Ending Sexual Assault in the Military

Floor Speech

Ms. GABBARD. I was very proud after 9/11 when I enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard; proud to continue serving as a captain in that same unit; proud when I was a private that I went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in basic training and learned about the Army values of respect, integrity, and honor; proud to be a part of an organization in which strong, unbreakable bonds of trust exist between my brothers and sisters in uniform. But I am not proud that we as a country have allowed an epidemic of sexual assault in the military to continue to such great lengths today.

I feel it is my responsibility to my brothers and sisters in uniform to take action to address this issue, and it is why I have introduced a bill to have a fair, independent, and transparent process to bring justice for these survivors and to prosecute those who are guilty.

We've seen calls to action from communities across the country--headlines from The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, and from my own local newspaper, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser--each calling for us as Congress to pass these measures. We must take action. We owe it to our selfless heroes and to our servant leaders who put their lives on the line every single day for our country.

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