Posted on Feb 11, 2021
Army’s 18th Airborne Corps is looking for soldiers' ideas to curb sexual assault and harassment
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Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 2
A return to Army values and actual modeling of them by leadership.
Listen, SHARP incidents don't happen when Soldiers make a committment to respecting themselves and other. Respect is one of the Army values....
But too many leaders in the Army fail to properly model the Army values (specifically loyalty, respect, and integrity). Every single Soldier I have ever talked to about it acknowledges that they have had at least one hypocritical leader. Most of them have a laundry list. Every single Soldier I have talked to about it can name at least one instance of their leaders disrespecting them - and I mean disrespecting them as a human being, not just giving a well-deserved ass-chewing. Most have a laundry list. When leaders fail to model desired values, how can we be astounded that Soldiers do not exhibit them.
This is absolutely a leadership problem. But the solution is not to change the Soldiers, it is to change the leaders.
Listen, SHARP incidents don't happen when Soldiers make a committment to respecting themselves and other. Respect is one of the Army values....
But too many leaders in the Army fail to properly model the Army values (specifically loyalty, respect, and integrity). Every single Soldier I have ever talked to about it acknowledges that they have had at least one hypocritical leader. Most of them have a laundry list. Every single Soldier I have talked to about it can name at least one instance of their leaders disrespecting them - and I mean disrespecting them as a human being, not just giving a well-deserved ass-chewing. Most have a laundry list. When leaders fail to model desired values, how can we be astounded that Soldiers do not exhibit them.
This is absolutely a leadership problem. But the solution is not to change the Soldiers, it is to change the leaders.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
The only way it's a leadership problem is leaders who have toxic command climates and don't hold offenders accountable. That would help yes.
It's ultimately a sexual predator issue. Bottom line. Sexual predators don't have values. They care about one thing - power over their perceived prey. That's it. So the only way to stop them is if there was a way to screen them before entry into the military. But if they haven't ever been charged, arrested or investigated for it before, we can't screen it unless you screen people's thoughts.
It's ultimately a sexual predator issue. Bottom line. Sexual predators don't have values. They care about one thing - power over their perceived prey. That's it. So the only way to stop them is if there was a way to screen them before entry into the military. But if they haven't ever been charged, arrested or investigated for it before, we can't screen it unless you screen people's thoughts.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - Way back when in 19 *mumble mumble* when I went to Basic Training, there was a very definitive process of breaking down civilians to nothing and building back Soldiers. We have a grand tradition of indoctrination into the (Capital A, Capital W) Army Way. Soldiers have (or are supposed to have) the Army values pounded into them and begin to live them. And, in my opinion, for the most part, they do. Until they encounter their leaders who do not, and see their peers failing to live the Army values with no repercussions. Once that happens, Soldiers no longer see the need to live those values, and bad things happen.
You do make a valid point about sexual predators. I am not trying to say that Basic Training somehow magically stops predators from preying. But what I am saying is that those predators are not living the values. And if we start focusing on those values, and enforcing them, particularly (for the purpose of this conversation) loyalty and respect, we can identify and remove MOST of those predators before they have a chance to commit these acts.
When leaders fail to model and enforce the values, it makes it very difficult to identify and re-train or remove Soldiers who do not.
You do make a valid point about sexual predators. I am not trying to say that Basic Training somehow magically stops predators from preying. But what I am saying is that those predators are not living the values. And if we start focusing on those values, and enforcing them, particularly (for the purpose of this conversation) loyalty and respect, we can identify and remove MOST of those predators before they have a chance to commit these acts.
When leaders fail to model and enforce the values, it makes it very difficult to identify and re-train or remove Soldiers who do not.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
What do you mean bring it back? And how would that stop sexual predators? They don't all get caught you know.
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SFC Melvin Brandenburg
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - We can never punish those we don't catch. If you think death by powerpoint will make a difference, it won't. There are some people alive today simply because it is illegal to kill them. If a death sentence were imposed, there would at least be a reduction, and zero recitivism. We can't guarantee anyone's safety, not even our own, but there are things we can do to mitigate it.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
SFC Melvin Brandenburg - If you have read any post I have ever made in response to a SHARP post, you know that I think the SHARP program is pointless as it's been.
No a death sentence will not stop sexual assaults. The death sentence hasn't stopped any crime. And it costs the taxpayers more than life in prison anyway. It's utterly useless.
No a death sentence will not stop sexual assaults. The death sentence hasn't stopped any crime. And it costs the taxpayers more than life in prison anyway. It's utterly useless.
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SFC Melvin Brandenburg
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - I think we agree on the SHARP program. We disagree on a great many things, but I agree the SHARP program is pointless.
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