Huge number, the military seems completely unable to stem the tide of abuse.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/20/18375741-major-damage-as-huge-tornado-rips-through-neighborhoods-south-of-oklahoma-city?lite
QuoteWASHINGTON — New government figures underscore the staggering long-term consequences of military sexual assaults: More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness linked to the abuse, and 4,000 sought disability benefits.
The Department of Veterans Affairs' accounting, released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press, shows a heavy financial and emotional cost that affects several generations of veterans and lasts long after a victim leaves the service. Sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment can trigger a variety of health problems, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. While women are more likely to be victims, men made up nearly 40 percent of the patients the VA treated for conditions connected to what it calls "military sexual trauma."
It took years for Ruth Moore of Milbridge, Maine, to begin getting treatment from a VA counseling center in 2003 – 16 years after she was raped twice while she was stationed in Europe with the Navy. She continues to get counseling at least monthly for PTSD linked to the attacks and is also considered fully disabled.
"We can't cure me, but we can work on stability in my life and work on issues as they arrive," Moore said.
VA officials stress that any veteran who claims to have suffered military sexual trauma has access to free health care.
"It really is the case that a veteran can simply walk through the door, say they've had this experience, and we will get them hooked up with care. There's no documentation required. They don't need to have reported it at the time," said Dr. Margret Bell, a member of the VA's military sexual trauma team.
However, the hurdles are steeper for those who seek disability compensation – too steep for some veterans groups and lawmakers who support legislation designed to make it easier for veterans to get a monthly disability payment.
"Right now, the burden of proof is stacked against sexual trauma survivors," said Anu Bhagwati, executive director of the Service Women's Action Network. "Ninety percent of 26,000 cases last year weren't even reported. So where is that evidence supposed to come from?"
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has said reducing the incidence of sexual assaults in the military is a top priority. But it's a decades-old problem with no easy fix, as made even more apparent when an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office was arrested recently on sexual battery charges.
"We will not stop until we've seen this scourge, from what is the greatest military in the world, eliminated," Obama said after summoning top Pentagon officials to the White House last week to talk about the problem. "Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be."
The VA says 1 in 5 women and 1 in 100 men screen positive for military sexual trauma, which the VA defines as "any sexual activity where you are involved against your will." Some report that they were victims of rape, while others say they were groped or subjected to verbal abuse or other forms of sexual harassment.
But not all those veterans seek health care or disability benefits related to the attacks. The 85,000 who sought outpatient care linked to military sexual trauma during the latest fiscal year are among nearly 22 million veterans around the country.
The VA statistics underscore that the problems for victims of sexual abuse do not end when someone leaves the service.
Psychological issues, including PTSD, depression and anxiety, are most common, according to the agency. Victims also can develop substance abuse problems.
Some victims like Moore are so disabled that they are unable to work. Others need ongoing care at VA outpatient clinics and hospitals.
In the final six months of 2011, an average of 248 veterans per month filed for disability benefits related to sexual trauma. The VA said the numbers increased by about a third, to 334 veterans per month in 2012, which officials attributed in part to better screening for the ongoing trauma associated with sexual assault. Of those who filed in 2012, about two-thirds were women and nearly a third were men.
"We do a lot more awareness, and as we educate everyone on the potential benefits and that it's OK to come forward, I think you see an increase in reporting," said Edna MacDonald, director of the VA's regional office in Nashville.
To get disability benefits related to sexual trauma, veterans must be diagnosed with a health problem such as PTSD, submit proof that they were assaulted or sexually harassed in a threatening manner and have a VA examiner confirm a link to their health condition.
Many lawmakers and veterans groups support allowing a veteran's statement alone to serve as the proof that an assault or harassment occurred. An examiner would still have to find there's a link to the health condition diagnosed.
The VA's records indicate that veterans seeking compensation related to military sexual trauma had about a 1 in 2 chance of getting their claim approved last year, up from about 34 percent in June 2011.
The VA does not break out the cost of treating and compensating individual veterans for sexual abuse or trauma. A veteran's combination of disabilities is unique to each individual, so it's not able to attribute specific spending levels for individual disabilities.
