Parris Island’s sexual assault response coordinator named best in Marine Corps

Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island
Story by Cpl. MaryAnn Hill

Date: 04.16.2014
Posted: 04.16.2014 09:39
News ID: 126196
Parris Island’s sexual assault response coordinator named best in Marine Corps

PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. – Parris Island’s sexual assault response coordinator earned recognition as the best in the Marine Corps recently because of her superior devotion and compassion to the victims of a crime plaguing American society and the military.

Midge Scott, the SARC for Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and the Eastern Recruiting Region, was named the Corps’ 2014 exceptional coordinator March 4, 2014.

“Her efforts to combat sexual assault at every level of this command are simply astounding,” wrote Brig. Gen. Lori Reynolds in Scott’s award nomination letter. “Her passion, winning personality and exceptional managerial skills have won the year for sexual assault prevention and response.”

In 2013, she worked with recruiting commands and depot personnel to create new training for more than 20,000 Marine Corps poolees and recruits, educating them about sexual assault, misconduct and how to report it properly or seek victim care.

She gives new recruits a class their first Friday on the island, and two others before they graduate, giving them multiple opportunities to learn about and report sexual assaults they may have experienced even before joining the Marine Corps. Since this training started, there has been a 550 percent increase in incident reporting, regardless of gender.

With the help of depot personnel, Scott also devised training to educate Marines here on sexual assault. This training is now used Corpswide and has helped reduce sexual assaults associated with military personnel within this command by 43 percent.

Scott supervises 110 Marine Corps uniformed victim advocates and works closely with the depot’s staff judge advocate and the victim legal counsel officer, ensuring victims get the care they need. She also trained 74 commanders and 137 UVAs that were distributed across the Eastern United States.

Before being hired in October 2010, Scott worked for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office for five years as the public information/public relations officer where she helped educate the local public about sexual assault.

“This is a very stressful job,” said Scott, a 39-year-old native of Vidalia, Ga. “But, for me, the change I’ve seen in those survivors from the moment they came to Parris Island to the Monday before they graduate provides me with such happiness.”