Rape Within the Ranks



Former Marine Officer Ariana Klay (right) addresses rape
in the military in The Invisible War.

The eye-opening documentary The Invisible War exposes an ugly truth: Rape by colleagues is an occupational hazard for women in our armed forces. Statistics in The Invisible War assert that military women serving in Iraq or Afghanistan are more likely to be raped by fellow military personnel than to be killed in the line of fire.

Sexual assault is the most under-reported crime in the nation, so the precise number of cases within military ranks is uncertain. A 2011 report from the U.S. Department of Defense itself estimates 19,000 cases in fiscal year 2010 alone.

And men are far from immune. According to the Department of Defense, the percentage of male victims of sexual assault within the military increased from 8 percent in FY 2010 to 13 percent in FY 2011.

Further, victims of rape within the military report facing disbelief and threats of retribution.

Rape and PTSD

Rape, like war, is a trigger for post-traumatic stress disorder. A precursor to the identification of PTSD in rape victims known as “rape trauma syndrome” was first articulated in 1974 by Penn Nursing Professor Emerita Dr. Ann Burgess and sociologist Lynda Lytle Holmstrom. Today, the term “military sexual trauma” describes what too many of our service women and service men are facing.

As nurses, we vowed to identify, treat, and conduct research on the specific health needs of our veterans and service members through Joining Forces, the national initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden. Understanding and addressing the prevalence of rape perpetrated against members of our military by members of our military must be part of this mission.

What Nurses Can Do

I urge nurses to stress awareness of rape when caring for members of the armed forces and U.S. veterans. Nurses, who always have the opportunity to hear about patients’ lived experiences, are in the best position to uncover stories of trauma and stories of rape, even when their patients seem reluctant to reveal them.

We must intervene wherever and whenever we can through careful, sensitive health assessments, education, and research on military sexual trauma. It is a critical way for us to join forces with those harmed and betrayed during their service to our country.