Benefits depend on the severity of the disability. For example, a veteran with a 50 percent rating and no dependents would get $810 a month. A veteran with a 100 percent rating and a spouse and child to support would get nearly $3,088 a month.
Moore estimates the government's cost for her disability benefits and treatment could well exceed $500,000 over the course of her lifetime. She said she had first sought treatment from the VA in 1991, but was originally denied care. She eventually started getting care through a VA counseling center in 2003. She blames the time lapse for exacerbating the degree of her PTSD, and the expense to the federal government.
"If I had received treatment in 1991, I would not be, or likely not be fully disabled now in 2013," Moore said. "... Literally, my brain has been remapped and there's a lot of brain damage that goes along with my injury."
It wasn't until June 2011 that the VA began recording monthly disability claims related specifically to military sexual trauma. Veterans file claims for conditions that are a result of the trauma, not for MST itself, which made it particularly difficult to track. The VA came up with a special process for doing so in 2010.
There's no time limit to filing a claim. "We have veterans who call our help line who have been assaulted way back in time. They're still suffering from the effects of World War II or Vietnam. I wish I were exaggerating," said Bhagwati, whose organization advocates for female veterans.
The VA's undersecretary for benefits, Allison Hickey, a 27-year veteran and former Air Force general, has required all workers handling disability claims to undergo sensitivity training in dealing with military sexual trauma.
Hickey also assembled a task force to review the claims process for veterans claiming sexual assault or harassment while serving in the military. The group looked at 400 claims and determined that nearly a quarter were denied before all the evidence was presented. That led to another training program on the evidence needed or establishing a PTSD claim connected to military sexual trauma. The approval rate is now much closer, though still slightly behind that for other PTSD claims.
Even though the VA's statistics indicate that a greater percentage of military sexual trauma victims are getting benefits, lawmakers believe more action is required.
"If half of them are being denied their claims, that's still a lot of people, said Rep. Chellie Pingree. Pingree and Sen. Jon Tester are the lead sponsors of the legislation that would allow the veteran's word to serve as sufficient proof that an assault occurred. The legislation is named after Moore, who spent years fighting for disability benefits.
The VA originally opposed Pingree's bill, saying the legislation didn't allow for the minimal evidence "needed to maintain the integrity of the claims process." But VA spokesman Josh Taylor said Thursday that there's been a change of heart and that the VA no longer opposes the legislation.
"VA supports the goals of the legislation, and will continue to work with Congress on the best approach to accomplish it," Taylor said.
An amended version of Pingree's bill passed the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs two weeks ago and could go to the full House as early as this week.
Veterinarians treated for sexual assault? :huh: I don't want to know. :x
Quote from: DGuller on May 20, 2013, 05:33:26 PM
Veterinarians treated for sexual assault? :huh: I don't want to know. :x
Sexual assault reaches into every office and every home. It is an epidemic that touches you now whether you want to admit it or not. :o
There's gotta be a way to pin this on Hillary Clinton. Definitely Obama, what with being an absentee Commander-in-Chief and all.
Hillary Clinton is married to a rapist.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on May 20, 2013, 05:41:23 PM
Definitely Obama, what with being an absentee Commander-in-Chief and all.
It it appear to be the case on other matters. His back pocket news agencies, CNN and MSNBC are letting him down.
:lol: C'mon, motherfucker's picking drone targets like LBJ used to approve every bombing target.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on May 20, 2013, 06:00:16 PM
:lol: C'mon, motherfucker's picking drone targets like LBJ used to approve every bombing target.
I'll give him a plus for "Avid Wargamer"
:lol: Dick.
Quote from: 11B4V on May 20, 2013, 06:05:31 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on May 20, 2013, 06:00:16 PM
:lol: C'mon, motherfucker's picking drone targets like LBJ used to approve every bombing target.
I'll give him a plus for "Avid Wargamer"
I bet he uses plotted movement for SFB.
I didn't know bestiality was that widespread in the animal husbandry business, or for that matter so dangerous.
