Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Hohman | Soldiers with the 89th MP Bde. act out a realistic scenario involving a male...... read more read more
FORT HOOD, Texas - In a scene that can be found on any Army installation, a female and male Soldier finish a run after a morning physical training session. After discussing the morning commute, they have to endure, the female Soldier innocently offers her male co-worker to use her shower on post, saving the male Soldier time by skipping a drive off-post.
This was just one of many realistic scenarios Soldiers aged 17-25 with the 89th Military Police Brigade observed and reacted to during interactive Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program training here at the Howze Auditorium.
Solders aged 17-25, within the first 90 days at their first duty station have been identified by the Department of Defense as the prime target for sexual assault and harassment, said Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Gascon, who serves as the brigade’s sexual assault response coordinator.
The interactive training was designed to engage the Soldiers and afford them the opportunity to better understand how innocent situations can quickly escalate into sexual assault or sexual harassment.
Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention has evolved from reactive to proactive when responding to incidents, Gascon said. This has been the basis on how the brigade engages the Soldiers and helps them understand sexual harassment and sexual assault.
“SHARP is our number one priority,” said Col. Ross Guieb, 89th MP Brigade commander.
Guieb said he didn’t want to talk about how it was a priority, he wanted to show it. To do this, he joined the SHARP representatives from across the brigade on the stage to take part in the skits.
The interactive training offered a different approach to what many of the Soldiers have had in the past.
“The last SHARP training I had was just death by PowerPoint,” said 2nd Lt. Jasmine McCormick, a tactical intelligence officer with 89th MP Brigade.
McCormick, age 22 and recently arrived to the 89th MP Brigade just three weeks prior, fits all three of the training demographic (between the age of 17-25 and less than 90 days at first duty station).
“Nothing about (my previous training) was interactive,” McCormick said. “It was just ‘don’t do this, don’t do this and don’t do this,’ ‘Why?’, ‘don’t ask why just don’t do it,’ and then they sent us on our way.”
McCormick said she found the interactive training helpful and informative by providing real situations she could see herself getting into.
Each scenario began as a scripted situation any of the Soldiers could easily have found themselves in, to include working out at the gym, attending a going away party and hanging out after hours. As each situation progressed, it would reach a decision point. Soldiers in attendance were then asked how they viewed the situation and what they would do.
One of the situations involved a male noncommissioned officer assisting their female junior-enlisted Soldier perform squats at the gym.
Soldiers in the audience were quick to point how even through the act was innocent; the situation could be misconstrued as inappropriate.
“(The scenario) was very interesting, because I had never thought of that before,” said McCormick, who attends the gym frequently. “It got me thinking, ‘what would other people think?’ It is all about perception and perception is everything.”
The training was designed to educate Soldiers and also get them to share their own thoughts and feelings by mixing both scripted scenarios and improvisation from the Soldiers’ comments.
“There is no right or wrong answer (to the scenarios). We try and make sure that the Soldiers are engaged and understand the program and where it is headed,” Gascon said. “(With this training) we get them to talk, unlike if we were in a boring classroom looking at PowerPoint.”
Leaders within the brigade hope that by getting Soldiers to talk openly about SHARP they can learn not only how they can protect themselves, but there battle buddy as well.
“The Army is a family, and anytime something negative happens to your family you have to do something about it,” Guieb said.
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2014 10:30 |
| Story ID: | 150068 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 91 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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