SHARP sucks and it's ineffective! Here's why.

This probably isn't the most professional thing I will ever say, but my issue with the SHARP program is the "slippery slope" idea that a bunch of guys sitting around in the sandbox talking about vieny male genitalia is the breeding ground of an incidious rape circle. Our SARC actually posted a graphic around the battalion that litterally made that argument (less the word circle).

I'm additionally irked by one of the scenarios in the Sharp online training where a dude is propositioned out of nowhere by a female and taken home, in the morning she says that he may have sexually assaulted her. They were both drinking and she was the aggressor, but he's at fault. The real reason that EO and POSH/SAPR got split must be because there is no such thing as equal opportunity in the SHARP program.

So I have told this to my daughter AND also my son. If someone were to put hands on you or do something you didn't want to be done, tell them so. If they decide to do that crap again......knock them on their ass. This isn't just happening in our military, but it is also starting at our elementary, middle, high schools. We have to be the more kinder, gentler way as human beings.

Don't forget is happens in the Civilian workplace as well. Again, in this particular instance, which I have witnessed, the woman didn't want what the guy was selling and kneed him in the crotch and pushed him over. Did he get the point? Yup, he sure did. Each individual has their right to protect themselves against unwanted activities, so do just that; be blunt and straight to the dome or to the point. And if both are drinking, it's a bad decision on both parts; not let's see who can get to the SHARP rep first. Be an adult, take ownership for your actions and suffer the consequences.

Again, both my son and daughter know they can defend themselves and I got their back if anyone says otherwise; just like I have my Soldiers back whomever they may be.

The new SHARP program should be restructured to be SING (Solar plexus, Instep, Nose, Groin)? While I agree its important to know how to defend oneself, and it should be taught and encouraged (and threatened) it is also expected of any soldier or leader to look our for and protect their buddy, when they can.

I will not find myself out partying with my peers as that is not me as a person, but if I happen to be out I do in fact speak up and try to make sure others are ok.

Although I wanted to not like your post after our "discussion" yesterday, I can't help but agree. You said it all a bit more harsh than I would, but I completely agree that our current program doesn't work. I wouldn't go so far as to say that battle buddy teams shouldn't police each other up in the club, but as a friend, that should go without saying. If I am two sheets to the wind and forcing myself on some private, please, battle, help me out of that situation. However, I don't need to be taught to do that in a sharp class and it shouldn't be our solution to the problem.

SHARP is a case of, "It's broke, but don't fix it". It seems like everytime see spend money on bettering this program things get worse. More briefings, and less actual absorption of information. The more you brief something, does not equal the better it is retained. You might have successfully schooled he herd, but they are more likely to just be repeating the information without even hearing themselves speak. Understand education vs. schooling. We have not been educating the forces, we have been schooling them.

SSG Jacob Wiley

When it comes to the SHARP program everyone got a take on it, some opinions are popular, some are not, some people are sick and tired of the briefings and some people believe that we need to do more. Only thing I am going to say is that I agree that is stupid to have to put a bullet in my NCOER saying I support the program, of course I support it, just like I support EO and the Army Values, just make it a yes or no in the front. What is more stupid is that I have to put the same bullet here in the student's 1059 when they leave this place.

Maybe things have changed since "Don't Ask Don't Tell" 1990s era when I was on that FFG(combat ship).

But that other e3 who cornered me in berthing(sleep area) and in close proximity 1 foot away, sleeping right above me or below I can not recall, openly suggested, asked for, coerced(no one will know) sexual BS with that piece of crap(sorry I get angry when I think about it) on the ship out at Sea, was more then a bit disheartening.

It was an attack both mental and physical on me. It is not the clearest of lines, but he made me feel unsafe in hundreds of ways. A verbal threat in close proximity, with intent to do physical things, can have a negative physical reaction on the service member being "PREYED" on.

One thing I think he may have been trying to do was remove himself from the Navy by doing this stunt. He was actually no on the ship very much longer, and I have proof of that, through MUSTER REPORTS. But I was never told why he was no longer there. Usually Deck SN e3 20 year olds on their first command stay a bit longer, without special circumstances. But me being the victim of his threats, did not make me a person who still looks for confirmation of why he was removed from the ship, and his personnel records through FOIA. They say that is covered by Privacy Act as not releasable. Hell I do not want to know his home address. I just want to finally know what the hell went on, on that ship, behind the scenes, as a victim, now talkinag about things hidden for quite some time.

