Henry Delaney

Mrs. Fielding
WRTC 103
3 October, 2017
Sexual Assault in the Military

Sexual harassment in the military is an offense in our nation and should be prevented in

the best way possible. The article "Sexual Assault in the Military: Should civilian investigators

handle allegations of sexual assault in the military?" explains the extent of this problem.

To this day the certain officials who deal with the reports of sexual assault are the commanding

officers in our Military. There is controversy though because some citizens and government

officials believe that an outside party from the military should handle these investigations. The

author of the article effectively gives both sides of the argument on sexual assault in the Military

through statistics and verbal opinions.

The main point of this article is how the U.S. should deal with the presence of sexual

assault in the Military. There are two points of views of the article. The first point of view is that

there should be an unbiased party that deals with all sexual assault reports. The reason for this is

so that the victims are not afraid to speak up and report the problem. The other point of view is

that the Military should handle all reports of sexual assault so that the chain of command is not

jeopardized. The article tries to explain both sides clearly to give the audience, who are possibly

readers who want to understand more about the problem, a clear understanding of each point of

view.

Throughout the article, the author has many logical statistics that strengthen the

arguments of each point of view as well as supply the reader with a greater understanding of the

topic. Examples of these statistics would be According to the Center for Deployment

Psychology (CDP), an organization that helps train health professionals to provide care to active
military personnel and veterans, 23 to 33 percent of women in the military experience sexual

assault, as opposed to 17 percent of women in the general population(Paragraph 5). This is an

example of logos because it is a logical statistic that gives the reader more insight of the problem.

Another example of logos is Nevertheless, women, who constitute 14.5 percent of U.S. military

service members, are far more likely to be sexually assaulted in the military than(Paragraph 6).

This fact also helps give the reader logical insight on the problem. The final example of logos in

the article lets the reader know of the growing problem of sexual assault. The article states In

May 2013, a DoD survey indicated that sexual assaults in the military had increased from 3,192

attacks in 2011 to 3,374 attacks in 2012, a 6 percent increase(Paragraph 7). This piece of

evidence shows the reader that the problem is increasing. It is why that there is an argument for

handling the situation. The statistics that the author uses helps improve the articles logos.

The author tries to give background information to let the audience know that he has

experience in the topic. Throughout the article he is able to clearly explain the problem of sexual

assault and both arguments of how to deal with it. An example of the information would

be The U.S. military relies on a strict hierarchical system of disciplinary command, and

currently sexual assault allegations are processed through this chain of command in the same

fashion as any other criminal charges(Paragraph 4). This information is an example of ethos

because the author is able to show his knowledge of the topic. Another example would be

Senator Carl Levin (D, Michigan), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee,

asserted in his opening statements at a Senate hearing in June 2013(Paragraph 8). Using

quotes from credible sources in the article shows that the author researched the topic to

make the article credible. The author uses certain examples of ethos like this to increase

their credibility.
 There are many examples of pathos in the article to persuade the reader to choose a

certain side of the two arguments. The author uses persuasive language when he talks about

the two arguments that sways the reader to one side or the other. An example of this would

be The crime of sexual assault has plagued the U.S. military for decades and continues to do so,

despite the military's expressed "zero tolerance" policy for such crimes(Paragraph 3). The

author uses emotional words like plagued to show the reader the problem and explains that the

Military is not doing enough to stop it. An example of the other side of the argument is The

only way to improve a broken system is to hold those in charge accountable, and removing

commanders from the system of sexual assault reporting would absolve them of

responsibility(Paragraph 2). An example of pathos from this quote would be broken system.

It clarifies that the commanders must be in charge of the problem so that they are responsible of

what happens in the Military. The author uses pathos throughout the article to evenly persuade

the reader to both side and let them choose with which side they agree.

The author is very effective in using ethos, pathos, and logos to explain both sides of the

argument in the article. She/he clearly explain the supporters and opponents opinions and give

the reader a great deal of information to decide on which side of the argument they stand. One

way the author can strengthen his argument is to be less repetitive because the article seemed to

be making the same points multiple times. The issue is still relevant because it is still happening

in our Military to this day and the argument matters because deciding what is better for the

survivors of sexual assault is critical to preventing it. It adds conversation to gender because the

majority of the survivors of the assaults are female. The author is very effective in supplying the

reader with information on the problem.

Works Cited
Sexual Assault in the Military: Should Civilian Investigators Handle Allegations of Sexual Assault in

the Military? Infobase Learning - Login, Infobase, 26 Aug. 2013,

icof.infobaselearning.com/articles/military-and-defense/sexual-assault-in-the-

military.aspx?sr=1&tab=1&hd=6332.