Valerie, sexual assault survivor and guest speaker, shares her personal account at a Sexual Assault and Prevention Month (SAAPM) candlelight vigil on April 29 at Warrior-Sentinel Fields, Fort Huachuca, Arizona. VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The community here joined in a candlelight vigil to close out Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) at Warrior-Sentinel Fields on April 29.
“We are hosting a candlelight vigil in support of victims of sexual harassment and assault,” said Sgt. 1st Class Saquawia Pennington, lead sexual assault response coordinator (SARC), 111th Military Intelligence Brigade.
Nationally, the annual SAAPM campaign observance in April is to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate communities on how to prevent sexual violence. The Army’s theme this year, "Prevention starts with you," builds on the concept of upholding what it means to be a member of an Army team.
“The hope is that we can all stand together in unity,” Pennington said.
The collective team at Fort Huachuca knows SAAPM’s importance and advocates bystander intervention methods to help eliminate this caustic behavior.
The concluding event included volunteers reading personal accounts from victims’ experiences, said Sgt. 1st Class Allison Cookmeyer, victim advocate, 111th Military Intelligence Brigade.
Cookmeyer read as well as five others prior to the guest speaker, Valerie, a sexual assault survivor.
“A strong cohesive network of victim assistance professionals are available to support anyone who has been sexually assaulted regardless of the identity or status of the perpetrator,” said Tamara Burkett, a speaker at the vigil.
Tamara Burkett, James Dortch, Tammi Trombla, and Stacey Hale all read victims’ personal accounts that evening.
“Nothing anyone says will make rapes, being degraded and abused, nothing anyone says will make that less of a reality for me,” emphasized Valerie.
Sexual harassment and sexual assault violate Army Values and the Warrior Ethos. The Army aggressively addresses sexual violence by focusing on prevention through education and training.
“When people hear prevention they don’t know exactly how to prevent this,” said Nathanael Gaines, lead SARC, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (USAICoE).
“We notice a lot that there is what is called “bystander apathy,” he said. “People think somebody else will get involved.”
Gaines said all it takes is for someone to come forward and say something to get others involved and support the victim.
“What we are looking for is for people to pay attention to their surroundings, if they see something definitely say something, and do not be afraid to be that first voice,” he explained.
This kind of situational awareness has a domino effect and helps protect the strength of our forces, Gaines said.
Maj. Gen. Anthony Hale, commanding general of USAICoE & Fort Huachuca, attended with his wife, Stacey, and closed the ceremony.
“The vigil was fabulous and the messages were great,” said Trinity Peterson, garrison lead SARC.
“Honestly, it is all about reaching one person and making a difference in their perspective.”
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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