Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Air Force Investigation
Aired August 30, 2003 - 14:22 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: At the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado it is parents' weekend, and it comes on the heels of a scathing draft report on sexual assault at the school. It finds nearly one-fifth of female cadets reported some type of sexual assault. Seven percent claim they were raped.
It's reverberating throughout the military establishment. CNN's Chris Plant is at the Pentagon with more on that -- Chris.
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. It began in January with an e-mail sent by a female Air Force Academy cadet to the secretary of the Air Force, James Roach. An investigation was begun at that time first by the Air Force and then by the Department of Defense inspector general.
Now this preliminary report which just came out a couple of days ago does put out some fairly startling figures. Nearly 12 percent of all females in the graduating class of 2003 report that they were the victims of either a rape or an attempted rain during their four years there. One hundred and forty women in that class, 31 of those said that they had been the victim of some sort of sexual assault. A total of 15 individuals from that class saying rape or attempted rape had occurred during their time there.
And in addition to that, more than 50 percent of the female cadets there said that they had been the victim of some forum of sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct during their time there. It's obviously a very major problem that the Air Force is facing at the academy there. And the Defense Department plans to conduct similar surveys now at West Point and Annapolis -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Chris, I wonder how involved the Defense Department will be, particularly at the U.S. Air Force Academy, to try to reassure these parents out there who are there for this weekend's parents' weekend that their kids are safe, particularly their daughters are safe.
PLANTE: Well, they have at the academy replaced the three-star general who was in overall command of the academy. They have fired -- now the three-star was allowed to refire, but they have fired the one- star general in charge of the academy, and they have taken some steps at least in an effort to assure not only the parents, but the female cadets themselves, that they are intent on turning this situation around and changing the culture.
One of the steps that they have taken is that they have eliminated the possibility of raising charges against women who accuse male cadets or other men for minor offenses such as drinking or curfew violations. So they are starting to make some changes -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Plante at the Pentagon, thanks very much.
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 August 30, 2003 - 14:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: At the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado it is parents' weekend, and it comes on the heels of a scathing draft report on sexual assault at the school. It finds nearly one-fifth of female cadets reported some type of sexual assault. Seven percent claim they were raped.
It's reverberating throughout the military establishment. CNN's Chris Plant is at the Pentagon with more on that -- Chris.
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. It began in January with an e-mail sent by a female Air Force Academy cadet to the secretary of the Air Force, James Roach. An investigation was begun at that time first by the Air Force and then by the Department of Defense inspector general.
Now this preliminary report which just came out a couple of days ago does put out some fairly startling figures. Nearly 12 percent of all females in the graduating class of 2003 report that they were the victims of either a rape or an attempted rain during their four years there. One hundred and forty women in that class, 31 of those said that they had been the victim of some sort of sexual assault. A total of 15 individuals from that class saying rape or attempted rape had occurred during their time there.
And in addition to that, more than 50 percent of the female cadets there said that they had been the victim of some forum of sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct during their time there. It's obviously a very major problem that the Air Force is facing at the academy there. And the Defense Department plans to conduct similar surveys now at West Point and Annapolis -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Chris, I wonder how involved the Defense Department will be, particularly at the U.S. Air Force Academy, to try to reassure these parents out there who are there for this weekend's parents' weekend that their kids are safe, particularly their daughters are safe.
PLANTE: Well, they have at the academy replaced the three-star general who was in overall command of the academy. They have fired -- now the three-star was allowed to refire, but they have fired the one- star general in charge of the academy, and they have taken some steps at least in an effort to assure not only the parents, but the female cadets themselves, that they are intent on turning this situation around and changing the culture.
One of the steps that they have taken is that they have eliminated the possibility of raising charges against women who accuse male cadets or other men for minor offenses such as drinking or curfew violations. So they are starting to make some changes -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Plante at the Pentagon, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
