The documentary investigates what can only be described as an epidemic of sexual assault in the US military. The statistics tell us that 20% of female soldiers in the US military have been sexually abused. We know from statistics that 80% of sexual abuse victims do not report assaults, therefore the number would in fact be significantly higher. The film introduces us to a number of rape victims from a series of military outfits including the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. It is nothing short of horrifying listening to their experiences, going from proud, dedicated soldiers to broken victims at the hands of not only the perpetrators, but also the US military.
Elle Helmer
Hearing their ordeals was difficult enough. The sobs of the audience members around me told me I wasn't alone in this. Where it gets really difficult however is when you find out what the US military did after the victims reported their assaults. That would be a whole lot of nothing. Due to the military's own form of justice the victims had to go through their chain of command to report the abuse. Those in positions of power however are not trained or equipped to deal with such matters, and as one interviewee noted it would be seen as a leadership failure if it got out that there had been an assault in their unit. Therefore the assaults are 'dealt' with by the military, and this usually means that the perpetrator walks off free.
Kori Cioca and her husband
That unfortunately isn't the worst of it. The majority of women who did report abuse ended up being investigated themselves. They were told that their accusations were false, or that they had bought it on themselves. One of the women we see, Kori Cioca received her papers and was discharged after she reported the rape. Her story is particularly tragic. Not only was she sexually violated, she was also physically abused by her attacker, so much so that it broke her jaw. When we see her in the film she has been on a soft diet for two years because of the injuries she received at the hands of the perpetrator. She has been waiting over 14 months for medical aid from the military, and near the end of the film we find out she has been denied. A variety of ridiculous reasons are given, one being that she was two months shy of the two years of service needed in order to be eligible for aid. She was two months short of two years because she was discharged for reporting her attacker. He is currently still working at the US Coast Guard.
The film brings to light the military sexual assault prevention and assault program, which basically consists of telling female soldiers to walk with a buddy, and reminding male soldiers to "ask her when she's sober". When they interview Kaye Whitely, the former director of the program she clearly has no expertise and no actual system in place for rape prevention. The whole program seems to be an attempt to appear as though prevention is in place when it is fact not.
I cannot recommend this film enough. Although the subject matter is heavy and the stories disturbing, it is vital that we bring such atrocities to light and ensure that this does not continue to happen to both men and women in the military. The film encourages us to share this story with friends and to sign this petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/support-military-sexual-assault-survivors, and I encourage you also. Please check out http://invisiblewarmovie.com/ for more information and make sure that you spread the word and ensure that the victims never have to feel invisible again.
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