Wing conducts sexual assault awareness training Published April 16, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs Office SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Airmen assigned to the 375th Air Mobility Wing dedicated a full day of training to sexual assault awareness April 10, and the objectives, lessons and agenda were provided by the Secretary of Defense. Col. Kyle Kremer, 375th AMW commander, started the day off with a commander's call and acknowledged that some people might be frustrated to be "spending more training" dedicated to sexual assault. "Some of you might even be angry or mad that we're doing this; it's an irritant to you. It's also making our leaders mad!" he said. "This is a national issue. It's eroding our credibility to the American people. It should make you mad that we have to deal with the fact that people are sexually assaulting other people and not respecting them. It makes me very angry when I see this. As a commander, this is one of the single, most frustrating and challenging issues that I have to deal with." He told the Airmen that they have an obligation to take care of their Airmen--their civilians, teams, and family. "The SAPR down day is focused toward prevention. That's the key; if we had more of that, we wouldn't be having this day." Pamela Dorsey, the 375th AMW Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, also spoke during the commander's call. She talked about fostering a culture of respect and how an environment that allows joking and varying forms of sexual harassment allows a predator to hide. "When we talk about the threat and our ability to be able to make a difference here, I want you to know what that looks like," Dorsey said. "When a work center environment is conducive to behaviors that are not appropriate, a perpetrator identifies targets." Dorsey stressed the importance of addressing unacceptable or offensive behaviors before they escalate. These behaviors include sexist jokes, objectification of another person, and inappropriate touching. It's all about the "Power of One"! One person can make a difference by stepping in when inappropriate behaviors are being demonstrated. "An environment that supports those kinds of behaviors creates a culture where behaviors of inappropriate touching or sexual assault can occur. In the military environment, women are six times more likely to experience an assault or rape when their work environment condones or supports sexual harassment behaviors." Following the commander's call, members conducted individual unit training sessions with discussions. Across the base, skilled facilitators led talks with groups of 25-30 people, where the focus was on identifying offenders, or someone who uses force, threats intimidation or abuse of authority to get their victim to do what they want. Participants were encouraged to share experiences and opinions. Master Sgt. Jennifer Best, a facilitator of a small group discussion with members of the 618th Air and Space Operations Center, said, "I feel that we are helping with the sexual assault issue by educating our members on offenders by explaining the five "I's" of an offender and showing them how they apply to true scenarios that have taken place in the Air Force." The five I's are different techniques perpetrators use on their victims: invasion, ignoring, instinct, intoxication and isolation. "This helps everyone apply the knowledge to their own work place and surrounding areas. Sexual assault takes place everywhere--not just our Air Force bases, and that is why it's so important that we educate our Airmen on the bystander role, identifying offenders and how we support our victims so they can become survivors," she said. Kremer also emphasized the importance of holding peers accountable by not allowing an environment that fosters inappropriate behaviors. Everyone has the responsibility to stand up to these behaviors and stop them or report them when they occur. "You need to hold your peers and co-workers accountable by not tolerating the behaviors that foster a environment where sexual harassment or sexual assault can occur. We want to focus on prevention because we don't want to develop that culture where it becomes acceptable."