FORT DRUM, N.Y. (April 23, 2015) -- Leaders of 10th Combat Aviation Brigade gathered last week to focus on Sexual Harassment / Assault Response and Prevention, or SHARP, training in observance of a recent presidential proclamation declaring April as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
The three training sessions were broken down into commissioned officer, warrant officer and noncommissioned officer groups. They began with a three-mile physical fitness run, followed by a forum held at the Freedom Fighter's Dining Facility on Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield where the message was clear: sexual harassment and assault will not be tolerated within our ranks.
The top-down driven effort adopted by 10th CAB leadership calls on junior leaders and first-line supervisors to effect true cultural change by fostering an environment of dignity, trust and respect in and out of uniform.
Col. Michael C. McCurry, 10th CAB commander, hosted the training effort. He emphasized the point that sexual harassment and sexual assault are detrimental to unit cohesion and readiness, and they are unacceptable within the 10th CAB formation, regardless of how innocent the behavior may seem. Leaders from 10th CAB learned the importance of intervention and taking ownership of the problem.
"We can talk about this problem all day long, but we cannot fix this problem until we take it upon our shoulders as leaders to fix the problem and say 'not in my platoon, not in my squad, not in my shop,'" McCurry said.
During the forum, McCurry stressed his command policy that all Soldiers within 10th CAB are responsible for fostering an atmosphere of awareness, prevention and intervention, adding that reprisals against Soldiers exercising their right to report sexual harassments and assault will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
McCurry also spoke about the important role sponsorship plays in preventing sexual assaults.
"Trends indicate most harassment and assault victims are junior-enlisted personnel who have not been in their unit very long," he said. "That's why we are so big on sponsorship; it is important to have someone looking out for new Soldiers until they learn their way around a new unit."
Combating the issue of sexual assault and harassment within the ranks is an endeavor that must be confronted through multiple avenues, like the 10th CAB's sponsorship program and Ready and Resilient Campaign.
"Our Sponsorship Program is designed to ensure a smooth, positive and effective integration into the command and community," said Command Sgt. Maj. Zach Hurst, 10th CAB senior enlisted adviser. "It establishes a direct relationship with each Soldier and Family in their successful transition into their new unit."
With the current command policies and systems in place, 10th CAB Soldiers of all ranks should possess the proper skills, training and confidence to stop inappropriate acts before the continuum of behavior progresses from a seemingly harmless innuendo into more serious actions with career-altering consequences.
The damage caused by sexual harassment and sexual assault is a betrayal of the trust that Soldiers must possess in each other, which is why 10th CAB Soldiers must be active bystanders and intervene before that trust is broken.
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