Discharge upheld for airman who reported sexual assault

2013-12-07T19:40:04-05:00

BLUF (acronum used for for SSG Williams haha):
Airman reports that he was sexually assaulted by a superior and is diagnosed with a rare personality disorder.

A medical board has upheld the discharge of a security forces airman who claims he was improperly diagnosed with a personality disorder after he reported being sexually assaulted by a superior.

Airman 1st Class Trent Smith, who was featured in an Oct. 14 Air Force Times cover story, had sought counseling to help deal with the trauma of the alleged assault. The psychologist who treated Smith diagnosed him with a rare personality disorder and recommended separation from the service.

For the complete story:
http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131205/NEWS/312050025/Discharge-upheld-for-airman-who-reported-sexual-assault

Response by SFC James Baber made Dec 12 at 2013 1:45 PM

2013-12-12T13:45:15-05:00

Sounds like a cover-up or a way to change the outcome of the investigation, either way not good publicity for either side or the service.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2014 3:15 PM

2014-03-13T15:15:26-04:00

Unfortunately, its all too common. This is why many Soldiers choose to not seek help.

http://veteransinfo.org/pd.html
http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/In-the-military-sex-assault-victims-labeled-as-4526251.php
http://ivn.us/2014/01/10/2014-ndaa-orders-investigation-into-wrongful-discharges-in-military/
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/14/health/military-sexual-assaults-personality-disorder/
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/us/a-military-diagnosis-personality-disorder-is-challenged.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131121/NEWS/311210023/Former-soldier-sues-Army-alleged-wrongful-mental-health-discharge

2014 NDAA Orders Investigation into Wrongful Discharges in Military - IVN.us

The 2014 NDAA, while known for its controversies, orders the DoD to report on the problem of wrongful discharges in military services.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2014 3:32 PM

2014-03-13T15:32:58-04:00

My son recently separated from the Air Force after five years and I spoke to him about this issue. What he told me about the attitudes towards Airmen seeking mental/behavioral help disturbed me greatly. He had a very rough deployemnt to Iraq and chose to seek counseling through MilitaryOneSource rather than take the chance with on base services. I then contacted other friends who have served in the Air Force (including a retired LtCol) and received similar descriptions. Although the Air Force likes to tout itself as the 'modern, high-tech' service, my limited reasearch is showing them to be neandrethals when it comes to this topic. If there are Airmen who have seen a different side of this, I would love to hear them speak up on this discussion. It saddens me that we may have a service who is still discriminating against members who seek help and it needs to be brought to the attention of the Joint Chiefs ASAP.