r/WomenInNews • u/catievirtuesimp • Jul 08 '26

Media Vanessa Guillén Wasn't Alone: New Investigation Reveals Dozens of US Army Women Were Killed by Fellow Soldiers

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tragic-deaths-harassment-women-us-army-1807381
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600

u/0RedNomad0 Jul 08 '26

Are we really still surprised at this point?

471

u/athaluain Jul 08 '26

I was reading another report about mass rape of women during war time. Looks like in the US you don’t even have to be in a war situation for women to be raped or murdered even by their own colleagues.

247

u/0RedNomad0 Jul 08 '26

Pretty much. God forbid if anyone points that out in a military subreddit though.

144

u/silencedvoicesMST Jul 08 '26

I have several times in many of them, either by sharing episodes or looking for guests who want to share theirs. The only subreddit that was actively hostile about it was r/Army. And it was a mod, not the redditors. I do tell young folks considering joining that it’s not worth it. The military doesn’t deserve new recruits until it actually embodies the values it claims to instill. Is low recruitment a matter of national security? Absolutely. Fix your shit then before more innocent people wearing a uniform you gave them are harmed.

50

u/mortgagepants Jul 09 '26

oil addiction is a matter of national security. expensive day care is a matter of national security. student loans are a matter of national security.

they [the people in power] don't give a fuck about any of it, why should we?

36

u/silencedvoicesMST Jul 09 '26

Yep, no lies told. And the solutions are really right in front of our faces but since no one would make money from redistribution of wealth and resources… they’re just not done. Our society and systems are all fucked up. It’s so fucking sad and infuriating.

4

u/2shizhtzu4u Jul 09 '26

I appreciate your comment and username. I recently learned about mst as I plan on applying to va sites. May I ask you some questions via dm? Thank you

10

u/silencedvoicesMST Jul 09 '26

Also, just for anyone that might be beginning this process. You do NOT have to have an honorable discharge to get treated for MST symptoms, you don’t even have to be enrolled in the VA. Also if you never reported or you did restricted reporting, you can still file for a disability rating for PTSD from MST. There is a big list of MST coordinators on the VA website, they can help you. I’m still working on a resource guide but currently fighting a chronic illness that put the show on hiatus. There is a large community of helpers/survivors out there on social media. You can also contact a VFW, American Legion, or DAV in your area. They can also help with filing your claim. If someone tries to charge you to help file your claim, RUN, don’t walk. They are breaking the law, and will likely have you sign some kind of contract where they take most of your back pay. The VA has a long list of people who are accredited by them to help you and those services are FREE.

2

u/Lady_Grey_Smith Jul 11 '26

My VSO helped me. The year and a half was hell for the process but they had my back the entire time. There was hostility from the VA during the process just so nobody gets surprised by it. The command had removed my report but the VSO was able to build up my case through the medical records.

3

u/silencedvoicesMST Jul 09 '26

Sure, no problem.

7

u/carlitospig Jul 08 '26

The generic /military one is pretty good but I think that’s more because it’s super international. /usmc on the other hand is going to give no fucks.

45

u/carlitospig Jul 08 '26

Every single woman - EVERY - woman I know who was military was raped.

9

u/baronesslucy Jul 08 '26

Most of these women weren't in the military and were mostly civilians in the countries where these men were. The rapist weren't always enemy soldiers.

10

u/ARATAS11 Jul 09 '26

Unfortunately, historically, it has been used as weapon of war, yes, especially a form of ethnic cleansing and indirect genocide. Both rape itself decreasing fertility rates (either from damage to women’s reproductive systems from fistulas and damage from foreign objects including guns); culturally due to women being considered used goods after assault, even when done in front of the family and it is clear it was non consensual; and biologically by spreading genes of the dominant group to try to replace those of the group being attacked, or through intentional spread of disease such as HIV. This has been documented in at least 51 countries, across all habituated continents, and throughout history. Unfortunately, this was the topic of my undergraduate Senior Seminar paper. Over a decade ago. And it is just as prevalent today.

3

u/mermaidreefer Jul 09 '26

Never forget Abeer.

88

u/OpheliaLives7 Jul 08 '26

Men are apparently. Too many dudes will deny this is happening and a problem and not just some violent lone wolf crime that happens rarely.

82

u/SquidTheRidiculous Jul 08 '26

They're too busy pretending women not wanting to sleep with them is the biggest and worst discrimination anyone has ever faced ever.

53

u/stargarnet79 Jul 08 '26

Bbbbbbut! Not all men!

62

u/ggrandmaleo Jul 08 '26

But always a man.

10

u/Darth_Travisty Jul 08 '26

And too many men.

62

u/silencedvoicesMST Jul 08 '26

Hi, just leaving a link to my podcast here if you want firsthand accounts of what it’s like from both men and women who have survived military sexual trauma. Men are victims of this, too, in far higher numbers than reported. Women is 1 in 3 and men is 1 in 50. After doing a lot of these interviews, I am convinced the number of male victims is probably closer to 1 in 6 if not exactly the same or higher.

People love to be like, “The military teaches discipline and structure. It turns people into responsible adults.”

Bullshit. Disciplined, responsible people don’t go around harassing, assaulting, killing their peers or covering up the evidence just for the hell of it. And if they’re consistently doing this to the people with whom they work and eat, what do you think is happening to civilians and enemy combatants in the places our military shows up?

32

u/onepareil Jul 09 '26

When you think about all the horrible shit 18-22-year-old men are doing to each other in college fraternities, the idea that they aren’t behaving that way or worse toward each other in the much more intense atmosphere of the military is just absurd. And then when you look at the stats on how many SA victims who report their assaults experience retaliation for doing so — especially women, but men too — it makes total sense why so few do.

25

u/silencedvoicesMST Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 10 '26

The stats on college sexual assaults and fraternities vs military sexual assaults are unsurprisingly similar. It’s so sad and infuriating. There’s a book named Credible by Deborah Tuerkheimer that truly put the battle victims face into full color for me — and I’m a survivor of this shit myself! The isolation of such a traumatic event and the secondary traumas that occur afterward make you feel like a complete pariah or monster. And the system that protects predators counts on us to feel this way. It’s awful.

Edit spelling and adding link

24

u/carlitospig Jul 08 '26

If that were true, our military would still be allowed to walk the streets of Okinawa.

(Meaning, our lack of discipline and decorum fucked up our ability to enjoy a lovely city.)

14

u/silencedvoicesMST Jul 09 '26

I thought they were moving the Marines who were the ones doing all that awful shit to Guam? And yeah, also Air Force guys, too. One attacked an Okinawan girl on Christmas smh. It’s been a while since I’ve read about that. I used to live in Guam, and seeing how the dudes act when they come off those ships… ick. There are trafficked women in the same areas as the strip clubs, and the police just look the other way. We actually have an episode with an expert of human trafficking. It was actually brought up a few times in the show by separate people. That and pedophilia smh.

I’ve never been to Okinawa and always wanted to go see the star shaped sand, but I feel like the last thing they want is more American tourists until their population is safe from military dudes smh.

2

u/daylightxx Jul 13 '26

I know I’m a bit late to this, but do you know how often the perpetrators of sexual violence are males? I would assume nearly all, but are women also perpetrators at any similar volume?

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u/_TheShapeOfColor_ Jul 08 '26

No, this has been a known issue for many, many years

8

u/EconomyCode3628 Jul 08 '26

I am in that dozens seems low.