Army launches investigation of sex charges.Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard SEATTLE - Fort Lewis officials will assign an independent investigator independent investigator Independent research investigator NIHspeak A well-established scientist whose research accomplishments have resulted in the bestowal of "tenure", ie, long-term commitment of salary, personnel and research resources to look into an Army deserter's allegations that she was sexually harassed and assaulted by supervisors while serving with the 54th Military Police Co. in Iraq. Suzanne Swift Suzanne Swift (July 15 1984 - ) is a Specialist in the United States Army. She is most noted for going AWOL from the Army when she received new orders to deploy to Iraq, after her charges of sexual assault from her first deployment had continued to go unanswered. , a Eugene resident who joined the Army in 2003, was arrested in Eugene on June 11 and charged with desertion for not deploying with her unit for a second tour of duty in Iraq earlier in the year. Since her arrest, she has been confined to her barracks bar·rack 1 tr.v. bar·racked, bar·rack·ing, bar·racks To house (soldiers, for example) in quarters. n. 1. A building or group of buildings used to house military personnel. at Fort Lewis, Army spokesman Joe Hitt said. As of Tuesday, she will be allowed full access to Fort Lewis but can't leave the base, he said. Under normal circumstances, a soldier's commander conducts a desertion investigation. But Swift alleges that two of her direct supervisors sexually harassed her and one coerced her into a three-month sexual relationship, then retaliated against her for ending it. The military investigation into those charges will be conducted by someone outside the Military Police chain of command, Hitt said. Swift's commander will wait until the end of that investigation before ruling on the desertion charge, Hitt said. Swift has been assigned to a different company within the brigade. No time frame has been set for completing the investigation, he said. Swift's case has drawn the attention of peace activists and those concerned with the abuse of women in the military. At a news conference at University Lutheran Church in Seattle on Tuesday, Ann Wright Mary Ann Wright (born 1947) is a retired United States Army colonel, retired official of the U.S. State Department, and now full-time anti-war activist. Wright is most noted for being one of three U.S. , a career Army officer and Bush-era diplomat who resigned from the government in protest of the Iraq war Iraq War: see under Persian Gulf Wars. Iraq War or Second Persian Gulf War Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S. , joined Swift's mother, Sara Rich, and Swift's lawyer, Larry Hildes, to call for an honorable discharge honorable discharge n. Discharge from the armed forces with a commendable record. Noun 1. honorable discharge - a discharge from the armed forces with a commendable record for Swift. They said Swift may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) A disorder that occurs among survivors of severe environmental stress such as a tornado, an airplane crash, or military combat. Symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks, and nightmares. . Wright blasted the military for a history of studying sexual harassment sexual harassment, in law, verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature, aimed at a particular person or group of people, especially in the workplace or in academic or other institutional settings, that is actionable, as in tort or under equal-opportunity statutes. but failing to curb it. She served in the Army for 29 years ending her career with the rank of lieutenant colonel. She resigned as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia in 2003 to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Although she lives in Hawaii, Wright regularly travels on the mainland, speaking out against the war. She contacted Rich after reading news reports about her. "I'm very concerned about what happened and wanted to offer my support," she said. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Department of Defense, criminal investigators received 1,700 allegations of sexual assault involving service men and women in 2004. Reports of sexual assaults in 2005 increased 40 percent. The department attributes that to improved efforts to get victims to report incidents. Veterans Administration studies suggest that the problem has plagued the military for years. Of veterans who served between 1970 and 2000, 23 percent of women and 3 percent of men reported being sexually assaulted, according to VA one survey. Counselors say sexual assault can cause or exacerbate post traumatic stress disorder - it even has its own acronym, MST See micro systems technology. for military sexual trauma Military sexual trauma (MST) is rape or any sexual harassment, unsolicited sexual harassment, stalking and/or other violent acts experienced by a member of the military. Both females and males have been raped or sexually assaulted, harassed and stalked in the military during - according to a May 2006 issue of Current Psychiatry Online. The Defense Department in 2004 created a task force to seek solutions. But Wright says the issue has been "studied to death" for 40 years. At Fort Lewis, there is no dearth of material spelling out base policies and penalties. Lt. Col. Joel Dotterer, who oversees the base's equal opportunity program, has shelves full of training material for unit leaders who must hold annual sessions on sexual harassment and assault for soldiers under their command. Soldiers have several ways to report sexual harassment, he said. Besides going through their chain of command or an equal opportunity adviser, they can go to a lawyer, chaplain or medical clinic. They can also call an anonymous hot line. They can make a formal complaint or request an informal intervention, he said. Fort Lewis spokesman Hitt can't comment on Swift's specific allegations. But Swift's civilian lawyer, Hildes, says Swift's harassment began when her unit first arrived in Kuwait in February 2004, before they deployed to Karbala in Iraq, where Swift drove Humvees on patrols. A staff sergeant staff sergeant n. 1. a. Abbr. SSG A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Army that is above sergeant and below sergeant first class. b. Abbr. SSgt A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. propositioned her for sex at that time and when she reported the encounter to the equal opportunity officer, he refused to take the report and told her she was on her own, Hildes said. After that, her staff sergeant coerced her into a sexual relationship with threats, Hildes said. When, after three months, she refused to continue, he retaliated with extra duty and public humiliation Public humiliation was often used by local communities to punish minor and petty criminals before the age of large, modern prisons (imprisonment was long unusual as a punishment, rather a method of coercion). , Hildes said. That sergeant has since left the military but can still be investigated, he said. When Swift returned from Iraq to Fort Lewis in February 2005, a new sergeant suggested that she report naked to his bed, Hildes said. Swift has said she refused to redeploy re·de·ploy tr.v. re·de·ployed, re·de·ploy·ing, re·de·ploys 1. To move (military forces) from one combat zone to another. 2. to Iraq in January 2006 because of her fear of harassment. When she was brought back to the base by military police on June 13, Hildes said she was initially put under the command of one of the sergeants she said had harassed her. In the days since Swift's case has been made public, Rich says she's received dozens of e-mails from women who report similar experiences. |
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