FORT SILL, Okla., April 28, 2016 -- Fort Sill and Lawton community leaders gathered for a tree-planting ceremony at Graham Resiliency Training Campus, April 22.
The ceremony included music from the 77th Army Band, an invocation from installation command chaplain, Chap. (Col.) John Morris, and words from Maj. Gen. John Rossi, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general. The guest speaker was Linda Terrell, a 30-year survivor of sexual assault, who also attended other area ceremonies earlier in the day.
"I am helping the community of Lawton, Cameron University and Fort Sill celebrate and honor the victims and survivors through sexual assault awareness month," said Terrell. "This tree is being dedicated to the victims, family members and people who love people who have had sexual violence at some point in their life."
The city of Lawton, Cameron University and Fort Sill each had its own commemorative event on the same day. Leslie Watts, Fires Center of Excellence Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention manager, said the scheduling was purposely set to promote sexual assault awareness.
"All three organizations wanted to host a ceremony where leadership could engage their community by speaking publicly about our responsibility to educate our students, our Soldiers, our family members and our community, to prevent acts of sexual violence," said Watts. "All of us have a duty to intervene by being an active bystander, if and when we witness sexual harassment or sexual violence, and we all need to respond in a way that supports victims when they ask for help."
Terrell said the point she wanted attendees to understand most was how important it is for people to believe the person revealing that they were a victim of sexual assault.
"That really is the time in the healing process that begins the healing and it starts the very first time they tell the first person that this has happened to them," said Terrell. "It is important that the first responder, and it may be a professional or it may be a family member or friend, responds back with 'I believe you' or 'I'm sorry that happened to you' or some sort of indication that implies belief. That really is the beginning of the healing process."
Terrell attended other community ceremonies and she said she believes society has changed in the 30 years since she was assaulted. She compared it to breast cancer and explained how at one time breast cancer was a taboo topic that wasn't talked about or addressed.
"Sexual assault was absolutely that way," she said. "No one talked about it. It was shameful. You were almost always, as a victim, questioned immediately about your role. And the trials were just horrible. It has improved but we still have a long way to go."
It wasn't until two years ago Terrell's rapist was caught and despite the many years, she said the trial brought back difficult memories. Terrell and Watts both say they hope events like the tree-planting ceremony, will help victims and survivors find their voice.
Terrell said she hopes there will be a day when sexual assault doesn't have the stigma it has currently.
"I'm looking forward to the day, quite frankly, that we can wear shirts that say, 'I'm a survivor of sexual assault,' the way breast cancer survivors wear, and that we can be proud of it, because I'm proud of it," said Terrell. "It's been a journey for me. It hasn't been an easy journey but I've made it."
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