Coast Guard Veterans Testify Before Senate Committee Describing ‘Pervasive,’ ‘Insidious’ Culture of Sexual Assault and Harassment
On Tuesday, three veterans of the United States Coast Guard and one cadet testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about the decades of “pervasive” and “insidious” culture of sexual harassment and assault that has gone without accountability and what it has cost them.
The testimony, which aired on C-SPAN, happened days after CNN reported on the widespread mishandling of instances of sexual assault, harassment, bullying, intimidation, and more. According to the report, there was a massive failure to hold perpetrators accountable; some even saw promotions and went on to successful careers without being held responsible for their reported actions.
Retired Lt. Melissa McCafferty described being raped by an upperclassman cadet, but didn’t report the incident out of fear that she “would be the one to face discipline. My fears were not unfounded. I later witnessed the restriction of a classmate who was brave enough to report a rape. To add insult to injury, senior leaders at the academy permitted her rapist to graduate and to receive his commission. To my knowledge, he is still serving today.” She added:
My experiences are not isolated events. There are hundreds of similar stories within the academy and throughout the fleet involving officers and enlisted members alike. As a result, there exists a corrosive pattern of sexual assault, harassment, abuse, bullying, intimidation and retaliation. This is insidious. This is pervasive, and this is continuing to this day.
Throughout my career, I have personally experienced and observed behavior that leads me to this tragic conclusion. There is an incredibly strong correlation between our abusive culture and the continued failure by Coast Guard senior leaders to hold themselves and others accountable for abhorrent and, at times, criminal behavior.
What’s worse, I have witnessed the harassment, bullying and retaliation against Coast Guard members who have shown the integrity to speak up. After exercising integrity, they are often forced out of the organization.
Here is more damning testimony from Commander Jennifer L. Yount, USCG Ret.:
U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Cmdr. Jennifer Yount’s (Ret.) opening statement at on U.S. Coast Guard Academy Sexual Assault hearing: “The world’s greatest coast guard let down all the women and men who have survived sexual military assault and trauma for the past 47 years…” pic.twitter.com/S6qVrgH7p5
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 12, 2023
And from former member of the Coast Guard Academy Caitlin Maro:
Former U.S. Coast Guard Academy Member Caitlin Maro: “The Academy and the Coast Guard at large is fraught with cronyism, power addicts and abusers…I was groped several times, sometimes with 30 laughing witnesses and sexually harassed on a daily basis.” pic.twitter.com/PAz9LIKeyC
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 12, 2023
You can read their full testimony on the Committee’s site.
Watch the video above via C-SPAN.
