Umbrella

March 10th

Justice for our Protectors: This post is still in the works - please, be patient with the process.

This is not going to be an easy subject to cover. The topic at hand is “rape in the military.” Please, do not read if the topic is not for you. The dream begins as follows:

I'm swimming (I was flying, but the motions were like I was swimming) through the air and I overhear a young woman say she wants to join the military. She specifically says, "this is what I want unless someone can give me a good reason to change my mind."

At first I say nothing, but then, I think “if not me, who and when?”

So I decide to take on the task and call her from above. As we talk, she explains to me that it is because of an anime called Tatsuya. (The anime's real name is "Saga of Tanya the Evil," a military other-world anime. This is what I perceived she meant in the dream) She is so inspired that she drops out of school to begin preparing to enroll in the military.

If your well-being was at risk, would you still join?

A video plays showing a woman in a hospital hall; doors are being shut in her face all around her from coworkers. The whole time a figure-off screen is coming for her. In the background, a voice speaks of the commonality of sexual harassment, molestation, and abuse. There is nowhere to run, and she is alone and the scene goes dark.

Later, I see her step into a small room; it is her room - small like a college dorm. I can tell just by looking at her what had happened. A creature half her height followed her into the room. It stood upright like a human, but its body consisted of red exposed flesh. I could see all of its exposed muscles stretched across its body. Similar creatures are all over the hospital because the abuse is common. Some of these creatures are tall, and some are short. I got the impression that they represent something like grief and/or trauma.

Later, I see this young woman walking down that same hallway with a mark on her back (a misshapen heart in a circle. Everyone else also has the mark; again, they turn their back on her and begin to hide, shutting every door in her face as the offense is about to be repeated. However, one woman stands beside her, the same mark on her shirt, and they begin to walk together to an office to report what happened.

Within the dream, a case was recalled in my mind involving a woman reporting an assault in the military, and it was simply thrown out.

I then explain to the young woman that monsters such as were in the video (the mental scars) are everywhere, and it's easy to see them once you have experienced that kind of trauma.

"If your desire is to produce or understand the military for artistic purposes, you don't have to join them to do it. You can talk to people that have served in the military and use this to create an artistic imagining if that's what you want."

The dream ends here. Both of us standing near a gas station; across from us is a street leading into a city with neon lights and signs written in Japanese. It felt like we were standing between two nations, Japan and a representation of the “arts” are in front of us, and America and the military are behind us. Where she goes from here is up to her.

Sexual abuse is a serious ongoing issue in the military. As men and women defend us, who will stand with them? For those in the service that have experienced this, I pray that you receive justice.

This post was edited by my friend, Midnight Philosopher.


Below are a few links to websites that discuss the matter we discussed more in-depth.
Duplantis, Brenda. “Facts on Military Sexual Trauma and Statistics.” Hill & Ponton, P.A., Hill & Ponton Disability Attorneys , 2 Nov. 2020, www.hillandponton.com/facts-on-military-sexual-trauma-and-statistics/#Where_the_numbers_do_not_add_up.

“Military Sexual Assault Fact Sheet: Protect Our Defenders.” Protect Our Defenders |, Protect Our Defenders, 20 Aug. 2020, www.protectourdefenders.com/factsheet/.
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