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Recovering from sexual assault: help is within reach

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  • By Capt. Emily Fontenot, 436th Aerial Port Squadron
“I was raped, Emily … And I’m ready to talk about it.”

I can still hear the crisp determination in my college friend’s voice over the phone as she spoke words I had never heard from someone so close to me. I listened to her, in shock.

We were carefree juniors in college at the time, enjoying the limbo between childhood and adulthood. Our lives were consumed with classes, football games and basking in the warm sun, talking about our futures.

Words such as rape and sexual assault were nonexistent in our vocabulary. But one night, heading home, the mere mention of those unfamiliar words became daggers, reminding her of an event she had desperately tried to forget for years.

It took her four years to verbalize to herself that she had been raped. Four years for her to seek the help she needed to cope and heal. Four years to tell her family, to tell me, about the night that changed her life.
Four years.

While we talked about that night, we also talked about the four years she spent, harboring a secret that was burning her up inside. When I asked her why she wanted to talk about it now, she simply answered, “Because I didn’t know I had options. I didn’t know.”

Sexual assault continues to be a topic of conversation in both the Air Force and society at large. Discussions tend to focus on the veracity of a survivor’s story, however, instead of on the options and resources available to the survivor.

But there are options, and they need to be brought to the fore of our discussions.

In the event you or someone you know experiences sexual assault, there are options for reporting and for receiving medical help or legal advice. A survivor can contact the DoD Safe Helpline (1-877-995-5247) or the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (1-800-656-HOPE).

Another option for individuals is to call or consult in person with the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (302-677-3680 or 302-363-7272) or a Victim Advocate. We can help explain reporting options, as well as guide survivors towards avenues such as the Chaplain or Mental Health to help the healing process begin.

Options and resources exist to help survivors of sexual assault, and as Airmen, we need to continue to spread the word about these tools to encourage people to come forward and start the process of healing. To help them regain the power and control they lost after experiencing a sexual assault.

So, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month this April, join Dover Air Force Base’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response team as we remind others – from commanders to Airmen on the flight line – of those options. For those of you who have been anticipating the Color Run, it is scheduled for June this year due to anticipated inclement weather in April; however, on April 1, 6, 7, 10 and 24, we’ll be providing giveaways, starting at 7 a.m., at the Main Gate. Additionally, on May 7 at 10 a.m., we’ll be hosting a Human Trafficking Symposium that is open to all, including spouses.
Help us spread the word that help is out there and that healing is possible.
For more information, you can call the SAPR office at 302-677-3680 or 302-363-7272.