America's Armed Service Women

The protection and assurance of equal treatment of America’s armed service members is one the most pertinent duties of the United States Defense Department. With an annual budget of nearly 550 billion dollars, and nearly 3.2 million servicemen and women serving around the world, the Defense Department is one of the most important functioning organizations in America’s public sector. With an enormous budget and a bevy of capable leadership Americans have become accustomed to only the best from the armed forces. The men and women who serve America’s armed forces are expected to exemplify what it means to be an American citizen and receive the appropriate care in return for their services. However, recent allegations of numerous cases of sexual
This essay will discuss the deplorable conditions thousands of service women have been subject to and why it is the civic of duty policymakers to reform one America’s largest public entities to prevent future members from experiencing this. One can only imagine what goes through a soldier’s head upon hearing of an impending deployment. The last thing that should be on the mind of any service member is the hardships they will endure from those in their own company. However, that’s exactly what many female service members have had to live with as members of the United States military. The allegations and confirmed cases of crimes against women in the military have painted a shockingly disgusting image of what it is like to a woman while serving. In early 2012, The Invisible War, a documentary discussing the unknown world of sexual assault within the military. The documentary, which has received extensive coverage since its release featured interviews from veterans, Department of Defense officials, and those who are involved with military judicial process. The catastrophic psychological effects of their military experience, has left many of these veterans
America’s armed services were previously seen as staples of integrity and for too long they have abused the trust of the American people by allowing sexual assault to go virtually unpunished. Women who have worked so hard for equality are especially vulnerable when past gender biases influence the way they are treated in the military. While fighting to preserve American freedom these men and women deserve far better treatment. Assailants need to begin to be held accountable and need to be branded with the same disgrace that follows sexual offenders in civilian society. Officers, who abuse their power by letting these perpetrators off with a slap on the wrist, need to be removed from their positions and replaced by individuals with a larger view of life than military rank. One can never resonate enough the courage it takes for these men and women who survived sexual assault and continued to serve the United States military even when it failed them on so many levels. While this may not be the standard issue of the public sector, it is of equal even more important because it involves the human rights of American citizens. The attention that this issue is finally receiving offers a sense of optimism, and instills hope that the sexual violence experienced by so many women in the military is no longer