U.S. Military Violence Against Women

Soldier As Rapist: All Too Common

Natalie Wilson
Ms. Magazine Blog
March 19, 2010

Fort Bragg soldier Spc. Aaron Pernell, 22, an indirect fire infantryman who has served two tours in Iraq, was charged with sexual assault in February. Pernell appeared in court Tuesday on 13 charges including rape and attempted rape. What’s unique about these charges are that they were made at all: thousands of other military rapists have escaped punishment in the past fifteen years, according to the Denver Post in its excellent investigative series.

To read Natalie Wilson’s posting at the Ms. Magazine Blog, click here.

Sex Assault Reports Rise in Military

Elisabeth Bumiller
The New York Times
March 16, 2010

The Department of Defense released an annual report on Tuesday showing an 11 percent increase in reports of sexual assault in the military over the past year, including a 16 percent increase in reported assaults occurring in combat areas, principally Iraq and Afghanistan.

To read the full story in The New York Times, click here.

To read the Department of Defense Report – Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, click here.

Fort Bragg Soldier Arrested in String of Sexual Attacks

Stephanie Moore
Eyewitness News 9 – WNCT-TV
Eastern North Carolina
March 12, 2010

Investigators blame a soldier from Fort Bragg for several rapes around Fayetteville. However, they say a second rapist is still at large.

Army Specialist Aaron Pernell finds himself in military custody tonight. The 22-year-old is accused of several attacks in Fayetteville and Hoke County from 2008 to 2009.

To view the full story on Channel 9, click here.

Sergeant Major in Europe Faces Sexual Assault Trial

Nancy Montgomery
Stars and Stripes — European edition
March 5, 2010

One of U.S. Army Europe’s highest-ranking sergeants will be court-martialed on charges of aggravated sexual assault and maltreatment of a young specialist, according to military officials.

The case of Sgt. Maj. Garry Tull was referred on Wednesday to a general court-martial by the V Corps commander, Brig. Gen. Michael Ryan, a month after the sergeant major’s Article 32 hearing, according to public affairs officials. Article 32 hearings are held to determine whether enough evidence exists to prosecute a case.

To read the full story in The Stars and Stripes, click here.

—————————————————————————–

To read additional information about this issue, see the links listed below:

Sergeant Major Charged with Raping Junior Soldier   Stars and Stripes, February 4, 2010

Why Some in Japan Support US Bases in Okinawa

Peter Ford
Christian Science Monitor
March 2, 2010

After 65 years of living alongside more than a dozen US military bases, most Okinawa residents have had enough of the noise, the potential danger, and the occasional friction caused by 18,000 Marines and their machinery.

The rape of a young girl by US soldiers in 1995 has not been forgotten; the crash of a helicopter into Okinawa International University in 2004 (miraculously nobody died) is constantly evoked; and the general nuisance is widely resented.

To read the full story in the Christian Science Monitor, click here.

U. S. Military Base to Stay on Okinawa

John Brinsley and Sachiko Sakamaki
Bloomberg News Service via BusinessWeek
March 3, 2010

Japan’s government will keep a U.S. military base on Okinawa, meeting the demands of the Obama administration, even if that means alienating a coalition partner and local people, a vice defense minister said.

Okinawan residents, who want the Marine base moved off the island, will be offered “compensation” for accepting the government’s decision, Akihisa Nagashima said in an interview in Tokyo yesterday, without elaborating. His remarks are the most definitive by a government member indicating the base will stay on Okinawa.

To read the full article at the BusinessWeek web site, click here.