31st ADA Soldiers get 'sharp' on stopping harrassment

By Staff Sgt. Nathan Akidge, 31st ADAJuly 24, 2014

SHARP standards
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FORT SILL, Okla. -- Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno has placed sexual assault response and prevention as a top priority Armywide, stating that "these crimes cut to the heart of the Army's readiness for war. They destroy the fabric of our force, Soldier and unit morale."

Last week, Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery held a Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention training day, where they focused not only on sexual assault prevention, but also each individual's responsibility in protecting their fellow Soldiers from sexual harassment and assault. The training was designed to be more engaging for the Soldiers, and to stray from the standard computer-based training.

"I knew that the Soldiers were not receiving the message that they needed to get when I took over the SHARP program. I also noticed that prior to me introducing a variety of learning tools, that there was a lot of Power Point-based training," said Sgt. 1st Class Khadija Mitchell, 3-2nd ADA battalion SHARP representative. "I asked our leadership if I could be allowed to run the SHARP program any way I wanted, as long as I kept within the boundaries of training. My command said 'yes,' bring what you have to the fight and update the program; make our training more engaging for the Soldiers."

The recent training featured guest speakers who are survivors of sexual assault.

The speakers stressed the importance of each Soldier knowing that when you are sexually assaulted, it is never your fault.

"It wasn't your traditional classroom setting, where you have a bunch of slides and someone reading them to you," said Sgt. 1st Class Teresa Holden, 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade sexual assault response coordinator and victim advocate. "They had survivors of sexual assault come out and speak, the survivors told their stories in a way that the Soldiers could relate it to themselves or a family member, and even told them how a bystander could make a difference."

"We reached out to the Marie Detty Center in Lawton, and went to visit them during one of their Thursday night support groups," said Mitchell. "I introduced myself to everyone, and told them what we were trying to do and what avenue we were trying to take. As an end result, two survivors came out and shared their stories with the group."

"This training went hand in hand with the Bystander Intervention Training that the commanding general brought to this installation. It showed them how that training, and the message we are trying to get across, can be applied in the real world," said Holden.