Another Peril In War Zones: Sexual Abuse By Fellow G.I.’s

Capt. Margaret H. White said she was sexually assaulted and harassed by a fellow soldier while serving in Iraq. Johan Spanner for The New York Times

From The New York Times:

BAGHDAD — Capt. Margaret H. White began a relationship with a warrant officer while both were training to be deployed to Iraq. By the time they arrived this year at Camp Taji, north of here, she felt what she called “creepy vibes” and tried to break it off.

In the claustrophobic confines of a combat post, it was not easy to do. He left notes on the door to her quarters, alternately pleading and menacing. He forced her to have sex, she said. He asked her to marry him, though he was already married. He waited for her outside the women’s latrines or her quarters, once for three hours.

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My Comment: So much for being a Captain .... it seems that sexual harassment is blind to rank. Unfortunately, sexual abuse is not absent in the military .... it is pervasive in all parts of society. The only thing that can be done is to enforce a code of conduct that will not tolerate such actions, and when such actions occur, to enforce harsh and strict penalties.