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HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Sailors assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 heightened awareness of sexual assault in the Navy with a day filled with entertaining, athletic, team building, and informative activities on Camp Krutke, Camp Leatherneck, April 28. The events signified the final week of Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the theme of “We will not tolerate sexual assault.”
An hour of sexual assault awareness and prevention training precluded a short skit in which a scenario of sexual assault and proper response was acted out on a stage by five members of the command. “Look out for your shipmates,” said Yeoman 3rd Class Giselle L. Murrell, from Houston, an actor in the skit who feels like that message was successfully conveyed by the performance to raise sexual assault awareness.
"Our focus in NMCB ELEVEN from this day forward is Bystander Intervention,” stated Cmdr. Lore Aguayo, commanding officer of NMCB-11. Aguayo directly addressed her Seabees at the beginning of the day’s events. “Just like we would always help a fellow service member who is stranded outside the wire here in Afghanistan because there is a dangerous enemy out there, we should never turn our back on our shipmates who are placing themselves in vulnerable or dangerous situations by drinking excessively, not having a buddy or a plan to get home safely or are being sexually harassed. It is the responsibility of every member of NMCB ELEVEN to intervene and ensure our shipmates are removed from the danger zone. We will take care of one another," stressed Aguayo.
Alexandria V. Hobbs, a contractor on Camp Leatherneck, led a session of Zumba, a popular Latin-inspired dance-fitness program. She was assisted by two volunteers, Marine Corps Cpl. Kerry-Ann S. Gooden and Air Force Staff Sgt. India V. Middleton. Aguayo presented the Zumba instructors with certificates of appreciation along with NMCB-11 t-shirts following the exercise.
Seabees and sailors were then able to choose from a multitude of events to participate in such as self defense classes, a pull-up competition, basketball, volleyball, cornhole (a.k.a. bean bag toss), video game tournaments, and a musicians’ jam-session. In keeping with the intention of SAAM, a sign was displayed at the entrance to each event that contained facts, myths, statistics, and information regarding sexual assault awareness, prevention, and advocate points of contact.
The events concluded with a competition in which sailors/Seabees showcased talents in poetry, singing, acrobatics, and musicianship. A panel of three judges decided on the winners. Utilitiesman Constructionman Stephanie T. Saunders, from Hoover, Ala., took first place by reciting a poem she had written titled “What Can I Say.” Awards were also given for 2nd place, Chief Yeoman Gregory B. Drummond, from Fayettville, N.C., with his poem, “Hurts One, Affects All,” and 3rd place, Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Laquita S. Brooks, from Jacksonville, N.C., with her poem, “The Gospel.”
“If sailors go away from this with more awareness of sexual assault, better knowledge of available resources, and a deeper level of understanding as to who they can go to for help in cases of sexual assault, then these events, and SAAM in general, will be a success,” said Yeoman 1st Class Desiree D. Wade, NMCB-11’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response point of contact.
Originally from Radcliff, Ky., Wade has been involved in sexual assault prevention and awareness in the Navy for nine years. “I take this program very seriously. I do agree that awareness needs to be raised because [sexual assault] is happening in our Navy. This training will put focus on it and make sailors aware of the proper resources available to them in case something happens.”
Sexual assault prevention is an important element of the readiness area of the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative, which consolidates a set of objectives and policies, new and existing, to maximize sailor and Marine personal readiness, build resiliency and hone the most combat-effective force in the history of the Department of the Navy. DoN is working aggressively to prevent sexual assaults, to support sexual assault victims and to hold offenders accountable.
Addressing the Navy, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mark Ferguson stated, “The end of April does not mark the end of our effort to raise sexual assault awareness. We must build upon the momentum we have generated this month and move forward together, as one team, to develop a resilient and ready force that is intolerant of sexual assault.”
NMCB-11 will continue to raise awareness through regular training and SAPR activities.
Homeported in Gulfport, Miss., NMCB-11 is deployed to Afghanistan to conduct general, mobility, survivability engineering operations, defensive operations, Afghan National Army partnering and detachment of units in combined/joint operations area - Afghanistan in order to enable the neutralization of the insurgency and support improved governance and stability operations.
| Date Taken: | 04.28.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2012 12:52 |
| Story ID: | 87563 |
| Location: | HELMAND PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 207 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, SAAM: 'We will not tolerate sexual assault,' says NMCB-11, by PO1 Jonathan Carmichael, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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