Unexpected Column in The Daily Item Covers Military Sexual Trauma
Sexual trauma is hidden danger for today's servicewomen
Your daughter is a soldier in the United States Army. You know that, as a volunteer in the military, she may be in danger, especially in a time of war. After all, 140 American service-women have died as a result of enemy action in Iraq and Afghanistan.
What you may not know is that the more likely danger to your daughter comes not from enemy action, but from a more indifious and cruel enemy, an enemy that has a name--Military Sexual Trauma.
Military Sexual Trauma is defined by U.S. Code 1720D of Title 28 as "psychological trauma, which in the judgment of a Veterans Affairs mental health professional, resulted 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."
In other words, your daughter, who volunteered to wear the uniform of our county's military and to defend our way of life--with her life, if necessary--is more likely to be raped and sexually harassed than to be blown up by an Improvised Explosive Device, or shot by a sniper.
How common is Military Sexual Trauma? According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, one in five women--and one in 100 men--answered "yes" when screened for MST. This statistic alone is repugnant, but how this statistic translates into harsh reality for all too many of our servicewomen is infuriating.
Many servicewomen deployed in Iraq were advised to travel in pairs if they needed to use the port-a-johns, derisively called "rape traps," especially at night. Some servicewomen avoided drinking fluids in the late afternoon or evening in order to avoid having to use the port-a-johns in the dangerous darkness. At least one servicewoman died of dehydration in the sweltering desert climate as a result. The fear of sexual assault cost an American soldier her life.
One victim struggling to cope with MST recalled, "I remember the faces, the words, the smells, the negative, the unwarranted, unsolicited touches. I remember all of that. And I have friends who also are veterans and went through worse than I did."
Another servicewoman stated, "Going through a sexual assault is bad enough. Then to have this happen to me in my job as a soldier; it was really difficult because what happened to the unit support? Your fellow soldiers are supposed to have your back."
The cost of MST to our servicewomen cannot be fully measured, nor can it be underestimated. While recovery from trauma is possible with treatment, seeking treatment--and justice--within the military for such a deeply personal violation may itself by traumatic. There may also be lingering physical effects that will require medical treatment, including sexually transmitted diseases, even pregnancy.
The issue of pregnancy resulting from rape recently jumped t the front of our national dialogue when Congressman Todd Akin, a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Missouri, declared, "First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." Akin's comments were widely panned.
Military Sexual Trauma is a foe that must be fought with as much tenacity and courage as the suicidal bandits of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Our brave daughters in uniform deserve no less.
For more information on Military Sexual Trauma, visit www.militarysexualtrauma.org, www.maketheconnection.net, or www.ptsd.va.gov.
John Deppen, of Northumberland, is a recipient of the American Legion's Americanism and Oratory medals. He can be reached at generalwsh@aol.com
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