FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- While the Army's Sexual Harassment / Assault Response and Prevention program is gaining more and more recognition, the 10th Mountain Division (LI)'s efforts are keeping up with the needs of the program by focusing on local victim services and putting power back in the hands of higher commands.
"Commanders are integral to solving the sexual assault problem," said Maj. Charity O'Dell, division SHARP program manager. "They have the responsibility for the welfare of both the victim and the accused that is unparalleled to civilian life. They have to have the authority to deal with the situation."
The roughly 450 division SHARP representatives who work face-to-face with Soldiers in the companies, battalions and brigades across the installation are all vetted and trained to Army standard, according to O'Dell. While victim advocates at the battalion and company level hold part-time positions, the SHARP representatives working at the brigade and division level are full time.
"Our SHARP representatives (must have) background checks to make sure we can identify behaviors that are not conducive to the program -- drinking and driving and negative evaluation reports (for example)," O'Dell said, adding that all SHARP representatives also must be a staff sergeant or above. ?"A lot of the victims are lower ranking or young. They need someone who has the experience in the Army to network the right way and get them assistance."
Background checks, which are done on a quarterly basis, go directly to the brigade commander, and he or she has the power to decide who can be in the unit?'s SHARP program, O?'Dell explained.
"Commanders run the SHARP program," she said. "We're just advisers, educators and staffers. All the people in the program are trained and credentialed in accordance with the Army's SHARP program."
The credentialing process takes about two months. Soldiers must be vetted before completing a two-week SHARP course, three days of on-the-job training and a screening at U.S. Army Human Resources Command that usually takes about 10 weeks. After completing the coursework, the division team submits a DOD credentialing packet.
"The DOD Sexual Assault Advocate Credentialing Program is a two-year credentialing that all victim advocates have to have before being appointed into a position or take a case," O'Dell said.
When the SHARP program began in the fall of 2012, the organization was located in Hays Hall, where the 10th Mountain Division (LI) headquarters is located. The team recently relocated to a smaller, off-the-beaten-path building on South Post. The modular building, located in Bldg. 475A on Tigris River Valley Road, provides a more private location for victims to meet with advocates.
The SHARP team works closely with the Staff Judge Advocate's and Criminal Investigation Division's special victims teams, as well as medical professionals. The team is currently working to get the three support services to set up shop in the SHARP Resource Center to allow commanders and victims a one-stop shop for treatment, counseling and assistance, O'Dell said.
"We have this interagency, multidisciplinary group that could come in and out. (All) of our partners are integral to the investigation," she said. "The Resource Center helps (maintain) anonymity in a positive, neutral environment."
The intent is to allow victim advocates to perform rotations in the Resource Center to allow part-time SHARP Soldiers to stay up to date on their skills, O'Dell said.
"The (assaulted) Soldiers may come in as victims, but they leave as survivors," she said. ?"Every victim has a different experience. Victim advocates are instructed to never say 'I know what you're going through' because they can't. You can appreciate where they're coming from, but you don't know."
Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Monn, senior SHARP victim advocate, added that by allowing victim advocates to rotate through the center, it will give a ?"practical application" to their training.
"I've only been (with the division SHARP team) for a little over a month, but I've been a SHARP representative since November 2012," he said.
Before he took the position with division, Monn said he only had experience at the battalion level and below and rarely had to use his SHARP training.
"Instead of sitting there and trying to tread water, having a practical experience … will give (victim advocates) the confidence to inform and advise their commanders," he said.
Culture change
The SHARP program is just one attempt at getting away from the old Army mentality of ?"suck it up," O'Dell explained.
"(If someone is assaulted), that's not something (where) you can just wake up and be better," she said. "You need to be able to recover from that at your own pace, and it is very important have a sensitive, responsible and respectful reaction from your command.
"Commanders are responsible for both parties and both parties' rights -- the accused and the accuser," O'Dell continued. "SHARP is here for the victims -- we?'re here to support them, and we're here to support the commander."
Since the SHARP program started, more and more victims are accepting advocacy, support, resources and referrals, according to O'Dell. The growing number of people coming forward for help, O'Dell believes, is not due to an increase in the number of victims, but rather there is a greater trust in their command teams.
