Obama: Sexual assault threatens trust in military

May 24, 2013 @ 9:19 am


President Barack Obama congratulates a graduate as another one celebrates at the United States Naval Academy graduation ceremony in Annapolis, Md., Friday, May 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) | Zoom

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - With a growing sexual assault epidemic staining the military, President Barack Obama urged U.S. Naval Academy graduates Friday to remember their honor depends on what they do when nobody is looking and said the crime has "no place in the greatest military on earth."

The commander in chief congratulated the 1,047 midshipmen graduating at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, telling the 841 men and 206 women that they have proven themselves morally by meeting rigorous standards at the academy. But their commencement celebration came in the midst of reports of widespread sexual assault throughout the military, and Obama ended his 20-minute address by recognizing "how the misconduct of some can have effects that ripple far and wide."

"Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong," Obama said. "That's why we have to be determined to stop these crimes, because they've got no place in the greatest military on Earth."

His pointed comments were aimed at rooting out the problem at a time when Republicans have been criticizing Obama for not responding forcefully enough to controversies including last year's deadly attack in Libya and political targeting at the IRS. But Obama was quick to express outrage over the reports of sexual assault, saying he has no tolerance for it. He summoned military leaders to the White House last week and instructed them to lead a process to root out the problem.

The Pentagon released a report earlier this month estimating that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year and that thousands of victims are unwilling to come forward despite new oversight and assistance programs. That figure is an increase over the 19,000 estimated assaults in 2011.

Several recent arrests have added to the military's embarrassment. A soldier at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point was charged with secretly photographing women, including in a bathroom. The Air Force officer who led the service's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response unit was arrested on charges of groping a woman. And the manager of the Army's sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., was relieved of his post after his arrest in a domestic dispute with his ex-wife.

The president shook the hand of each academy graduate as he or she came to collect a diploma, after graduates took their oath of office as Navy ensigns and Marine second lieutenants.

The applause that had accompanied earlier portions of Obama's Naval Academy speech, as he mentioned the Navy Seal's killing of Osama bin Laden and called for the building of a powerful 300-ship fleet, fell to silence as he turned to the sexual assault scandal. Midshipmen and spectators watching under cool gray skies as a light rain fell listened silently as he repeated the refrain: "We need your honor."

Obama urged the graduates to use the leadership skills and values learned at the academy to help prevent behavior in the battlefield that can damage the image of the U.S. overseas.

"We need your honor, that inner compass that guides you, not when the path is easy and obvious, but it's hard and uncertain, that tells you the difference between that which is right and that which is wrong," Obama said. "Perhaps it will be the moment when you think nobody's watching. But never forget that honor, like character, is what you do when nobody's looking."

Obama's address was the second to a military audience in as many days, coming a day after he laid out his counterterrorism vision at the National Defense University where he defended his controversial drone strikes program and renewed his push to close the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility.

It's a tradition for presidents to rotate speeches at the commissioning ceremonies of the four service academies. The Naval Academy, about 30 miles from the White House in Annapolis, Md., says 16 presidents have addressed graduates, and Obama is the sixth to do so twice. He also addressed 2009 graduates.

The ceremony and its pageantry could not escape Washington's budget fights. The Navy's Blue Angels aerobatic team won't perform because of budget cuts due to a fight between Obama and congressional Republicans.

But the ceremony also featured a fitting achievement: For the first time in the academy's history, an entire family will have graduated from the school.

Matt Disher was joining his brother Brett and sister Alison, twins who graduated in 2010, as well as his father Tim and mother Sharon as alumni.

"Tim and I never expected anything like this," said Sharon, who graduated in 1980 in the first class that included women. "In fact, if anything we probably discouraged the kids from going, because if you don't come in for the right reason, which is to serve your country, you're not going to last."

Sharon Disher, of Annapolis, wrote the book "First Class: Women Join the Ranks at the Naval Academy" about the difficulties of being in the class of 1980, the first that included women.

___

Associated Press writer Brian Witte contributed


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
More National News
Top Stories

  • Cause of Collapse
    The I-5 bridge over the Skagit River likely collapsed after a support was struck by a semi truck

  • Survivor's Tale
    "I hit the brakes and we went off"

  • Bridge Distress
    Washington has an unfortunate history of bridge disasters
MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (183)


  • Add A Comment

  • Rangerhawk wrote...
    Obamapaloosa Tour
    February 15, 2013 5:25 am
    You get what you pay for and you pay with credit. The bill has arrived.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    The middle class is here just to pay the bills
    February 15, 2013 4:23 pm
    and Owebama knows it. You think he "cares" about us? Riiiight. Suuuuure....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    ever heard of basic math?
    February 16, 2013 6:54 am
    you can't have your cake and eat it too....our founding fathers pointed out the importance of a "Balance of Power" We do not currently have that now....the country is divided and leaning to far to one side. We are supposed to work together, think together and compromise not scare and threaten.... America is an embarrassment. STOP SPENDING!!!SMALLER GOVT!!!!LESS GOVT CONTROL!!!MORE FREEDOM!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    02-18-2013
    February 18, 2013 9:59 am
    0bama puts up another meaningless false choice... By claiming something is a false choice. Stands another straw man up for some good old fashioned assaulting. The one thing 0bama can't even contemplate is reducing the size and scope of the federal leviathan.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Tough job being Prez
    February 18, 2013 11:36 am
    Live like a king while your subject starve...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HLC wrote...
    Separate vacations?
    February 18, 2013 2:33 pm
    Maybe Michelle is positioning herself for a run at the white house in 16 and wants to dump the fool before he drags her down. Makes sense. Or she's just tired of explaining everything to him in case he left his teleprompter home.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    It seems any compitent IT team
    February 18, 2013 3:22 pm
    could figure out how to keep comments to one News story and not stack them. Also How to keep bit40 and other spammers out of the forums.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    02-19-2013
    February 19, 2013 9:07 am
    You asked for it, you got it. 0ba-ma.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WAmovesRight wrote...
    When will we all learn...
    February 19, 2013 9:21 am
    ... It's not just the democrats or the republicans... It's ALL OF OF THEM.

    The it us against each other like we're fans of opposing football teams and we just lap it up like a good little dog!

    when will we realize the decisions they make affect all of us much more than they efect those in power? President Obama is not spending us into oblivion... the United States Congress (both chambers) and the White House are doing it... and WE LET THEM.

    We let them when we vote them into office. We empower them when we petition for the endless grants that the US can't afford. We encourage them when we cry out for more from the public coffers becase we WILL get our little piece... etc.

    If we want real change the first finger we point at should be ourselves. Here's the steps:

    Stop with the hateful speech towards each other. Realize we are all in this together. The name calling does nothing but further divide us limiting our pwer to effect change

    Create, not a bi-partisan, but a bi-ideological, citizen committe. This group carefully & methodically lists the top ten priorities for their ideology Iliberal & conservative). We then take the top three non-competing priorities from each group and make one "platfrom". We then COMPROMISE together on a couple of the highest priority competing issues until each side has two of theirs on the list. This will give our platform 10 priorities on the platfrom.

    WE DO NOT CREATE A NEW POLITICAL PARTY... but we do engage every citizen in our country to buy into this "platform for recovery". If we join together as citizens - not of opposite political parties - but of a common desire to restore sanity then we can restore sanity.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Owebama presses GOP to halt automatic spending cuts
    February 19, 2013 9:41 am
    Did he do this from the back nine or the front nine? Yeah, while he was off golfing AGAIN, he showed how "concerned" he was about this. Spend...borrow...spend...borrow...that's all the left knows.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }