Protesters demand justice for sexually abused GI

Women’s, veteran, and anti-war groups demonstrated on July 15 to demand freedom and justice for Spec. Suzanne Swift. The demonstrators at the gates of Ft. Lewis also celebrated the 22nd birthday of Swift, who attended the protest.

Swift is the survivor of systematic sexual assault by five sergeants during her deployment to Iraq. She demanded these assaults stop in complaints she made through the chain of command. The army ignored her complaints. She has also been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome due to this constant sexual harassment.

Three days before her second deployment to Iraq, Swift left the military. She was unwilling to go through another round of sexual abuse. That was six months ago.

On June 11, police broke into her mother’s house in Eugene, Ore., and arrested Swift. The next day, Swift’s mother, Sara Rich, led a vigil of 70 people at the Eugene jail supporting her daughter. Swift was then sent to Ft. Lewis, Wash., where she was restricted to the base.

Among the participants at the demonstration was the family of Lt. Ehren Watada, the first U.S. officer to refuse duty in Iraq.

At the rally/press conference, B.J. Stewert of Texas Women Veterans said that after spending 10 years in the military, “I got out because of the very same thing that has happened to Suzanne Swift.”

Rich said that since she started organizing with a web site five weeks earlier, “hundreds of women have emailed and said the same thing happened to them in the military. We have dehumanized our military and we won’t stand for war!” She especially denounced “command rape”—when an officer or non-commissioned officer in a combat zone has life or death power over a soldier. Rich vowed to have three commanders over Suzanne Swift brought to justice.

Suzanne Swift’s courage in demanding a stop to her abuse has resonated among veterans and social justice groups worldwide. Over 4,000 people have signed a petition demanding justice for Suzanne Swift and an honorable discharge from the army. For more info, see www.SuzanneSwift.org.