Timmay "vet" really. :rolleyes:
Quote from: 11B4V on May 20, 2013, 06:53:10 PM
Timmay "vet" really. :rolleyes:
Look, I couldn't fit the whole thing in so compromises had to be made.
That's what she said. :perv:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on May 20, 2013, 08:54:04 PM
Quote from: 11B4V on May 20, 2013, 06:53:10 PM
Timmay "vet" really. :rolleyes:
Look, I couldn't fit the whole thing in so compromises had to be made.
That's what she said. :perv:
Just not to you.
Zing!
Problems of a diffent sort.
QuoteMarine Corps commandant, legal staff targeted in IG complaint
Major alleges brass manipulated legal system, showed favoritism
May. 19, 2013 - 06:00AM |
By Andrew deGrandpre
and Dan Lamothe
The top Marine general and four of his legal advisers are implicated in a complaint to the Defense Department Inspector General charging they inappropriately inserted themselves into the prosecution of cases stemming from the infamous video showing scout snipers urinating on dead insurgents in Afghanistan.
The complaint, filed by Marine Maj. James Weirick, an attorney assigned to Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., alleges Commandant Gen. Jim Amos, or others acting on his behalf, deliberately sought to manipulate the legal process, effectively stacking the deck against the scout snipers in the video.
Weirick's complaint, a copy of which was obtained by Marine Corps Times, also alleges Amos showed preferential treatment to ensure the promotion of then-Maj. James B. Conway, the son of Amos' predecessor as commandant, retired Gen. James T. Conway. Conway was executive officer of the scout snipers' unit, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines.
According to the complaint, Conway was initially placed on administrative hold once the video became public in January 2012. But while the unit's commander, Lt. Col. Christopher Dixon, remained on administrative hold, Conway's hold was released last year, after the case was discussed during an executive offsite meeting of the Corps' top leaders, according to emails obtained by Marine Corps Times.
He was allowed to move from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Marine Corps Base Hawaii in July 2012, and eventually took a coveted assignment as a battalion commander. Dixon remains on hold today, nearly a year later.
The complaint complicates an already sticky situation for Amos and the Corps, and will likely figure in the court-martial proceedings pending for two North Carolina-based Marines charged in connection to the urination video: Capt. James Clement and Sgt. Robert Richards.
At least six other Marines have been disciplined for their roles in the July 2011 urination incident, which exploded in a firestorm of controversy, at home and around the world, when it went viral on YouTube.Among the strongest reactions came from Amos himself, who launched into a tour around the Corps to deliver his "Heritage Brief," in which he condemned the acts in the video, stressed the importance of ethical behavior and accountability, and pressed for aggressive responses to misbehavior.
The brief later became fodder for dozens of defense motions in all sorts of criminal cases, as defense attorneys charged it amounted to command influence in their clients' cases.
Spokesmen for the IG, Lynne Halbrooks, and the commandant declined to comment on the complaint.
But a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon provided a brief statement in response to questions.
"It would be inappropriate for the Marine Corps to comment on allegations specifically related to ongoing DoD IG complaints or investigations," the statement reads. "There are DoD prohibitions on providing anyone with the status and/or action(s) taken on any allegation."
Swapping generals
Trouble began Feb. 10, 2012, one month after the urination video surfaced, Weirick alleges. Amos, unsatisfied with the approach taken by the three-star general overseeing the urination case, made a change, the complaint says.
Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, who at the time was commanding Marine Corps Forces Central Command, initially had control of the case. This was logical, as MARCENT oversees operations in Afghanistan and routinely serves as the convening authority in judicial matters tied to the war zone.
According to Guy Womack, the civilian defense attorney representing Sgt. Richards, Waldhauser was preparing to meet with his client when Amos made the switch.
Waldhauser intended to offer Richards nonjudicial punishment, Womack said.
Said Rachael Richards, the sergeant's wife: "We had everything lined up to fly out on Valentine's Day to meet with the general to receive his punishment. Then everything changed, and the Heritage Brief started soon after."
Weirick's complaint contends that once Amos learned Waldhauser intended to impose only modest punishments, the commandant reassigned the case to Marine Corps Combat Development Command and Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, Weirick's commanding general.
