@gearmom Thank you for sharing. I am already aware of the individual stats. But I was asking if @doschicos could post a study that compares the prevalence of sexual assaults in the military vs. in college, since she seems to believe that sexual assault occurs more in the military then it does elsewhere and is not handled properly in the military…something about the military culture being male dominated and testosterone filled… Or maybe I misunderstood what she was trying to say?!?
I went through medical school on an Army scholarship, and did my residency at Walter Reed. I also spent time on AD doing my payback. Although true, anyone in the service is in harm’s way, I can say it was a very good experience, and I got very good training and an opportunity to serve. Looking back, being a woman, I still would not do it any differently if given a chance…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/nation/2014/05/02/military-sexual-assault/8630871/
@4MyKidz I doubt such studies making a comparison exist. As I said, as a family, we can pick and choose among many colleges based on such issues and others. Do you have studies you can post showing what you claim to be true? Doubt it. I don’t think the government releases things often, probably not since 2013/14. Are you claiming the military, comprised of 85% males, isn’t male dominated and testosterone filled? I worked in an industry with similar gender imbalances. It is what it is and along with it comes a certain culture. It’s not all “motherhood and apple pie”. There are pros and cons. let’s call a spade a spade. Career and training opportunities - plus. Serving one’s country - plus. But, there are downsides. I had a great career but I can be objective enough to see and acknowledge pros and cons. I find it interesting when those that are waving the flag for the military life are unwilling or unable to do the same. To me, that isn’t an honest discussion.
@doschicos It’s evident you believe strongly that sexual assaults are more prevalent in the military even though @gearmom shared info that places this issue in better perspective. If you go back and read my posts, I never asserted that the military had less, although it may. I repeatedly stated that the military was a reflection of society, good & bad) which you found to be an insufficient answer. @Sportsman88 directly answered your question with the SOPs , yet still you found his answer insufficient. Let’s just agree to disagree because this is going nowhere nor does it have much to do with the original post.
I worked in a field which was at least 90% male. Never had a problem. We worked with the military. I would work in the shipyard. I worked on a sub with the military. There was one sexual harassment case which resulted in the firing of the manager. And I was a really fit blonde then. All different ways to describe the elephant.
Historically suicide rate has been lower in military than general U.S. Population. That has changed in last decade. Part of it is combat but you can google the DoD Suicide Incident Report and get full statistics every year. There is a one year lag to gather and collate data.
The number one common factor is military suicides is the loss of a close personal relationship, the same factor as civilians. Sure repeated deployments are a factor but many, if not the majority of suicides are from individuals who either haven’t deployed or haven’t deployed to combat. I haven’t looked at the report in a couple years.
The military has an issue individuals joining with an undisclosed or undiagnosed history of depression/anxiety as well as the fact that mental illness often first appears in early adulthood. Look at the U. Penn suicide thread. Again, the common factor is the age of general population in college and the military combined with high stress environments.
I do not disagree that the military is a high stress environment and not for everyone.
@4MyKidz First, of course it has to do with the op’s post. How can it not be a concern for a parent just as it would be something to look at when considering any college?
Second, the scale used in the 2 links by gearmom vary. The one for colleges references sexual assault rates over the course of college. The military one is stated as in a given year. Apples and oranges. Different articles, different methodologies. No conclusions can be drawn comparing those 2 articles. That would be bad research and observations.
Okay @doschicos . It seems that you are just itching to argue for some reason…be blessed.
From my link in #82
“Take, for instance, Appendix B on Page 108. The Pentagon’s own estimate from 2012 — the most recent year it calculated — shows that only 11% of sexual assault victims in the military report the crime. That compares with estimates of 22% to 41% of sex crimes reported by civilians.”
I’d be both terrified and proud if I were in your situation. Do take the advice above to have her do her research before she joins. The service academies are the best way to go, but with her stats, she’s unlikely to get in. You need Ivy-level scores these days. (In fact, a friend’s son was denied admission to West Point, and ended up at Harvard!)
ROTC may be the best way for her to launch her career if she is set on doing this.
No way 22-41% of civilian sexual assaults are reported. And any estimate of unreported crimes is just that, an estimate.
