Peterson NCO contributes to deployed SARC program

Published March 25, 2008
By Senior Airman Carolyn Viss
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Air Force Sexual Assault Response Coordinators will be stressing education and awareness about sexual assault throughout the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Those deployed, with a three-drink-a-night limit on alcohol and General Order 1 applying to their interactions with members of the opposite sex, may think assault is not a possibility.

Not so, says the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing SARC, who is deployed not only to respond to, but to also help prevent incidents, she said.

"Because of the culturally diverse environment, it's important for people to know what is and is not acceptable and how to handle any situations that may arise," said Capt. Meredith Ortiz, who is deployed from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. "We want to raise awareness and cultural understanding so that people know which interactions are OK and which are sending the wrong message."

By "we," Captain Ortiz is referring to a whole team of people here from the legal office, office of special investigations, mental health, the medical group, equal opportunity and security forces, who meet together monthly to talk about the effect sexual assault has on all aspects of Airmen's lives.

"What some people don't realize is that it's not just females who are victims," she said. "Although the percentage of males who report is lower than the percentage of females who report, sexual assault against males does occur and men need to know they can get help from a number of different resources."

The Air Force encourages everyone to report sexual assault, and now victims can do so without delving into too much detail, Captain Ortiz said.

"In June of '05, a law was passed that allowed restricted reporting," the captain said. "This was a historical move, because it puts the choice in the hands of the victim as to whether or not they would like to open up an investigation against the perpetrator. Even if they don't, we have agencies available 24/7 to help them recover from the incident."

Although the number of assaults that occur here is lower than some U.S. bases, "any time you put people in close proximity with each other, you will have some people making unwise choices," she said. "What we want to do is be proactive, not reactive, and do as much in the way of prevention as we possibly can."

She has 16 victim advocates helping her help Airmen, she said.

One of those, Master Sgt. Scott Ward, who has three daughters and has been a victim advocate since 2005, said even though no one close to him has suffered from a sexual assault he thinks anyone with a genuine desire to help prevent this crime can save a potential victim.

"We need to dispel the myth that sexual assault is solely a women's issue," the deployed sergeant from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., said. "I believe it to be a societal issue that we all must work together to prevent. If more men come forward and confront inappropriate behavior, as opposed to just doing the simple thing and ignoring it, we can begin to build a culture of responsible wingmen who are ready to intervene and prevent sexual assault before it occurs."

A wingman must not be afraid to intervene when something doesn't seem right, he said. We owe it to each other to intervene even when it is uncomfortable to do so. As a former "additional duty" first sergeant, he's dealt with a gamut of situations and had hours upon hours of training that qualifies him for this position.

"Every potential victim is someone's son or daughter, brother or sister, husband or wife," Sergeant Ward said. "Always act responsibly and try to imagine what the other person is thinking and feeling. (Ask yourself), 'If the potential victim was my son or daughter would I want a bystander to do nothing?' If we all work together we can create a safer environment in which potential perpetrators are less willing to risk committing the crime of sexual assault." (AFPN)

Peterson NCO supports deployed SARC program