USAFA Rape Complaints Lead To Discipline For Female Cadets | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.14.25

Airborne-NextGen-04.15.25

AirborneUnlimited-04.16.25

Airborne-AffordableFliers-04.17.25

SunnFun-DayFour-04.03.25

Sat, Feb 22, 2003

USAFA Rape Complaints Lead To Discipline For Female Cadets

Female Cadets Allege Retribution by Commanders

Make it 12, the number of current and former female US Air Force Academy undergraduates who say they've been sexually harrassed or assaulted - then reprimanded for reporting the incidents.

USAFA officials have yet to comment on the allegations. Sen. John Warner (R-VA) has called for a complete investigation. USAF teams are on site in Colorado Springs (CO) now, beginning their investigation.

Sen. Allard: "Legitimate Concerns"

"They indicated to me that they had interviewed some of the women. The investigators relayed to me that they had some legitimate concerns," Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) said. Allard told reporters his office had received several complaints from the current and former cadets. Allard said he may ask the entire Senate Armed Services Committee to investigate.

"We think the women are credible," Allard told the Denver Post. "It seems like when a woman reports a rape case that the wheels get set in motion where she gets forced out of the academy. And not always is there a similar thing happening to the men."

Gen. Gilbert Welcomes An Investigation

The Academy's commandant of cadets, Gen. S. Taco Gilbert III, said he welcomes any and all investigations. The general denied that there is any sort of policy - written or practiced - that punishes female cadets for reporting sexual harrassment.

"If there is a perception of a problem in the wing, we've tried to take that head on because I will not tolerate, I will not tolerate, retribution against a victim ... and I have made that very clear to the cadet wing," he said.

Worst Since Tailhook?

The fast-moving USAFA case could develop into the biggest military sex scandal since the 1991 Tailhook debacle, when Navy and Marine pilots sexually molested Navy women at a party in Las Vegas.

In this most recent spate of cases, many of the female Air Force cadets who reported they were sexually assaulted said they were punished as a result. One woman who left the Academy said she did so after her commanders responded to her allegations by alleging she had broken rules regarding drinking, fraternizing with upperclassmen and having sex in the school's dormitories.

After rape allegations at the Colorado Springs facility in 1993, the USAF set up a 24-hour rape hotline. Since that time, the Academy reports 99 calls to the phone number. Eight cadets have been dismissed for sexual assault-related charges since then.

FMI: www.usafa.af.mil

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.14.25): Chart Supplement U.S.

Chart Supplement U.S. A flight information publication designed for use with appropriate IFR or VFR charts which contains data on all airports, seaplane bases, and heliports open t>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.14.25)

Aero Linx: EUROCONTROL EUROCONTROL is a pan-European, civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation. Our expertise spans research, development, operations a>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.14.25)

“The pilot conducted a risk assessment of the flight; however, he omitted to include the carriage (transportation) of the penguin on-board... the cyclic pitch control lever a>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Aviator Sean O’Donnell – A Love For Flight Has No Limits

From 2016 (YouTube Edition): What's Holding YOU Back From Your Dream Of Flight? While at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2016, ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, shares a conv>[...]

Airborne 04.14.25: H2-Powered R44, Oshkosh Organized Chaos, UAL School Sued

Also: Spirit CEO Resigns, ‘Mental Health in Aviation’, U-2 Dragon Lady, Elixir Delivers Unither Bioelectronics announced that its modified Robinson R44 helicopter made >[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC