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CNN Live Today
Trouble in the Ranks
Aired September 22, 2003 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We will turn our attention now back to the sex scandal at the Air Force Academy. As we told you earlier this morning, the study is going to be taking a look at whether the policies and the culture at the academy led to sexual misconduct, assaults and rape. The commandant at the school has already admitted that is a serious problem, but the issue now is just how to handle it.
Joining us now to talk some more about that is Jim Cox. He's an attorney for some of these Air Force cadets, and we thank you for coming in and talking about this. It's got to be a very difficult time for the cadets. How many are you representing right now?
JIM COX, LAWYER FOR AIR FORCE CADETS: Currently six.
HARRIS: All from the same class?
COX: No, over the different classes, but within a couple of years of each other.
HARRIS: Are you surprised at all by the numbers we are seeing coming out preliminarily from this report? I'm seeing numbers as high as one in five female cadets may have been assaulted in some way?
COX: Not surprised, because this is what has really been known for a long time at the academy. Certainly the female cadet there knew, it but it's taken awhile for the Air Force to admit the magnitude of the problem. And it's probably higher than one out of five, actually.
HARRIS: What are they telling you, the cadets you're talking to? Give us a sense what they were going through and why it was they didn't come out early about this and didn't speak publicly.
COX: Well, they didn't come out earlier while they were at the academy because they were told by other female cadets you would be better off if you keep your mouth shut, you will regret it if you report it. And that was part of the reason that they did not report it. When they did, they found out hat they were told was true. They were -- they were victimized twice, once by other cadets and then by the system when they turned to it for help. They were given demerits. They were investigated. They were subjected to medical inquiries. And they were turned into the victims. And most of them were ultimately run out of the academy.
HARRIS: Were these all underclassmen?
COX: Yes. HARRIS: Any of these events happen to any who happened to be seniors at all?
COX: No, they were all either freshman or second year.
HARRIS: So by the time they made it through that far, they pretty much were not targeted, is that it?
COX: Well, the culture there led to the freshmen being prey to the older cadets.
HARRIS: What are they telling you that they want?
COX: They want change at the academy. They genuinely do not want this to happen again. They want to be convinced that the Air Force is serious about changing what is going on this time.
HARRIS: What would convince them?
COX: One thing that would convince them is the Air Force to concede that this problem was known by the prior leadership, and that some of the prior leadership be held accountable. And I hope the panel will speak to that. The word is that they will address that issue. That is critical to convincing my clients, as well as the rest of the world that the Air Force has really finally prepared to take -- make meaningful change.
HARRIS: You are saying prior leadership should be held accountable. Who specifically? Do you have names?
COX: The prior leadership that I think has testified and I think may be subject to mention in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) panel report is General Gilbert and Colonel Slavic (ph).
HARRIS: So what happens to your clients after this?
COX: Well, we are hopeful that we can get some redress for them. Many of them are in terrible situations. They have gone from having a great education, in front of them, a great career, to being destitute, not being able to go to school. Some of them are trying to go to school, having to drop out from quarter to quarter because they can't afford it. They hope, and we hope, that somebody will not forget them in all of this -hoopla and fallderall (ph) and mea culpas.
HARRIS: Would you have a problem with us talking with some of your clients?
COX: No, they have made themselves available to the press because they genuinely hope to affect meaningful change, and they are happy to tell their experience, however unfortunate, and uncomfortable and traumatic that it has been for them.
HARRIS: That's good to hear, because we want to follow-up on this. And what'd would like to do after this report comes out, we want to come back and visit with some of them to get their stories directly, some incredibly sordid details these women went through. We would love to have them on. If they are strong enough to talk about it, we would love to have them on with us.
COX: They are very courageous young women.
HARRIS: Jim Cox, thank you very much for your time today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 22, 2003 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We will turn our attention now back to the sex scandal at the Air Force Academy. As we told you earlier this morning, the study is going to be taking a look at whether the policies and the culture at the academy led to sexual misconduct, assaults and rape. The commandant at the school has already admitted that is a serious problem, but the issue now is just how to handle it.
Joining us now to talk some more about that is Jim Cox. He's an attorney for some of these Air Force cadets, and we thank you for coming in and talking about this. It's got to be a very difficult time for the cadets. How many are you representing right now?
JIM COX, LAWYER FOR AIR FORCE CADETS: Currently six.
HARRIS: All from the same class?
COX: No, over the different classes, but within a couple of years of each other.
HARRIS: Are you surprised at all by the numbers we are seeing coming out preliminarily from this report? I'm seeing numbers as high as one in five female cadets may have been assaulted in some way?
COX: Not surprised, because this is what has really been known for a long time at the academy. Certainly the female cadet there knew, it but it's taken awhile for the Air Force to admit the magnitude of the problem. And it's probably higher than one out of five, actually.
HARRIS: What are they telling you, the cadets you're talking to? Give us a sense what they were going through and why it was they didn't come out early about this and didn't speak publicly.
COX: Well, they didn't come out earlier while they were at the academy because they were told by other female cadets you would be better off if you keep your mouth shut, you will regret it if you report it. And that was part of the reason that they did not report it. When they did, they found out hat they were told was true. They were -- they were victimized twice, once by other cadets and then by the system when they turned to it for help. They were given demerits. They were investigated. They were subjected to medical inquiries. And they were turned into the victims. And most of them were ultimately run out of the academy.
HARRIS: Were these all underclassmen?
COX: Yes. HARRIS: Any of these events happen to any who happened to be seniors at all?
COX: No, they were all either freshman or second year.
HARRIS: So by the time they made it through that far, they pretty much were not targeted, is that it?
COX: Well, the culture there led to the freshmen being prey to the older cadets.
HARRIS: What are they telling you that they want?
COX: They want change at the academy. They genuinely do not want this to happen again. They want to be convinced that the Air Force is serious about changing what is going on this time.
HARRIS: What would convince them?
COX: One thing that would convince them is the Air Force to concede that this problem was known by the prior leadership, and that some of the prior leadership be held accountable. And I hope the panel will speak to that. The word is that they will address that issue. That is critical to convincing my clients, as well as the rest of the world that the Air Force has really finally prepared to take -- make meaningful change.
HARRIS: You are saying prior leadership should be held accountable. Who specifically? Do you have names?
COX: The prior leadership that I think has testified and I think may be subject to mention in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) panel report is General Gilbert and Colonel Slavic (ph).
HARRIS: So what happens to your clients after this?
COX: Well, we are hopeful that we can get some redress for them. Many of them are in terrible situations. They have gone from having a great education, in front of them, a great career, to being destitute, not being able to go to school. Some of them are trying to go to school, having to drop out from quarter to quarter because they can't afford it. They hope, and we hope, that somebody will not forget them in all of this -hoopla and fallderall (ph) and mea culpas.
HARRIS: Would you have a problem with us talking with some of your clients?
COX: No, they have made themselves available to the press because they genuinely hope to affect meaningful change, and they are happy to tell their experience, however unfortunate, and uncomfortable and traumatic that it has been for them.
HARRIS: That's good to hear, because we want to follow-up on this. And what'd would like to do after this report comes out, we want to come back and visit with some of them to get their stories directly, some incredibly sordid details these women went through. We would love to have them on. If they are strong enough to talk about it, we would love to have them on with us.
COX: They are very courageous young women.
HARRIS: Jim Cox, thank you very much for your time today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