A day before that change, a photo emerged showing other scout snipers in Afghanistan, some scruffy and in violation of uniform standards, posing with a Nazi "SS" flag. That incensed the commandant, who issued an apology "on behalf of the Marine Corps and all Marines."
Soon after, Amos delivered his Heritage Brief for the first of 27 times, addressing thousands of officers and staff noncommissioned officers all around the world over the next several months.His presentation included images from the urination video — which Weirick's complaint cites as an unfair use of evidence from an ongoing criminal trial — and references to his personal opinion about the case. According to Weirick's complaint, the commandant said it was "behavior unbecoming a Marine."
That, the complaint alleges, "makes it almost impossible for any of the accused to receive a fair trial."
Womack, Richards' defense attorney, also contends it was inappropriate to move the case from Waldhauser to Mills.
"The commandant had no business and no right to interfere," he argues. "If the general for MARCENT can be trusted to fight a war for the Marine Corps — the most important job in the Corps right now — certainly the commandant can trust him to handle an NJP."
Classified material
The IG complaint alleges the commandant's legal advisers sought to classify evidence assembled in the investigation in an effort to "prevent or delay the disclosure of information before court-martial, to conceal violations of law, and prevent embarrassment to the United States Marine Corps."
The complaint alleges that the commandant's legal team ignored the recommendations of Weirick, his supervisor and four civilian security specialists employed by the Corps, whom the complaint describes as experts on classification matters.
Citing the same issues, Weirick also filed a report last month to the Department of the Navy Central Adjudication Facility, part of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service responsible for determining eligibility for security clearance. In it, he requests the agency determine whether the commandant's lawyers, Col. Joseph Bowe, and civilians Robert Hogue and Peter Delorier, still merit their security clearances, and whether "they still possess the requisite reliability and trustworthiness such that entrusting them with access to classified information is clearly consistent with the interests of national security."
In the report, Weirick alleges that on Feb. 27, 2012, Mills and his team were directed to classify the urination video along with several other videos showing Marines behaving inappropriately during that deployment. "Col. Bowe iterated that the investigation was to be classified and that this direction was coming directly from Gen. [Joseph] Dunford, then Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps."
At the time, the report states, Weirick protested on several grounds: The videos were "freely exchanged" among Marines, making it impossible to account for all the duplicates; Mills lacked the authority to classify the materials because, as the head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, he is not an "original classification authority" — meaning he can't order the material classified even if he wanted to; and finally, that the videos posed no direct harm to national security.
That last point is debatable. U.S. forces in Afghanistan were on high alert that week in the wake of deadly protests provoked by reports that personnel at Bagram Air Base had inadvertently burned copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, and other religious materials. Riots throughout the country left hundreds wounded or dead, including at least four U.S. troops. So offensive materials in the wrong hands could have been viewed as potentially dangerous.
Mills' legal team approached Marine Corps Systems Command, the only post at Quantico with classification authority, but officials there said they would be uncomfortable getting involved, according to Weirick's report.
Two days later, Weirick's supervisor, then-Lt. Col. Jesse Gruter, informed Bowe that Mills was willing to keep the material "unclassified/for-official-use-only," the report says.
"But we understand that's not our determination to make," Gruter told Bowe in an email included in Weirick's report. "If CMC directs that it be classified, we will forward the investigation."
That was inconsequential. Lt. Gen. Richard Tryon, deputy commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations at the Pentagon, had already signed a memorandum classifying the videos and investigation. Emails exchanged between the Corps' civilian security specialists disputed Tryon's decision on the grounds that it offered no reason for the classification, as required.
Weirick's objections, and those of the civilian security specialists, went unanswered, the report says.
Then, last June, Weirick petitioned a classification authority outside the Marine Corps. Army Maj. Gen. Karl Horst, chief of staff at U.S. Central Command, reviewed the investigation and the videos and "properly declassified" them, Weirick's report claims.
