AS A PROUD NAVY VETERAN, I WILL KEEP SPEAKING OUT AGAINST SEXISM

Iearned my commission in the United States Navy in October 1999. A year later, I reported as a junior officer on the USS Arleigh Burke, a guided missile destroyer. I was one of four women, all officers, in a crew of over 300. My second ship was much the same: only five of us on an amphibious ship with over 1,000 crew. Women had not been stationed on combatant ships for long and those of us who were among the first found it difficult, particularly in an environment where we were so drastically outnumbered.

That was more than 20 years ago and, while a lot has changed, the attitude towards women in combat is still riddled with hidden mines. As more and more women are stationed on ships, and as the operational tempo of ships increases, these service members find themselves literally out to sea working long hours in enclosed quarters with men, many of whom may not want them there. When they find themselves

received an honorable discharge after 10 years of service and now owns Postal Connections in Clairemont. She lives in La Mesa. the victims of sexual harassment or violence, who can they turn to when their immediate chain of command is their only recourse?

On April 22, 2020, U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén was reported missing and her remains were found two months later. She had been sexually harassed on post at Fort Hood, Texas, but her chain of command did not report the complaint. Speaking out against sexual harassment and knowing the underlying fear of reprisal, Guillén trusted in her chain of command to protect her. As a veteran, I understand the saying in the military: “mission first, people always.” There was a fundamental failure to protect a service member who asked for help. As a veteran, I swore to protect and defend my country, and also to ensure the safety of the service members who served under and alongside me. The military is based on mutual trust between its members: the faith that your fellow soldier, sailor, airman or Marine is someone who holds your life in his or her hands. When allegations of sexual abuse are ignored, what message does that send?

Changing an entire culture is not easy, particularly one so steeped in tradition, but there is an urgent need to change the course. The Department of Defense just released its report on sexual assault in the military for fiscal year 2020. According to the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, there were 6,290 reports of sexual assault. The pandemic has delayed a typically biannual anonymous survey until 2021, but the numbers can be more telling when fiscal 2018 is examined. Although 6,053 instances of sexual assault were reported that year, the anonymous survey reported 20,500 victims, over a third of whom were men. It’s this disparity that is most concerning to me and the most revealing about how difficult and daunting it can be to report such incidents.

I am very fortunate to say that I have never experienced sexual assault in the military. I don’t even know if I would have reported it had it happened to me. What I can say is that I’ve experienced gender discrimination regularly — all the way back to the admiral who never wanted

me to stand in the wardroom of his ship, much less the bridge. I want to continue to speak up for the next generation of women who are joining our military, who desire to serve with honor. The case of Vanessa Guillén has brought forth other stories, and it is good that these stories are coming to light. It is good that the military recognizes it still has a major problem with sexual assault.

I am proud to have served. In spite of my experiences with sexism, I am proud to have worn the uniform and proud to have completed two deployments. My commission and my honorable discharge are hanging on my “I love me wall” as we call it in the service. One of the plaques I have recognizes me as the first female engineering officer on the guided missile destroyer. I look at it often and I think that is a step in the right direction. It tells me that, even though many didn’t want me there, my commanding officer at the time did, and he recognized that I was helping to break down a barrier.

May the women of the military continue to break barriers. And may we never have to mourn the loss of another woman to such violence as we have with Vanessa Guillén.