I agree military has an issue with sexual assault and that it needs to continue to get better. I just think the military has responded better than most civilian institutions and better than many including you give it credit for.
I also think sexual assault is a societal problem, not a military problem. If you want to avoid risk to your kids, keep them home or train them to avoid risky situations. In the military and college, most sexual assaults occur on liberty, to use a military phrase, not in the workplace or classroom.
And with that, I’m out. We have to agree to disagree.
I do agree that OP’s daughter’s stats are likely insufficient to get into the academies (unless a highly recruited athlete and went the USMAPS route) but the academic rigor for getting into the academies isn’t quite as high as Harvard I’d say, although other attributes are factored in that Harvard doesn’t consider. I know several students who have been accepted into the academies in the past few years that weren’t near the level of Harvard stats-wise. Very solid students and citizens and will make great future leaders.
I guess what bothers me is the thread title…like this poster has a different way of thinking about this because it’s their daughter.
Regardless of the gender of my kids…I would,want them to do their due diligence before making any decision…male or female…I would support their decision to be in the military if that was their choice.
And that goes for son and daughter.
The Rand Corporation did some extensive studies of sexual assault in the military. Take a look at those. Depending on the service, officer vs. enlisted, and what statistics you choose to believe about the prevalence of sexual assault in college, the military may be safer.
I find this kerfuffle over the use of the term “Chair Force” to describe the USAF interesting and ironic considering most of the folks I knew IRL who used it are current/former military relatives/friends in the other branches(Army/Marines…especially infantry) who were using it to rile up relatives/friends who served in the USAF.
Heck, my former Naval Aviator cousin used it to gently rib a childhood friend who ended up in AFROTC while he was doing NROTC at his college. He knew to stop once he found the friend washed out of USAF UPT considering he managed to survive Naval Aviator training and earned his Wings of Gold and a place in a carrier wing.
When I run into someone who had been in the Army or Navy, I always say I had to go into the Air Force because I couldn’t get into the Army or Navy. When they puff out their chest and ask why, expecting that I had some kind of physical ailment that disqualified me, I tell them that my IQ scores were too high. Everyone gets a good laugh out of it.
It’s alright to tease…when you are a vet. My husband has tons of jokes about the other branches, particularly about the marines and army and loves to tease other vets. But when you are a student/parent with zero military experience…quite frankly, you have neither the respect or experience to participate in the ribbing. It comes off badly.
The image presented in this thread of the typical military career is quite rosy indeed. Everyone getting multiple degrees for free, seeing the world for free, making a good salary, and retiring with a great pension in their 40s ready to travel the country and world or maybe go back for a second career.
No one living in dumpy housing on a wage low enough to qualify for food stamps. No one pulling tour after tour in a war zone. No one even being shot at, by the sound of it, much less returning with life-altering injuries and PTSD.
What ever happened to all of those sacrifices we are told military families make? Where is that in all of these free degrees and skiing in Japan?
Pardon me if I’m a little skeptical whether this represents the typical experience on the enlistee.
Strikes me that when a thread is about sexual aggression, harassment, or various forms of gender limitations in the non-military arenas, so many posters get it, have their tales or those of friends. It exists. Not everyone experiences it to the same degree. Maybe some never. But it’s there.
Almost 6200 military cases reported in 2016. I feel like the point isn’t where it’s worse, it’s the volume, itself.
I no longer have this link up, but you could google the phrase: "The U.S. military received a record number of sexual assault reports in 2016, the Pentagon said on Monday, calling it a sign of service members’ trust in the system" My bold.
I can’t help but see a bit of spin-- that the growing number is somehow good. Plus, it doesn’t begin to reflect whatever number are not reported. Asking about the culture is legit, imo.
Every time I visit SAMMC, I see young men and women military members missing various limbs. The Intrepid Center is located there. I have helped young enlisted families who are on WIC/food stamps because of ridiculously low salaries. My husband has been deployed to various war zones multiple times and I have dealt with being a single parent with distraught children while he was away. We have friends who suffer from PTSD. My husband receives disability from the cumulation of injuries due to his military service. My children only recently have begun to develop roots as we have had to move every 2-3 years. Is this list good enough @Consolation ? Btw, housing is pretty decent in the Air Force, so no issues there…bases are usually in very bad areas though.