"Soldiers trust their commanders, and they know their commanders will act appropriately and do something," she said. "It's about giving control back to the victim. They see this team of resources that can get them help and support. I think that's an incredible thing.
"That's fantastic. We've empowered more people to know what's out there," O'Dell explained. "They're finding what works for them to get better, recover and (in cases of unrestricted reporting), hold the accused accountable."
Educating victims and commanders benefits the person and the unit as a whole, she added.
"If we can arm them with the tools they need to get healthy and get back on track, then not only do we strengthen the force because we'll retain the Soldier and he or she can continue contributing to the mission, but it lets the commander retain good order and discipline," O'Dell said.
"The Army has made leaps and bounds to address the concerns that continue to develop," she continued. "A little over a year ago, we didn't exist. Now we have assets from all over post building a (SHARP) Resource Center for the division."
Sgt. 1st Class Regina Swint, division sexual assault response coordinator, added that the SHARP program also allows commanders to "lead by example."
Swint, who is preparing to retire after more than 20 years in the Army, explained that over the years, the Army has greatly progressed in its response to sexual assault and harassment. However, Swint said she believes there is always room for improvement.
"It's a big push, and there's a lot of visibility now, which is awesome," she said. "When I came in over 20 years ago, we didn't have this program. There was always the implication of 'zero tolerance,' but when I went through basic training, it wasn't the priority that it is now.
"The next generation (of SHARP representatives) is going to have to be the one that brings (the program forward)," Swint added. "Harassment has been a part of the military's history, and it's a part of our truth. It won't get better until we become more accountable. SHARP is a way to do that."
In the Army, it is standard practice to handle problems at the lowest level -- usually at the battalion, company and platoon level, Swint explained.
"SHARP issues are now handled at the brigade level and above," she said. "The SHARP program has been pushed up because it's that serious. Brigade commanders and above are the command levels that need to have visibility on these issues."
Leading the way
Swint said she believes SHARP is helping to change and evolve cultural norms.
"People with voices will help us improve what we're building on," she said. "It's not just a military effort -- it will take a concerted effort between military and civilian populations. It won't take care of itself.
"We (in the Army) represent what is supposed to be the best of the country, but when we have the worst of our formations committing acts like sexual assault, it degrades the whole organization and the mission itself," Swint said.
O'Dell agreed, adding that the Army is leading change for the nation as a whole.
"We will not tolerate that sort of predatory behavior; we will hold ourselves accountable and we will look out for each other," she said. "(A predator) is often a wolf in sheep's clothing. That's why it's so hard for a victim to recover. Soldiers are supposed to trust each other."
In an Army of "brothers and sisters," the Soldiers to your left and right are supposed to have your best interest in mind, O'Dell explained.
"These are the same people who are supposed to have your back in a firefight," she said. "You would never imagine that they would commit a crime against you. Predators take advantage of Soldiers being comfortable around each other."
SHARP is one step toward changing society's acceptable tolerances, O'Dell said.
"We have no tolerance for (driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol); we have no tolerance for child abuse," she said. "We need to get the same elicited response when someone hears about the rape of a fellow Soldier or the harassment of a fellow worker."
Monn agreed that sexual assault and harassment aren't just Army problems, (they are) societal issues. As the senior victim advocate, much of his focus with the division's program will be personnel training.
"I have a philosophy -- I don't just make better Soldiers, I make better citizens," he said. "We need to get those people who are offenders taken care of -- either titled or rehabilitated.
"If you catch it at an early stage -- which we usually do because our No. 1 population of offenders and victims are our young first term (privates through specialists) -- they will know what right and wrong is. Then the next generation of leaders will help the program evolve and become better," he added.
During the month of April, dubbed "Sexual Assault Awareness Month," the entire SHARP team will promote awareness of the program through information tables, an open house and a walk / run event. Check out the box below for a complete list of events.
For more information about the Army SHARP program, visit http://www.preventsexualassault.army.mil/.
Victims of sexual assault or harassment can call the 24/7 installation hotline at (315) 767-6128 or call or text the Safe Help Line at 1-877-995-5247. The Safe Help Line can link victims up with SHARP representatives, chaplains or victim advocates across the country.
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