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Report from the Suzanne Swift Demonstration

author: Linda Jansen, Doug Nielson, and Elliot Stoller
Jul 16, 2006 14:36

Specialist Suzanne Swift celebrated her 22nd birthday July 15th on an overpass just outside the Fort Lewis gates.  She was joined by her mother, Sara Rich, and over 100 other enthusiastic supporters carrying signs, banners and wearing imitation paper wall clocks around their necks. These clocks represented the wall clock Suzanne had been forced to wear around her neck for two weeks by one of her tormenters inside the military.  From the freeway below, horns honked and many people waived peace signs in response to the banner reading “Free Spc. Suzanne Swift.  

The July 15th rally was initiated by Sara Rich on the website http://www.SuzanneSwift.org/, where she invited anyone, who believes that “any member of the U.S. Armed Forces experiencing such assaults [should] now be heard, be protected, and be cared for” to come to Ft. Lewis on Saturday, July 15th and ask the military to “implement the changes the Pentagon's Joint Task Force on Sexual Abuse in the military recommended in a report to Congress in 2004.”

Sara Rich, Suzanne’s mother, is leading a crusade to pressure the military to grant her daughter an honorable discharge from the army where, while on duty in Iraq, Suzanne suffered sexual harassment to the point of being subjected to command rape.  Command rape, as defined by an Army therapist to Ms. Rich, is when a person who has life-and-death control over you uses that position to coerce you into a sexual act or relationship.

Suzanne was arrested at her mother’s home on June 11th for having gone AWOL (absent without leave) to avoid further traumatizing sexual abuse at the hands of her commanders. Suzanne was transported to Ft. Lewis where she is now awaiting an investigation of her case. No charges have (as yet) been filed by the military against Suzanne.

Sara Rich acknowledged the negative gestures of a few passing motorists today by saying the soldiers don’t realize that “we are all out here trying to save their lives” and that they have been dehumanized and misused by the institution they had joined.  She said that although two of Suzanne’s harassers had left the military, “they had messed with the wrong mom, and we will have justice,” which brought a sustained cheer from the crowd.

The http://www.SuzanneSwift.org website states that two out of three women in the military have suffered episodes of sexual abuse. Backing up that claim was speaker B.J. Stewart who traveled all the way from Austin, Texas.  She has started a petition in support of Suzanne with several groups one of which was Women Organizing Women (a group supporting military harassment victims), whose founder, Susan Avila-Smith of Seattle, also attended the rally. Stewart pointed out that the military has policies that support sexual harassment victims; they just don’t enforce them.  She encouraged everyone to sign the petition and keep putting pressure on the military to punish harassers.

None of the mainstream media showed up for today’s rally and press conference. 

Some groups that did turn out today (at least the ones that this writer recognized) were Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, Code Pink (Eugene Oregon chapter), Veterans for Peace, Stand Up! Seattle, Radical Women, ANSWER, Women In Black, and Lake-City-SNOW.

Ehren Watada also appeared at the rally. He’s the Stryker Brigade Lieutenant, who recently refused to deploy with his unit to Iraq. He is now awaiting trial set to begin in mid-August. One person who was not able to attend was Sergeant Kevin Benderman who is currently serving the last month of a 15-month prison sentence in the Fort Lewis Stockade for having filed for conscientious objector status.

A bannering for all “Ft Lewis War Resisters” including Kevin Benderman, Ehren Watada and Suzanne Swift will be held next Saturday from noon to 2pm, again outside the Ft. Lewis gates at Exit #119 (Steilacoom Road) overpass on Interstate 5. For more info see:  http://www.standupseattle.org

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