Day looks at sexual assault

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Madelyn Brown
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Throughout May, each group commander on Travis hosted a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response down day for their respective groups.

Lt. Col. Jason Torgerson, 60th Air Mobility Wing director of staff, hosted the Wing Staff SAPR down day Tuesday in the auditorium of Bldg. 381 for all Wing Staff Airmen.

The briefing centered on identifying potential offenders of sexual harassment and provided sobering statistics.

"In fiscal year 2012 there were 3,259 sexual assault incidents," Torgerson said. "Only 790 were reported and of that only 449 were unrestricted reports."

The Airmen watched a video featuring Jack, an individual who raped a woman and recounted everything that happened from the time he saw the woman he would later assault that night. The video served as an example of how people tend to blame the victim, when the perpetrator should be the focus.

"Airmen who violate other Airmen like this turn their back on our Air Force," Torgerson said.

Torgerson then laid out the strategy for preventing and responding to sexual assaults.

"Step one is to deter criminal behavior," he said. "We do this by identifying when a potential perpetrator is grooming an individual. That's when intervention is necessary.

"The second step is making it possible for victims to come forward. Trust is the key issue here. Trust is what the perpetrator exploits. Now as wingmen and leaders we need to rebuild that trust.

"The final step is building and reinforcing the Air Force climate."

For the final step, Torgerson looked to the three words that bordered the bottom of every Powerpoint slide: integrity, service, excellence.

"If we operate under those three words, everything else falls into place," he said. "Our core values extend to all we do as Airmen. That means dignity and respect for all. It's about who we are as Airmen."

Torgerson concluded the briefing with a challenge to all Airmen to understand the issue, talk openly and honestly, stay involved, evaluate their work culture, and keep themselves and others accountable.

After the brief, Airmen divided into smaller groups to have a more intimate conversation about the issues the Air Force faces and how to resolve them.

"The smaller group discussions allow for Airmen to open up more about their thoughts and concerns," said Tech. Sgt. Shametra Medlock, Protocol NCO in charge and SAPR down day facilitator. "The interactive environment gets people thinking and discussing more than a computer based training would."

According to Medlock, the SAPR down days should be continued throughout the Air Force and are an important force in shifting the culture.

"These SAPR down days keep awareness raised and they keep sexual assaults on the forefront of priorities," she said.