3?

the army is like vegas, what happens in the army stays in the army. I would be surprised by people surprised by this story. What the hell do you think all those stressed out, traumatized, demoralized, unguided (in a sense of purpose) souls will do in their spare time? I'm sure rape stands amongst a pillar of other issues.

PS I have only respect for the men and women serving our country, I don't agree with the leadership and hidden goals they operate under. Even the best men n women can be turned upside down in a crazy world.

[edit on 27-1-2010 by Vicious Jones]

[edit on 27-1-2010 by Vicious Jones]

reply to post by whaaa


Making up problems and then freaking out about them is more so.

Did you know that 67% of people who post on ATS will murder their mothers? I didn't, either, but we had better address it because it's just been written!

making up a "fact", then, unable to prove it, saying it's evil not to address the core of the issue is deplorable. I just said that, because you are the type of person to post on ATS, you're also the type of person to commit matricide. Just like the article is saying that, if you're the type of guy to join the military, you're the type of guy who will rape women.

Now, we all have to get into counseling because I just read that we're pretty likely to kill our mothers, and I love mine and would never want to do that. However, a statistic is a statistic, and you can't argue with numbers...

It's absolutely disgusting what these barbaric extremist terrorist inhuman Muslim people do to their women in their military. First they slap them about then rape them and then lash them!

What is wrong with these muslim terrorist people idk?

They should look at how we respect and treat women in the US military.

Originally posted by passenger
This is not a problem exclusive to the U.S. military. It’s a known part of military behavior throughout history. Hiding the women when the enemy comes is a documented necessity all the way back to the times of the Assyrian Empire. Even the Bible talks about women being carried off by victorious armies. History has proven that women are always one of the most desired spoils of war. Putting women into the military just eliminated the problem of capturing women for the troops.

True. There's a reason "rape and pillage" is a known phrase.

I've heard, that men have the ability or go into a type of "battle" mode when angry or in these positions. Physically, blood flows away from the head and into the body. The brain operates the body almost automatically and the body has more blood to rampage.

This is also why men make less sense when they get angry.

Many predicted that this sort of thing would happen with the mixing of sexes in the armed forces. Groups of young men who are naturally aggressive and then trained to be even more aggressive and then exposed to great stress are going to act upon their basest instincts. Having women readily available for them was a disastrous idea.

This is a prime example of ‘enlightened’ thinkers believing that they can overcome primal human behavior with well intentioned concepts like ‘equal-opportunity’ and ‘diversity’. The whole thing just shows what happens when people who have no concept of war and human behavior believe that a policy can change reality.

I have serious issues with women in the military, but only for practical reasons. The way I see it, there is really only 2 options.

1) Women are not allowed into the military at all. This would be quite a nice way to simplify the issues involved here, among others.

2) Women and men are allowed to do any job in equal opportunity, provided they can meet a UNIFORM standard. There is no differentiation between the two sexes.

Both are offered sterilizing/birth control medication. Any woman found to be pregnant is automatically discharged along with the man who impregnated her (if known).

This would require a massive overhaul of the (stupid) American social framework. In all honesty, I would prefer number 2 where all people really were equal.

Women and men are not equal in America.

[edit on 27-1-2010 by KrazyJethro]

I recall when i was stationed in colorado springs several years ago, at the air force academy. There was a serious investigation going on there, because during an anonymous poll, almost 50% of women there disclosed being raped. There was actually a hazing procedure at the time, where the guys would grab a random girl walking down the hall, drag her in their room and rape them as initiation. It was all over the news at the time I was there, but we have pretty short memories. And this was at the academy....not even in war situations, more like college type environment, so it cant really be blamed on war trauma or berserker syndrome.

reply to post by Vicious Jones


I am with you on this. How many other crimes do soldiers commit that also go unreported?

How many are doing or dealign drugs? Having affairs? I dunno, you name it.


You don't hear aobut any of it because it there is an unofficial code.

Now here is where I knock over the cart of apples.


The incidence of male on male attacks, harrassment,and rape is extremely high in the military. Population of sexes considered.

Fact is, when you group a bunch of people who have to live with each other 24/7 for months to years at a time in a strange place, things are gonna happen.

I, as a female, wnated to join the military. I was rejected. I also knew full well the ramifications, and possibilities, upon doing so.

It doens't make it right. But I believe the women are prepared.

You don't think they don't tell the women the horrific things that could happen to them if ever POW?

So if American soldiers treat their own kind like animals - just how exactly do they view thew rest of the world.

This is exactly what breeeds hostility towards America.

reply to post by mr-lizard


What I'm thinking is that these men in the Military.

Will be released in the General Population sometime.

Originally posted by Sean48
reply to post by mr-lizard

 

What I'm thinking is that these men in the Military.

Will be released in the General Population sometime.

Even worse than that: These men are released into someone else population with weapons !!