The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
May 17, 2013

3rd U.S. Military Official Tasked With Sexual Assault Prevention Is Accused of Abuse 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
A third U.S. military official whose job was to prevent sexual
harassment and assault has been accused of carrying out precisely the
type of behavior he was supposed to stop. Army Lt. Col. Darin Haas ran
the sexual harassment and assault response program at Fort Campbell in
Kentucky. He turned himself in late Wednesday on charges of violating a
protection order and stalking his ex-wife. Just one day earlier, it was
revealed the Army coordinator of sexual assault prevention at Fort Hood,
Texas, is being investigated for alleged sexual assault. There were
reports Sgt. First Class Gregory Mc Queen had also been running a
small-time prostitution ring. Just days before that Lt. Col. Jeffrey
Krusinski, head of the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response
Office, was arrested for allegedly groping a woman in a Virginia parking
lot. President Obama met with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and top
military leaders Thursday to address what he termed the “scourge” of
sexual assault in the military. His remarks came the same day lawmakers
including New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced legislation to
strip military commanders of the ability to prosecute sexual assault,
instead placing decisions about whether to try such cases in the hands
of independent military prosecutors. According to last week's Pentagon
report the conviction rate for sexual assault in the military was less
than one percent in the last fiscal year. Gillibrand cited the report's
estimate report 26,000 service members were assaulted last year.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: "Congress would be derelict in our duty of
oversight if we just shrugged our shoulders and did nothing, did nothing
for these 26,000 sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and
fathers. We have to do better by them. When a person in charge
preventing sexual assault in the ranks is himself arrested on charges of
alleged sexual assault, clearly we have a strategy in place that is not
working."

 

.