in the military in recent decades; and
WHEREAS, In today's military, rape culture is an epidemic and
military sexual survivors are often forgotten; and
WHEREAS, Many military sexual assault survivors, prior to
being assaulted, had dreams of serving for 20 or more years in
the United States Armed Services and were happy in their
workplace; and
WHEREAS, While some military sexual assault survivors may
choose to stay in the military, the psychological impact of the
assault and resulting trauma can push survivors out of the
service and lead to tremendous difficulty readjusting to their
civilian lives; and
WHEREAS, Survivors of military sexual assault often decide
not to report the assault for the reasons of embarrassment, fear
and shame and professional and personal implications; and
WHEREAS, The military's culture of duty, teamwork, strength
and accomplishment conflicts with a military sexual assault
survivor's needs, resulting in them being stigmatized as weak or
failing their fellow service members; and
WHEREAS, The uniqueness of military life causes additional
anxiety to a sexual assault survivor and complicates the
survivor's life, which may result in lack of promotion or
removal from service; and
WHEREAS, United States Navy veterans Lauren DelRicci and
Timothy Jones, both from the Pittsburgh area, described their
sexual assault experiences in the military that resulted in
personal trauma, suffering and their military careers being cut
short; and
WHEREAS, Their personal stories underscore the need for
meaningful change to provide healing to those affected by
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