"This was, in no way, an unintentional misclassification or simple mistake," Weirick's report alleges. "This was a coordinated effort to circumvent the proper classification procedures. ... These individuals purposefully avoided any input or advice from security personnel in order to wrongfully classify this information."
Womack called the classification issue a "minor impediment." It slowed, but did not stop, him from accessing the information he needs to formulate a defense for Richards, he said. As a retired Marine officer, Womack said he has top secret clearance — even now as a civilian. He had to wait for his clearance to be reinstated, he said.
The urination video and several others were shown during Richards' Article 32 hearing at Camp Lejeune in March. They included footage of the scout snipers riding on top of tanks with the bodies of the three men on whom they had urinated earlier, Richards throwing a grenade over a 10-foot-wall and a grenade launcher that appeared to have accidentally discharged due to malfunction.
The former commandant's son
Weirick also alleges in his complaint that Amos "may also have engaged in selective prosecution" in the case, pointing out that Conway was promoted to his current rank and allowed to take a new assignment while other officers in the unit remain in limbo.
James B. Conway, then a major, reported for duty as the XO in June 2010. He served under Dixon during the unit's deployment from February to August 2011. Conway received a Bronze Star for meritorious service in Afghanistan. His award citation credits him with performing "all duties of the Executive Officer in a superior fashion," and overseeing operations in Musa Qala district while Dixon focused on neighboring Now Zad, where 3/2 Marines also operated.
"His greatest contribution was his ability to act as the Battalion Commander for extended periods and assume command and control of the Musa Qal'eh [Musa Qala] District, which encompasses two-thirds of the battalion's combat power," the citation said of Conway. "The result allowed the Battalion Commander to focus on the failing governance of Now Zad District in order to improve Afghan performance, preparing it for transition to full Afghan control."
The urination video was shot in Sandala, a village in Musa Qala district, Marines testified during Richards' Article 32 court hearing in March.
The video was recorded on July 27, 2011, and appeared online and went viral in January 2012, about two months after Conway received the Bronze Star.
Dozens of Marines in the battalion had their promotions and follow-on assignments put on hold as the investigation unfolded last year, according to emails between general officers obtained, independent of Weirick's complaint, by Marine Corps Times. Six members of 3/2's leadership were initially put on hold, including Dixon, Conway and Sgt. Maj. Dennis Downing, the unit's top enlisted Marine.
Marine Corps Times also obtained a May 31, 2012, position paper sent to Amos by Gen. John "Jay" Paxton, then the three-star commander of Camp Lejeune's II Marine Expeditionary Force, saying all six leaders put on hold were questioned at length as part of the investigation. There was no evidence any of them knew about the violations of the law of armed conflict of which the scout snipers were accused, Paxton said.
Paxton's position paper, which was sent to Amos, Dunford and a host of other generals, says it was recommended that Conway and 1st Lt. Edward Leslie, commander of the battalion's 81mm mortar platoon, be released of all holds.
The email to which Paxton's position paper was attached, also dated May 31, 2012, and obtained by Marine Corps Times, says the Corps' top general officers discussed how the 3/2 cases should be handled last year during the Executive Offsite, a quarterly meeting that includes three- and four-star generals and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Mike Barrett. They recommended unanimously to "grant well supported exceptions" to Conway and Leslie.
In the email, Paxton told the commandant "your guidance after the EOS was clear and it was communicated and was being executed." The note appears to indicate that there was some confusion about the decision to go forward with Conway's promotion, and cites the release of a "tentative" promotion list.
"In no way was there ever intent to deviate from your guidance or present a fait accompli on any individual or case. ... Per the recommendations proffered in the attachment please know that all of us are united and convinced that these [courses of action] are best for our Corps as an institution, for you as our Commandant, and for all individuals in the proper execution of due diligence and justice."
As for Conway and Leslie, the position paper asserts: "There are neither facts, evidence, nor opinions that these two officers were aware of the urination incident nor the photography of it," wrote Paxton, who received his fourth star and became the Corps' assistant commandant in December. "In addition, the scope of their responsibilities, geographic location and battlefield circulation did not put them in contact with or have influence over the Scout Sniper Team."
