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Military Must Pay Attention To Domestic Violence
Our Opinion
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Commentary
Domestic violence has always been a prevalent concern in society, but domestic violence compounded with war training and licensed weapons is becoming a growing concern in the military. Recently, Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child were discovered in a shallow grave in Corporal Cesar Armando Laurean's back yard. Her body was charred and damaged. The case began as a rape case, but has morphed into a search for Laurean and a warrant for his arrest.
Domestic violence in the military is a growing concern. This case is just one of the many that have occurred during the Iraq war. Deaths due to domestic violence in the military can be prevented if the military does its job and cracks down on supervision of potentially dangerous soldiers.
Upon the return of Sergeant William Edwards and his wife Sergeant Erin Edwards from separate missions in Iraq, he assaulted and beat her until she died. She had previously arranged to be transferred to a base in New York after pressing charges against her husband and securing a restraining order against him. Her husband's commanders assured her that he would be supervised at all times when leaving the base. However, according to The New York Times, "during an investigation, Army officers told the local police that they did not realize Erin Edwards had been afraid of her husband. And they acknowledged that despite his restrictions, William Edwards had not been escorted off base "on every occasion."
This type of violence can be easily acknowledged and prevented. The military simply has to be vigilant of restraining orders and surveillance request from soldiers. There are countless other cases in which a soldier was supposed to be supervised and left the base only to kill his spouse or himself.
Although domestic violence may be hard to concentrate on with a war being fought, something must be done about it. Domestic violence is a pressing issue, more so than some may think. If someone reports feeling threatened or scared, the military should respect that. This will benefit the military as well because it cuts down on unnecessary and avoidable deaths of soldiers. It is about time that the military takes responsibility for its soldiers and protects them while they serve. There is no reason not to enforce requested restraining orders when the military already has provisions in place for doing so. If the military would begin to enforce the rules it has everybody could benefit from the protection and valued lives can be saved. Our men and women in the military risk their lives enough they should be able to feel secure while at home on base.
Domestic violence in the military is a growing concern. This case is just one of the many that have occurred during the Iraq war. Deaths due to domestic violence in the military can be prevented if the military does its job and cracks down on supervision of potentially dangerous soldiers.
Upon the return of Sergeant William Edwards and his wife Sergeant Erin Edwards from separate missions in Iraq, he assaulted and beat her until she died. She had previously arranged to be transferred to a base in New York after pressing charges against her husband and securing a restraining order against him. Her husband's commanders assured her that he would be supervised at all times when leaving the base. However, according to The New York Times, "during an investigation, Army officers told the local police that they did not realize Erin Edwards had been afraid of her husband. And they acknowledged that despite his restrictions, William Edwards had not been escorted off base "on every occasion."
This type of violence can be easily acknowledged and prevented. The military simply has to be vigilant of restraining orders and surveillance request from soldiers. There are countless other cases in which a soldier was supposed to be supervised and left the base only to kill his spouse or himself.
Although domestic violence may be hard to concentrate on with a war being fought, something must be done about it. Domestic violence is a pressing issue, more so than some may think. If someone reports feeling threatened or scared, the military should respect that. This will benefit the military as well because it cuts down on unnecessary and avoidable deaths of soldiers. It is about time that the military takes responsibility for its soldiers and protects them while they serve. There is no reason not to enforce requested restraining orders when the military already has provisions in place for doing so. If the military would begin to enforce the rules it has everybody could benefit from the protection and valued lives can be saved. Our men and women in the military risk their lives enough they should be able to feel secure while at home on base.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
kisha
posted 2/19/08 @ 2:16 PM EST
Lets be honest with ourselves. The military only cares about the soliders when they are over there fighting. I know a young man who came back home and the only skill he learned was to kill people. (Continued…)
Joanne L. Ross
posted 2/20/08 @ 1:09 PM EST
What in the world? Does the military even bother to do evaluations on their troops? Any phsycologist would tell you that war definitely has a dramatic effect upon any persons mental health, and evidence is there of such and always has been, this war is in some ways different, but overall the effects are the same and it is a shame that the higher ups don't or won't be bothered with the importance of evaluations on a monthly basis. (Continued…)
Kay
posted 6/21/08 @ 2:03 PM EST
I know first hand to well how the military (United States Coast Guard) doesn't address domestic violence or do background checks on their members prior to entering
go to web site: www. (Continued…)
currency trading
posted 7/08/08 @ 1:27 AM EST
No matter how developed we people are, no matter how we are establishing new industries like, IT, , finance, or no matter how we are progressing globally. (Continued…)
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