Been there done that as an 11-year-old boy raped by a couple of perverts at a state park. I successfully hid it from my parents and then myself, but it blew up 40 years later in the civilian version of a PTSD meltdown. The horror is real and I thank you for helping your mates talk about it, because the truth will set you free, albeit slowly and painfully.
To this day I wish they'd been caught so I could kill them myself. But otherwise, I'm at peace with the event, though vigilant that it never happens to anyone again if I can help it.
Using the word "commemorate" for the 3rd anniversary almost sounds like a it's celebration of a positive event, which our abandonment of Afghanistan most definitely was not. Perhaps "memorialize" or "observe" would be a better word to convey a somber or reflective event.
This film hit me in the gut at the time for several reasons. Both my son and daughter-in-law were currently serving in the Coast Guard. One of the members followed in this film served in that same branch, stationed during the time of her assaults in the same state as my son. At the time of this film, she lived in the same city I do.
And our family went through this trauma. It's not my story to tell but I will say that a stay in SLC is part of the saga. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for speaking up about this. It continues to have ripple effects in our family to this day.
Thank you for addressing this issue that has been hidden for far too long. I have more than one personal experience with sexual abuse as 1 in 3 women have. I know it is even more difficult for males to come forward to tell their stories. I am hopeful your's and other's focus and truth telling will provide the impetus for other men and women to face their own traumas. 💙
Been there done that as an 11-year-old boy raped by a couple of perverts at a state park. I successfully hid it from my parents and then myself, but it blew up 40 years later in the civilian version of a PTSD meltdown. The horror is real and I thank you for helping your mates talk about it, because the truth will set you free, albeit slowly and painfully.
To this day I wish they'd been caught so I could kill them myself. But otherwise, I'm at peace with the event, though vigilant that it never happens to anyone again if I can help it.
Using the word "commemorate" for the 3rd anniversary almost sounds like a it's celebration of a positive event, which our abandonment of Afghanistan most definitely was not. Perhaps "memorialize" or "observe" would be a better word to convey a somber or reflective event.
Fair.
Will, after reading what you have to say about MST, the word s .. a ... d doesn't cover it even if you could stretch it around the planet.
The Invisible War: Changing the Conversation on Rape in the Military came out a few years ago. (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/invisible-war-has-changed-the-conversation-on-rape-in-the-military)
This film hit me in the gut at the time for several reasons. Both my son and daughter-in-law were currently serving in the Coast Guard. One of the members followed in this film served in that same branch, stationed during the time of her assaults in the same state as my son. At the time of this film, she lived in the same city I do.
And our family went through this trauma. It's not my story to tell but I will say that a stay in SLC is part of the saga. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for speaking up about this. It continues to have ripple effects in our family to this day.
Thank you for addressing this issue that has been hidden for far too long. I have more than one personal experience with sexual abuse as 1 in 3 women have. I know it is even more difficult for males to come forward to tell their stories. I am hopeful your's and other's focus and truth telling will provide the impetus for other men and women to face their own traumas. 💙