I have no idea what 2 dudes do on a ship in today's navy who like each other. But hell I am not gay. I was actually engaged to a beautiful girl off the ship, and some of the other Deck SN who met her, were jealous and amazed I pulled such a beautiful girl. Hell I was serious about my life and only 19.

The incident, if I can use words to describe made me less trusting, more confused, panicked, disillusioned. For one, I thought he was a friend before that. It was out of the blue from no where. I was completely fuckin angry confused, felt at risk, and embarrassed. My reaction to this situation was not to violently kick him, punch him risking my own UCMJ proceedings, his words against mine. I was not that trusting of the leadership to back me, if he had a bloody nose, and I CLAIMED he was trying to get sexual with me risking my navy career and life.

How do you know the outcome before hand of these known consequences of bludgeoning a pervert who is risking your life and career and future on duty on a Navy Ship in the Middle of the Ocean with no other witnesses?

So what do I do punch the guy, kick the guy, the be put in some kind of Captains Mast, where the CO or XO, is actually undercover sympathetic Gay, and then sets me up as the actual aggressor?


Those are split second things you consider on a Navy Ship. It is not the streets where I could punch a dude right in the mouth, and walk away happy.

So what did I do 1998, instead of kicking or hitting him? Well, after this dude did this to me, and scared me, I RAN, through him, around him, as he tried to make me calm down, and stop me from fleeing, out of berthing, not completely dressed, just in my white shirt, not my complete dungarees, into the galley, where everyone would be eating, screaming literally, about SN DikWad, who just tried to do what he did to me.

Guess, what, some of the sailors listened. As I was obviously panicked. No one took a report. I calmed down. And the seas kept on moving. But, I was definitely not sure about what to expect from that point on. No mental health leadership questioning was ever rendered. It may have been a command wide problem of undercover male on male things going on, which I find is actually the truth, through some documentaries I have found online of Navy Sailors of the 80, 90s.

It is creepy crap like that that I kept hidden in my head for the longest time only to talk about now, some 20 years later, fiance gone, career gone, on SSDI for anxiety and mood disorder.

After that incident or before, on this ship, I remember going past, the TV break room and multiple guys junior and senior were watching porn together.

Maybe I was to young. Maybe I was not brought up like that. Maybe I was a good church going guy with a fiance off the ship.

But whatever it was I walked away, disgusted, and confused from that experience also, that would go unreported, being I was like 20, and did not want to stand out. I just tried to believe "I JUST DID NOT SEE THAT"!. But you don't forget that.

Anyways I do not know what this brings to the conversation. But recently, trying to seek treatment for MST, the Younger Air Force "Sharp" MST therapist, openly asked me, if he grabbed my groin, or something like that, or was he naked, or something like that, and because I did not remember if he was naked, as we all showered and slept in similar berthing space and were disrobed on occasion to change, I thought that was a by gone conclusion.

But the bastard said I did not suffer MST. Which infuriated me even more. So MST actually takes physical contact of the groin, on a Navy Ship, in berthing, from the predator on the prey?

F-Him

I would like to meet his Girlfriend in a closed space on a Navy Ship and openly subject her "ALONE" in a 1 foot distance, intimidate over her, but NEVER TOUCH HER, to my forward masculine sexual desire for her, and him not call that MST.

You make alot of good points and the SHARP debacle is just another example of mass punishment because Army leaders simply do not manage personnel very well. Congress mandated that the DOD do "something" about sexual harassment and they are able to check every box (posters, training, more training, even more training etc) while the SM suffers and wonders what the heck is going on

I wouldnt have said it the way you did but I do beleive SHARP has alot of holes that needs to be fixed. If two adult Soldiers consent to sexual acts with each other and the next morning one of them have regrets. What stops him or her from filing a report? Its now she said she said.

In my humble opinion, the military is forced to produce these programs due to the media and PC "culture". We have states (California) that require a signed consensual sex waiver before any intimate relations are to ensue. And require an annotated update for each occurrence in some areas. We have colleges (Penn State) that require an affirmation from both parties before each stage of intimate progression.

The Main Stream media has for the last 40 years or more had it in for the military, and the powers that be are doing their best to make us change into something that the Media will portray in a positive light. So now we have all these programs that are designed to make us more "human" and "likeable" to the masses that are in fact degrading our own culture in the military.

If you ask me PTSD is not the largest problem for the Armed Services going forward its PC-BS.