The Coast Guard’s goal with regard to sexual assaults is a culture of officers and enlisted personnel who not only understand that sexual assault is a crime but who will not tolerate anything short of respect for their fellow shipmates. We currently define that goal as “zero tolerance.”

Given our goals, how do you feel we can better articulate “zero tolerance” as we continue our work to eradicate sexual assaults from the Coast Guard?

The civilian law enforcement, college campuses and so on are moving away from the term “zero tolerance” because of the harm that it does to rape survivors. Imagine the hurt that a man or woman that was raped feels after they reported the crime, watch their perpetrator go free and are later told that there is a zero-tolerance policy. Self blame is the most common feeling a rape survivor has, being told that there is a zero-tolerance policy while seeing a perpetrator be set free only deepens the self blame.

I spoken to Shawn Wren on numerous occasions and I know she is passionate to help revamp the entire sexual assault response and prevention program of the United States Coast Guard however she can not do it alone, her team of SARCs can not do it alone. It takes every single member of the United States Coast Guard to be actively involved in preventing a culture that leads to sexual assaults.

Too many of our shipmates had been raped or assaulted, too many of our shipmate lost their careers as a result of a crime done to them. The only people that can end rape in the Coast Guard are those that are wearing the uniform of the United States Coast Guard.