In contrast, the legal status of four other leaders, including Dixon, was to be kept on hold until the trials and administrative actions against other Marines played out, Paxton's paper said.
The position paper included a "Summary of CMC Action," referring to the commandant of the Marine Corps, and detailing how each case would be handled and leaving space for the commandant to approve, disapprove, and/or comment on each of three recommended actions.
However, a few days later, the commandant's top uniformed attorney, Maj. Gen. Vaughn Ary, responded, saying that the commandant's intent was not to make himself part of the decision process, but to leave the necessary actions to Paxton and Mills.
Paxton responded: "No sweat; we'll work through it. Think I'm very clear on CMC intent."
Dixon had been selected for colonel and to participate in an academic program at the Justice Department in Washington, but both moves have remained on hold pending conclusion of judicial proceedings.
Emails to Lt. Col. Conway were not returned. He served as the training officer for Lejeune's 2nd Marine Division after returning from Afghanistan, and became the future operations officer for 3rd Marine Regiment, in Hawaii, in July 2012. He now commands 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, an infantry unit based there.
A spokesman for his father said Gen. Conway had not spoken to his son about the matter and declined to comment.
Other legal questions
Weirick is not the first to raise questions about whether the commandant's firm hand with Marines has breached the law. As Marine Corps Times and other media outlets reported in October, at least four military judges have ruled Amos committed apparent unlawful command influence by nature of his tough talk in the Heritage Brief.
In blasting bad behavior by Marines and urging others to hold those involved accountable, the judges ruled, he potentially violated the rights of those charged with crimes by pressuring jury pools to find Marines guilty.
The judges in those four cases did not find that the commandant committed actual unlawful command influence, which could have led to the cases' dismissal. They instead offered defense attorneys remedies to mitigate the damage, such as allowing for extended questioning and additional dismissals of jurors who are seen as potentially biased.
To date, nearly 80 claims of unlawful command influence have been made since Amos' Heritage Briefs, but none has resulted in a case's dismissal, said an official at Marine Corps headquarters who asked not to be named.
A spokesman for the commandant, Lt. Col. Joseph Plenzler, told Marine Corps Times in October that Amos' intent with the Heritage Brief was to "change behavior," Plenzler said, "not to influence the outcomes of any particular courts-martial."
Weirick's complaint underscores once more the fine line Amos and other leaders walk in trying to balance responsibility to lead against the strict rules in place to keep the military justice system fair.
Weirick declined to be interviewed, but provided a short statement by email.
"Everything in my complaints is true," he said. "I iterate my oath that all the statements are true to the best of my recollection."
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130519/NEWS/305190016/Marine-Corps-commandant-legal-staff-targeted-IG-complaint
Female Cadets Secretly Filmed at West Point
'A sergeant first class on the staff of the United States Military Academy at West Point has been accused of videotaping female cadets without their consent, sometimes when they were undressed in the bathroom or the shower.
The Army is contacting about a dozen women to alert them that their privacy may have been violated by the suspect, identified as Sgt. First Class Michael McClendon, and to offer support or counseling.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/us/sergeant-accused-of-secretly-filming-female-cadets.html
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frolandmartinreports.com%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fmagnet%2Fscripts%2Ftimthumb.php%3Fsrc%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Frolandmartinreports.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F05%2FScreen-shot-2013-05-22-at-3.02.53-PM.png&hash=02f4018223ed73964e07d5f1870ccde689a520dd)
Ugh, army chicks.
Navy Cadets Face Annapolis Rape Inquiry
'As midshipmen were graduating from the Naval Academy last week, Navy investigators were conducting an investigation into reports that several had serially raped a female midshipman at an off-campus party.
...
In January, a Naval Academy instructor was charged with raping a female midshipman; the court-martial began this week.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/us/naval-academy-shaken-by-report-of-rape-and-inquiry.html
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgraphics8.nytimes.com%2Fimages%2F2013%2F06%2F01%2Fus%2FJP-ACADEMY%2FJP-ACADEMY-articleInline.jpg&hash=29ef6337d4c8edae0decc361dbfcdcce1667c566)