The Invisible War (2012)

The topic covered in "The Invisible War" is no surprise. The military is all about machismo. The troops feel the need to validate themselves by sexually assaulting both men and women (mostly women, though). And sure enough, the repeated instances of sexual assault have gotten covered up. In the wake of the MeToo movement, this seems all the more important.Winner of an Emmy and nominated for an Academy Award, this documentary deserves more attention. It poses a serious question: who are we that we keep letting this happen? I fully recommend it.Another documentary that briefly addressed this topic is "Hot Coffee". It featured an interview with a woman whose fellow cadets drugged and raped her in Iraq.

I was a male rape counselor for two years for a city in California. I am pro-women and have even wrote a book called PEARLS FOR GIRLS IN SEEKING CUPID Don't BE STUPID. I said all that to say this. The world is not ultra friendly in favor of women so that puts the responsibility on men to include them and their welfare along with our own. Therein lies the problem. Men, help themselves to women instead of helping them. Plain and simple. Women also play a role but not as portrayed like asking or wanting to be raped. NO. They fail to listen to their common sense and in some cases find it prudent to go along to survive. There is no formal training on what to do if raped in a state of peace. If they were drugged, its even worse. In civilian life, bringing a perpetrator to justice harms the victim more than the defendant. One trial I attended just smeared the woman who was drugged. I applaud them for surviving and then having to endure the aftermath both public and private. In the world of the military, if a commanding officer says to do or not do, then it is law. So how come rape exists? If I was a colonel, I would have everyone assembled and make this announcement. The first time I hear of any sex complaints involving any of you, I will end your life as you know it. This is your heads-up. After this, heads roll. Dismissed! Then, all officer and non-coms are to support that right down to where they all live and breath. The weeding out of the trouble-makers is commands responsibility. I will say this too because it has to be said. Please, no arguments either. The idea of women in the military may work if isolated and directed. This coming together is asking for trouble similar to letting to teen-age kids date alone. I stayed on Camp Lejeune base for a week. All I saw was walking talking testosterone "on" trained killers with nothing to do. If we had an enemy at the time, the Marines would kill them all just to release their pent-up training, egos, hormones and purposes. Barring that, there were fights, drinking and other things that free time with nothing to do brings about. Having women in this situation is not smart unless training, direction, instruction and correction is strictly enforced. If a military female was taken captive by enemy forces, history teaches that they are the spoils of war. The military itself sees it as a calculated risk of which I report with sadness. I'm sorry but it is true. Yet, I would fight to the death to prevent that happening or to effect a rescue because it is the right thing to do. If one of us was captured and tortured, then all of us suffer until it is corrected. The idea of preying on a someone who is on the same side is revolting. Thank you for this fine reporting of a most delicate subject matter. One very important last thing. Those that are in power, who can shake and move and make changes need to take clear and precise action. If this is going on during your watch, you are part of it. Yes, YOU ARE

I've watched this documentary three times now, and I found myself losing no amount of shock or horror with each new viewing. This is how I know The Invisible War is such a good film: it doesn't get old, it can't get boring, and it won't become unimportant. Everything about this film was masterfully crafted to display its message, but it helps that the message is so powerful on its own.I'd challenge you to find someone who will openly say sexual assault, harassment, and rape are not a big deal. Collectively, Western society agrees that it is morally wrong; but people are surprisingly reluctant to admit it is very common, rather than some horrible heinous act that happens once in a blue moon to unlucky ladies. It's estimated that one in four to six women will experience sexual assault in their life time (based on the women I know personally, this holds up). I'd slap a few more statistics down about the general population's rate of abuse if this documentary were about your common American city. It looks instead at a much more toxic environment with massively inflated numbers of sexual abuse victims: the United States military. We're recounted the tales of several abuse victims, mostly women, as they discuss their experiences in the Navy, the Coast Card, the Army, the Air Force, you name it. Their stories are all incredibly similar: they come to proudly serve their country, work hard to prove they can work alongside the guys, form a strong bond of trust with their teammates, and quickly learn just how little that trust means to a few predatory men. Most end their service with a few of the following: severe injuries from the attack, pregnancies, STDs, convictions of adultery, an inability to form close bonds ever again, and of course severe PTSD. Many, if not all, attempt suicide and struggle with lifelong depression and anxiety. We're taken through in-depth accounts of several victims and the stark differences between their lives before and after their service. The high rate of sexual assault within the military is not surprising, given the culture of hyper-masculinity necessitated for war. What IS surprising is how little military officials and higher-ups do to aid victims and punish perpetrators. The film explores the complex hierarchy struggles that allow for this abuse of power (many of the rapists are commanding officers) and the lack of support given to victims after the fact. Injuries attained from other servicemen are not covered by military health care or subsidies, for instance. So these people are violently assaulted, causticly dismissed when they ask for help, watch the perpetrators walk free to repeat offend, given no honorable discharge when they leave, and not even given coverage for their mental and physical health costs. The film allows for no confusion about the stance the military representatives take on sexual assault: dismissiveness. Interviews with committee members utilized in the film reveal how the logic of their inaction is built on old, well-liked lies. It does end on a positive note: people are beginning to take action, largely because of the attention this documentary has gotten. Steps are very slowly being taken to protect the people who protect us.

Rape in the military is about as thorny and intractable a problem as deciding whether to go to mid-east war or not. The Invisible War solidly makes the argument that the military judicial process for rape is deeply flawed, if only because commanders are given the absolute right and power to determine how the accusations are handled.Think about it: the commander could be the assailant or a friend and can dismiss a case with little recourse for the aggrieved soldier. This documentary hammers home both statistically and in practice how frustrating the process can be, sometimes leading to suicide. A recent court decision that rape is an "occupational hazard" doesn't help anything.At the least, husbands and wives become tense or split; rarely is a marriage unaffected by the rape. For singles, the sympathy is not overwhelming, and without a support group, it is lonely out there to take on the chain of command. In a macho world where team attitude is high priority, rape allegations are not welcomed, especially if the rapist is the commanding officer.As I find in many documentaries, only one side is examined (Michael Moore being the leading exponent of the lopsided argument). In the case of The Invisible War, we are well served with victims who get no satisfaction, but we don't experience fully the case where the accused is found to have been wronged by the accuser. However, the doc does an effective job with the stories of women who accused but rarely gained a conviction.The percentage of adjudicated cases where the accused is found guilty is small. Given the thousands of allegations, that number seems too small. At any rate, after seeing this documentary, Secretary of Defense made a bold decision that confirms the efficacy of a well-made documentary.