MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Gen. James T. Conway, U.S. Marine Corps commandant, sent out White Letter 02-09 Aug. 25 to all Marine Corps commanding generals, commanding officers and all officers-in-charge, in which he addresses the issue of sexual assault in the Marine Corps.
Within the letter, Conway states prevention is the crucial step to defeating sexual assault. The letter also addresses misconceptions Marines might have about the crime and acts connected with sexual assault.
With the entire Marine Corps taking a look at itself regarding the issue, service members here can’t fail to see it as a problem aboard the air station.
“It happens more often than people think,” said LaNita Perkins, acting station victim advocate. “I have volunteer victim advocates and we get called regularly on sexual assaults. It’s happening.”
It’s important Marines and sailors are aware sexual assault does happen here so they can better prepare in the event they find themselves in a situation that can lead to sexual assault, Perkins said.
The volunteer victim advocates group here reported many of the incidents aboard the station involved a group of service members going out in town drinking.
In the past, one service member within the group met another one through a mutual friend and they later found themselves in a situation where they needed help.
There have also been instances of senior enlisted members assaulting junior enlisted members and situations where service members were assaulted by people they believed to be their friends.
“Not everybody is your friend. You really have to trust someone in order to know they have your back. Take the time to know who you’re out there with,” said Perkins. “When something like this happens, it doesn’t just affect that one person, it affects the whole unit. Now you have that tension and that whole situation that is bad for everyone coming and going.”
One thing always reported as a constant factor in the assaults was alcohol.
Perkins named situational awareness of self and surroundings as one of the best ways to prevent sexual assault, and to keep track of what and how much you drink.
The buddy system with someone you absolutely trust was also named as a good way to prevent sexual assault.
“It’s always a good idea to have someone that you can bounce decisions off of to get a different perspective, get a different vantage point of the situation,” said Maj. Gerard Fontenot, installation sexual assault response coordinator. “It’s a way to create better situational awareness if you’re not out there alone. Part of what service members can do is to have someone that you go out with that you trust is going to take care of you and look out for you.”
The command will continue to give all the training and classes as directed by the commandant, but it’s up to the service members to look out for each other and implement the prevention techniques taught in those classes, Fontenot said.
The station victim advocates group encourages service members to think of prevention when they go out drinking, consider what can happen, and have a plan to prevent the worst from happening.
Fontenot said one of the biggest misconceptions service members have regarding sexual assault is the belief of it’s “not going to happen to me.”
Females have not been the only service members who have fallen victim to sexual assault.
Fontenot said the station had 10 reported assaults in 2008 with four of those being male on male.
“The most important thing that they (sexual assault victims) can know for their own personal recovery is that they are a victim of a crime,” said Fontenot. “There is still the component of another person that decided to violate them.”
If a person becomes a victim of sexual assault, he/she is encouraged to report the assault to either a uniformed victim advocate, a sexual assault coordinator, a victim advocate, a chaplain or a healthcare provider to include dentists.
“Those five categories of people have the level of confidentiality in the sexual assault response program that allows that victim to report it, get the medical attention they need, get the mental health attention and care that they need, and to facilitate their recovery immediately and then have time to decide about involving law enforcement,” said Fontenot.
Victims are encouraged to go to medical as soon as possible after an assault to get the necessary forensic evidence against their attacker.
After contacting medical and getting the necessary forensic evidence, the victim can then decide whether he/she wants to file a restricted or unrestricted report against their attacker.
Victims who decide to file a restricted report have up to one year to file a claim against their offender.
Fontenot said victims who file a restricted report don’t need to immediately worry about the social concerns of what their command would think of them or feelings of guilt.
With a restricted report, victims can take the necessary steps they need to recover both emotionally and physically before they decide to inform their command or law enforcement.
With an unrestricted report, the investigation against the offender is immediately underway and the command becomes involved, along with the Provost Marshal’s Office.
“Unrestricted does not mean public,” said Fontenot. “People on a need-to-know base will know about it. That information will be limited to the commanders, the investigators, and the lawyers. Victims need to be aware, whether they do a restricted or unrestricted (report), the intent of the (sexual assault response program) is to have a sensitivity to the victim’s needs and that information is sensitive and will be treated with respect.”
Anyone who falls victim to sexual assault is encouraged to call a station victim advocate at 090-9978-1033 or 080-3427-0835 24 hours a day for help. All calls are confidential.
Victims may also directly contact the installation sexual assault response coordinator at 080-1920-5177 for help or they may contact their unit uniformed victim advocate.