Al Udeid Air Base-The Equal Opportunity Advisor and Deployable Sexual Assault Response Coordinator with 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade trained 20 Soldiers from the 824 Quartermaster Company, 362nd Quartermaster Battalion, 207th Regional Support Group Aug. 25 here.
The small quartermaster element reached out to the air defense brigade to assist them with the unit's annual training requirements.
"We made sure we provided them with quality training sessions which they could learn from," said Sgt. 1st Class Nacy Turner, a Warner Robins, Georgian native and the 69th ADA Bde's EOA. "We want them to use these skills and information to make good decisions."
She covered the importance of EO and how treating everyone with dignity and respect can build a strong, cohesive unit.
"I learned not to put yourself in a questionable situation and that what you might think is ok, might not be ok for someone else," said Spc. Krys Thomas, an East Dublin, Georgia native, and parachute rigger with the 824th QM Company. "Everyone has the right to be respected."
Turner touched on the Army reporting procedures and new policies being put in place.
"I think they responded very well," said Turner. "They interacted and participated in the training. They liked the training so much that they invited us back to train again."
As Turner concluded her class, Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Scarberry, a Shawnee, Oklahoma native, stepped up to provide the Soldiers with a class on SHARP.
"The Soldiers are fully aware of their reporting options and procedures for incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault," Scarberry said. "We have empowered them with the knowledge required in order to appropriately intervene."
She explained that incidents not coinciding with the SHARP program erode good order, discipline, unit cohesion and trust.
"We need to watch out for our battles," said Spc. Todge Ferguson, an Ellicott City, Maryland native and rigger with the QM Company. "If we see signs of harassment, we need to intervene because it could escalate to assault and even worse."
Soldiers volunteered to get in front of the class and act out common situations. The class then commented on how to properly intervene.
"We must maintain a zero tolerance policy for infractions of the SHARP and EO programs and continue to foster an environment that exemplifies dignity and respect," Scarberry said. "It is important that our training is effective and that we ensure Soldiers at every level are engaged in intervention and prevention."
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