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Note: This is part three in a series of three stories about Bystander Intervention, a new program within the 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield.
FORT STEWART, Ga. -- In the last two articles, both the concepts of Bystander Intervention, and how the 3rd Infantry Division has developed a unique and dynamic program in order to train the Dog-Face Soldiers in overcoming bystander complacency, have been discussed.
Here at the Rock of the Marne, we have taken a stand. We recognize that complacency is not an option. Further more, we understand that intervention is a critical aspect of who we are as individuals and is crucial to the health and welfare of our fellow Soldiers and the good climate and culture of our organization.
We are members of a value-based system; specifically, we live by the Army Values. In order to actually live by The Values, we need to understand the science behind complacency, use that understanding to combat complacent tendencies, and live our lives with the intent to do what’s right, empowered with the ability to intervene when the need arises.
If you are still not convinced of the need and value of Bystander Intervention, perhaps the experiences of few of our Dog-Face Soldiers will convince you otherwise.
The difficult road to empowerment: The easy path is the complacent path
One Soldier who has had personal experience with Bystander Intervention is Sgt. Jamie Miller, a coordinator for the Raider Initiatives Group, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
As a junior enlisted Soldier, Miller was the victim of sexual harassment, and she didn’t know what to do. She voiced concerns over the perpetrator’s actions to few people in her organization, however no one did anything and no one seemed too interested in her plight at all, so she kept quiet.
Ultimately, she didn’t say anything for more than a year, in fact it was finding out that a female friend within the unit had been sexually assaulted by the same person which prompted her to action.
“We filed a complaint,” Miller said.
Miller and her friend also became aware of other people that had dealt with similar adversities at the hands of the same individual. However she soon came to realize that she would not find much help from these other victims.
“Fear of reprisal seemed to really get in the way of people being able to step up and do the right thing,” explained Miller. “Really that was the hardest part about it, because [my friend and I] were ready to come out with the information, but not everybody else was, and during the investigation they backed out.”
In the end it worked out for Miller and her friend, and ultimately her unit, but it was a long, difficult process.
“After a long process, our claims were substantiated, but it took some time because of the amount of people who didn’t want to participate in the investigation.”
It was a challenging time for Miller during that process. While she did not have to deal with reprisal, over time people distanced themselves from her, which made an already hard time even more difficult. Even so, Miller has no regrets.
“I know at the time it was hard, but after the fact, especially after going through Bystander Intervention training … I realize it was definitely the right decision [to come forward] even though it wasn’t the easiest decision to make,” explained Miller. “It’s a way of life for me now … I feel empowered, I feel confident, and I feel safer because of it.”
From victim to intervener: The need for Bystander Intervention
Staff Sgt. William Diederich, the noncommissioned officer in charge of quality control/assurance for the Raider Initiatives Group, 1st ABCT, has had a long turbulent relationship with Bystander Intervention. In fact, he spent most of his young life in desperate need of it, though he did not know the term “Bystander Intervention” at the time.
“There have been many times where I wish bystanders would have helped me, pretty much all the way from elementary school through high school,” said Diederich.
According to Diederich, he had a very difficult childhood. He was “that guy” who was always picked on, teased and bullied. He was thrown into lockers and left locked up in between classes. Being beaten was a regular occurrence. The constant torment was hard to endure, and hard to rationalize as well.
“It was always during the changing of class, so there was like hundreds of kids walking through the hallway, but nobody ever did anything,” explained Diederich.
Despair and confusion plagued him, he wondered why no one would help him, why everyone had to act the “norm” and turn a blind eye.
No one should be expected to endure such cruel treatment. It turned him to thoughts of suicide.
No one ever intervened for him -- he just got lucky.
“It was a matter of using the wrong rope and the wrong tree … the knot didn’t slip, the rope snapped instantly, and I knocked myself out when I hit the ground,” said Diederich.
Some people of certain faiths may say to such a story that Diederich experienced the ultimate Bystander Intervention.
“Yeah, somebody was looking out for me.”
Diederich grew from experiences, and gained empathy for those bullied. Eventually he had the experience to do for someone what was never done for him.
“A good friend of mine is a lesbian who grew up in a household full of people whose religious beliefs were intolerant of homosexuality,” explained Diederich.
According to Diederich, his friend’s family would often verbally and sometimes physically abuse her. One day she phoned Diederich after having been locked in her room while the rest of her family went out to dinner. She told Diderich she’d had enough. Diederich was concerned so he went to her house and found her holding a gun. Diederich talked her down, took the gun and threw it away. He then took her to his house to stay with his family.
“We took care of her and because I intervened, and did not just dismiss her situation as her seeking attention or something, she is still with us today,” Diederich explained.
Now Diederich’s friend is doing well as she made it out of the misery that almost caused her to end her own life.
“She has a wonderful wife, they’ve adopted two kids, and she seems to be doing quite well,” said Diederich. “If I hadn’t [intervened] then her life would have ceased and nothing great would have become of it, like it has.”
Bystander Intervention: all it takes is one moment
Staff Sgt. Jessica Prankienas, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the labor and delivery division, Winn Army Community Hospital, Fort Stewart Medical Department Activity, has survived an experience where intervention was needed. She recognizes that all it takes is one action and it can change a life forever. Her story starts when she was a young woman, in desperate need of intervention, yet not realizing it at the time.
“I was very young, I lived with him, and he would hit me,” said Prankienas.
The physical abuse by her partner went on for a long time before anyone did anything. Prankienas explained that she was pretty sure people at least suspected something was up, because she had to stay away from all her normal social circles for long periods of time in order to hide the physical manifestations of the beatings.
“My Dad was the one who actually came to me and said something to me in the end,” she said.
At the time the intervention wasn’t enough. She was young and stubborn and naive, she joined the Army, and she married her abusive partner.
“I thought he would change, he did no such thing,” Prankienas explained. “Someone did try to step in, but I didn’t realize it, I didn’t want to hear it.”
That didn’t mean she didn’t gain from the intervention. Her father’s words were instrumental in ultimately getting her out of her situation. They gave her the strength to act when the blows came again.
“He only hit me one more time and that was it,” said Prankienas. “[I left], we got divorced, I never saw him again.”
Looking back, Prankienas is thankful that someone finally did step up and say something to her.
“[My Dad] stood up for me … he was my hero that day,” she said.
Bystander Intervention: A way of life
Hopefully you now have a good understanding of just what Bystander Intervention is, and why the 3rd ID’s new training program is such a valuable asset to our organization and ultimately the Army.
Bystander Intervention Training isn’t just mandatory training designed to be check the block; it is a guide to better understand the Army Values and how to live them. It is the way to empower yourself to make the world better for those around you and your organization, which in the end will lead to a better society altogether. Simply put, it is the way to be a good human being.
| Date Taken: | 06.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2015 20:59 |
| Story ID: | 167880 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Bystander Intervention: the reality, by SSG Richard Wrigley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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