Army women share stories of sexual assault while serving with the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen

I was in recruiting for three years. I had a recruit that I linked up with a few years after I left, because she PCS'ed to where I was at and she wanted to have dinner together, with our spouses. She told me about the issues that she has encountered concerning sex assault/harassment.
She told me:
- in basic training, her drill sergeant came on to her and others in her unit. People complained so the sergeant major came and questioned people. Lots of recruits came forward and he was removed.
- after she was done with basic, she came and worked in my recruiting office. She was my soldier while she was there. She had orders for Korea, so I had her only work a couple of hours and then hang out with her friends and family. A recruiter from another station called her and had her come to him. He eventually came on to her and she refused him. He then begged her not to tell anyone because "muh career, muh family, blag blah". She didn't tell anyone until she told me a few years later.
- her first sergeant in Korea repeatedly came on to her and blocked her way out of the room. Her eventual husband was in the same unit and then first sergeant made the man leave the room so he can be alone with my recruit.

My point is that it happens a lot. These people are pigs and they make me sick.

What happened to Vanessa Guillen makes me so furious, sad and disappointed! Even though I've seen many television shows and movies about, and articles/posts reporting sexual harassment and ongoing violence against military women, I hoped things were changing. This crime MUST be solved and ALL involved in committing any part of it prosecuted, held accountable for their actions or inaction. I'm disappointed that attitudes, behaviors and legal guidelines haven't improved enough that victims feel safe enough to report what's happening to them. Surely women in the military (and all women), with today's technology, media coverage and easy access to information, can hope for better treatment in the near future.

I didn't report my date rape in 1971 at Panama City Bch, FL. I was a skinny 19 yr old virgin stationed at Tyndall AFB Sep 1970-73, introverted and had only 3 dates in high school. Making it through basic helped increase my self-confidence somewhat. I had dated a couple of young airmen and liked one a lot, made out some, but that's all. I talked to a handsome airman a little almost every time I went to the chow hall since he worked dishing out food. He gave me a ride one morning as I started walking down the highway off-base to buy a sturdy, canvas covered air mattress raft. I didn't have a car or bicycle. We stopped to walk on the beach a little bit on the way there, talked and shared a kiss in the car on the way back to base. He called the dorm one Saturday night about 2 weeks later to ask if I wanted to go for a ride. I said, "Yes, but I had yard duty today, am very tired, so want to be back by 10:00." I should've jumped out of the car when I saw him put a whiskey bottle under his seat as I got in. I was very nervous and apprehensive, asked where we were going. He told me a beach just off base. Turned out to be a deserted beach. After leaving the car in a dark parking lot, he suggested we walk along the water. I said okay, but walked a foot or so away from him for several yards. He wanted to hold hands, then kiss, but I didn't want to. After a few more yards, as it got darker, I became very scared and wanted to go back to the car. He grabbed me and tried to kiss me, I pulled away and started running to the parking lot. He tackled me, held me down and started trying to pull my jeans down. I tried to scream but could barely breathe because I was so scared, and my cry for help wasn't very loud. He told me nobody would hear. I tried to keep my legs together, but he put his knee down hard between my legs right above my knees, forcing them apart as he held my hands above my head. I had no self-defense training and was afraid he'd punch me if I could get my hands free to scratch his face. He tore my panties off, raped me quickly as I cried, then told me to put my jeans back on and walked me back to the car. I was in shock, doing as he said. I sat as far away from him as I could and cried all the way back. He said nobody would believe me if I said anything. I went to my room, then took a hot shower, crying the whole time I scrubbed. I didn't go to the chow hall anymore, didn't tell anybody, and became very depressed. I found out a month later that I was pregnant. I gradually became a little promiscuous since staying a virgin didn't matter anymore. I felt worthless. I still didn't date as much as some of the WAF. I finally told my best friend and she told me go to the doctor right away. I did, told him I was raped, but he didn't believe me. They sent me to NY to have an abortion after I said I couldn't have a baby from rape and convinced them I was suicidal. All women in the military should have basic self-defense training in basic or boot camp, no matter what branch of service or what job they have. The prevalence of sexual harassment and violence against women apparently has not decreased.