SAPR training in full force at the 445th Airlift Wing

  • Published
  • By Stacy Vaughn
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The 445th Airlift Wing is making every effort to ensure its personnel are trained properly and have the right resources needed in a time when sexual assault is a growing concern in today's military.

To do this, the 445th Education and Training office has been going above and beyond to ensure sexual assault prevention and response training, or SAPR, is done properly and that wing members have the right resources needed.

"The Air Force has a lot of resources available now to address the growing concern of sexual assault and prevention," said Master Sgt. Linda Sparks, chief, 445th Education and Training office and 445th Airlift Wing Sexual Assault Response Coordinator liaison. "Here at the 445th we have 13 instructors available to teach the program to our units. We've built a training program with references from the Air Force that includes slides, videos and suggested activities for the squadrons to use."

Created in 2005, the SAPR program aims to prevent and respond to sexual assault through a balance of focused education, compassionate advocacy, and accountability to promote respect and dignity throughout the Air Force. The Air Force promotes sensitive care and confidential reporting for victims of sexual assault and accountability for those who commit these crimes.

A new link (http://www.afpc.af.mil/library/sapr/index.asp) has been created on the Air Force Personnel Center website call Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program that has a wealth of information about this topic. According to the website, sexual assault is criminal conduct that falls well short of the standards America expects of its men and women in uniform. Specifically, it violates Air Force Core Values. Inherent in our core values of Integrity First, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do is respect: self-respect, mutual respect and respect for our Air Force as an institution.

In FY12 alone, the Air Force received 790 sexual assault reports (449 unrestricted, 341 restricted reports). This is a 28 percent increase from FY11 that reported 614 total reports. Effective July 2, 2013, Air Force commanders must initiate involuntary administrative discharge processing for any Airman (officer or enlisted) who commits sexual assault, sexual assault of a child, or attempts to commit these crimes. An Air Force member who engages in an unprofessional relationship while serving in a special position of trust (i.e., a recruiter, faculty member, or staff member) is now subject to administrative discharge for misconduct.

On May 17, 2013, the Secretary of Defense directed all services to conduct a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Stand-down day for military and civilian populations. SAPR activities must emphasize awareness, accountability and interactive discussions--not one-sided lectures.

The 445th has already been heavily involved in SAPR training since March. Most squadrons had their stand down day and completed their training during the July unit training assembly. Squadrons that did not complete the training will complete it by the August UTA. The deadline to complete the training is Aug. 31.

"As of July 15, 1,100 people have been trained here at the wing," Sparks said.

More recently, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force launched the "Every Airman Counts" initiative on 16 July 2013. This "blog-type" forum promotes Airman-to-Airman dialog related to Sexual Assault while providing suggestions and advice to senior leaders on how best to tackle this issue. The goal is for Airmen to have a safe place to discuss this important topic and be treated with dignity and respect. The SAPR blog can be found at http://afsapr.dodlive.mil/.

The SARC can be reached at (937) 257-7272. Airmen can also visit the DOD Safehelpline link, https://safehelpline.org/ for more resources and phone numbers.