Short Changed: Why Are Women Still Not Safe Serving
in the US Military?
The War Horse, in the series “Short Changed,” looks at the noncombat deaths of women going back to 9/11, as well as the number of women who still face the same issues servicewomen have faced for decades: Reported abuse or harassment goes ignored. Mental health needs go unmet. Reprisal goes unchecked. And all too often, women die.
Congress has ordered that investigations be taken out of the military’s hands to ensure the military is safe for all who serve.
But they’ve made changes before. In 1993, after the Tailhook scandal, the secretary of defense announced women could serve in almost every aviation capacity, as well as on combat ships. In 1996, after 12 drill instructors and officers at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland were charged with sexually abusing and raping their recruits, the secretary of the Army ordered all troops to go through sexual harassment training, and the Army set up a hotline for women who needed help. In 2017, after Marines United, revenge pornography was made illegal.
In 2020, Vanessa Guillen was murdered by another soldier, after twice reporting sexual harassment, despite decades of change.
Now, because of Guillen’s death, women—and everyone else—can report sexual harassment or assault to someone outside the military. And commanders will no longer be involved in investigations of those cases, as of the end of this year. People who report crimes will also be protected from repercussions under the new law.
Other changes are still to come, including that the military’s new special trial counsel offices will take over prosecution decisions by the end of this year. By Jan. 1, 2025, trained special trial counselors outside the chain of command will handle all sexual harassment cases.
In the military, women are still often treated as less, as other, or as targets. To track this issue, The War Horse is creating a database of women who have died in ways other than through combat or natural causes. We also plan to monitor how deaths after abuse or sexual assault are handled and will highlight solutions that exemplify meaningful cultural change.
Please help us track these cases, new and old.
If you are in crisis, dial 988, then press 1. You can also chat with someone online.
If you are in the military and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the SHARP 24-hour emergency helpline at (831) 682-8746 or visit safehelpline.org.
For civilian help, call the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s 24-hour support line at (800) 656-4673.
Veterans who experienced military sexual trauma can get health care, even if the harassment or assault has not been documented, by calling the nearest Veterans Affairs health care center and asking to speak with the MST coordinator.
Short Changed: No Justice at Fort Hood for Another Woman Soldier and a Commander Who Tried to Help
As Vanessa Guillén’s body was found, a commander who tried to do the right thing after false accusations lost his career.
Short Changed: Military Women Face Assault, Harassment, Death. Is Culture to Blame?
The history of the military’s response to women’s service has led to an entrenched separate-and-unequal environment.
Short Changed: Military Comes with Unique Risks for Domestic Violence, Can Silence Survivors
A War Horse review of military women’s noncombat deaths since 9/11 found domestic violence often ended in death.
Short Changed: How The Army Failed Spc. Adrienne Barillas
Adrienne Barillas was found naked outside of an Army barracks. The Army ruled her death a suicide. Soldiers and family members say there’s more to the story.
Short Changed: Military Women’s Deaths by Suicide Linked to Sexual Trauma
While men in the military have alarmingly high rates of suicide, the rates among military women are rising faster, and their reasons are different.
He Spent Years Learning Other People’s Secret Pains. I Spent Years Hiding Mine.
E.V.’s husband spent years serving military sexual trauma survivors, unaware that she, too, was one.
Scroll through our interactive timeline.
This project was reported by War Horse reporters Thomas J. Brennan, Kristin Davis, Sonner Kehrt, Anne Marshall-Chalmers, and Kelly Kennedy. Kelly Kennedy edited it. Tom Brouns, Francisco Martinezcuello, Coral del Mar Murphy-Marcos, and Brian Nguyen from Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program, as well as Jennifer Hlad and Courtney Brown from Fuller Project, contributed to the reporting of this project. Robert Rosenthal, Christine Schiavo, and Khushbu Shah acted as advisers. It was fact-checked by Ben Kalin and Jess Rohan, and copy-edited by Mitchell Hansen-Dewar. Abbie Bennett wrote the headlines. Sarah Flores created the cover art and logo. Jacqueline Knox helped with research.
This series was produced in partnership with The Human Rights Center and The Fuller Project.
