Giving a Voice to the Voiceless

In my specialized reporting class at Salisbury University we are charged with creating news packages about relevant stories in the military. One of the topics we were asked to cover was the voice of the voiceless, a piece giving credit to those who are not usually heard. Before we went out in search of our stories, my professor showed us a documentary called The Invisible War in an attempt to push us in the right direction. The film is about the ongoing war against sexual assault in the military and the effects it has on soldiers. The worst part about the situation is that the assaults are all internal and no one is doing anything to prevent it because there is no outside supervision. This story gave a voice to the voiceless and caused a lot of people to open their eyes to the situation and it inspired me when I did my news package on ADHD in the military. While my story isn't as dramatic or controversial as the one depicted in The Invisible War, it outlines the struggle that one person faces concerning his learning disability and it will connect with others that have the same issue. The Invisible War did it's job because the situation is now known to the public and things are being done about it. However, there is still a lot to be done and Michael F. Mathews' article in the New York Times highlights these issues.

Sexual Assault is one of the biggest issues facing the United States military and thousands of cases come across their desk each year. When people think about sexual assault in the military, they rarely think that it effects both males and females. They also probably don't know it happened about 26,000 times last year. These are staggering numbers that have shocked a lot of people into action. Mathews describes in his article the way he was raped and then the consequences of that. It drastically effected his life and because of that he is able to offer useful insight into ways that the military needs to be changed. He says that the reason rape happens so much without anyone doing anything about it is because there is no one outside the military keeping tabs on it. The reason that is such a big problem is because it is in the military's best interest to keep it under wraps so that is what they do. People like Michael Mathews are making the military safer by trying to pass bills such as the Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention Act that will force these cases to be seen by an outside party. These are the ways to make a change in an ongoing problem and it all stems from one story teller's commitment to giving a voice to the voiceless. What I have come to learn throughout this semester is that these are the stories that deserve to be told because they are the ones that need to be told.

Citizens Can Be The Answer

Military Suicides Hit Record High In 2012

This year 349 soldiers and veterans have died from suicide. Thats almost one a day, more than died in combat all year. In our specialized reporting class at Salisbury University we have been focusing on issues that veterans and soldiers face in the military. Anything from PTSD to a lack of jobs has come up in our discussions but never something as extreme as suicide. As students we try to find stories that are not so bleak and horrible, but those appear to be the stories that bring the most attention to an issue. This is one of those issues that needs to be addressed.

When a statistic comes out saying that more people have died upon returning home from battle than have died in battle, it is staggering. What are we doing to combat this issue? This is a question that has been circulating around the military for years and it's answer comes from citizens. While the military tries to set up ways to combat illness like PTSD before it gets to the point of suicide, citizens have made the biggest contribution. I recently had a conversation with a volunteer from Operation Welcome Home Maryland, an organization that greets every returning soldier and family that comes through the gates at the Baltimore Washington Airport. She told me that they aim to never miss a return and some members will even wait at the gate at two or three in the morning. While this is not a support group, I find it hard to believe that a returning soldier will not be touched by complete strangers thanking them for their service at such an early hour. I think that organizations like these, organizations that have no other goal but to embrace and honor veterans and soldiers, are the most effective. Soldiers have embraced a culture of not talking about their issues and staying tough. Maybe just showing them that regular people appreciate their sacrifice will go a long way in the healing process.