Email   Print   Share By Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur L. Coleman Jr., III Corps and Fort Hood Command Sergeant Major

Facebook Digg Delicious August 9, 2012 | Editorial

The Sexual Harassment/Assault Response Program is an effective and worthwhile program at every level. This program trains our future sexual assault response coordinators and victim’s advocates on awareness, prevention, training, victim advocacy, reporting and accountability.

This program and our efforts in the Army to eliminate sexual harassment and assault are vital to maintaining unit cohesion and esprit de corps. And more importantly, sexual harassment and assault are simply wrong. That’s why it’s imperative that we continue to sustain the effort of eliminating incidents of sexual harassment and assault here and across the Army.

A key part of that effort is making sure the noncommissioned officers we select to attend this course are the right people, aren’t a no-show, and show up prepared with all the proper paperwork.

The success of the program begins with the unit leadership’s selection of their representative that they send to the SHARP course. If losing the NCO that you sent to the course for two weeks hurts, then you probably sent the right person, and you are setting the program up for success in your unit. This will pay large dividends for you in the future. We cannot choose the wrong person to carry out this very important additional duty.

We need leaders at every level to lean forward in the foxhole when it comes time to select your next SHARP attendee. Read all the requirements carefully and make sure that your selectee fulfills those requirements. Make sure you know the class dates, make sure the selectee knows the class dates, and then make sure that Soldiers understand that this is their place of duty until the training is complete. We are not setting the program, and more importantly our Soldiers, up for success by allowing no-shows.

Leaders, once your representative is in the course, make sure you eliminate any distracters from the Soldier that is attending. I know it is tempting to pick up the phone and call those trusted NCOs that you sent to the class and give them a simple task that should only take a few minutes for them to accomplish, especially since they are still here on post – don’t do it. The course is demanding and deserves their full attention.

Make no mistake about it: selecting the right person for the job will do more than just lower the number of no-shows for the class. It will show the Soldiers at the Great Place that the leadership here takes the elimination of sexual harassment and assault seriously. When the Soldiers know that we leaders are serious, they will be more likely to trust the program and report problems, if they occur.

I take each and every reported incident very seriously. There is no greater offense than when a Soldier is sexually harassed or assaulted. There is no loyalty in it, and it is shameful and wrong. It will not be tolerated.

We are all brothers and sisters in arms in the Army, and by committing to stopping sexual harassment and assault, we are reaffirming our belief in the Army Values and Warrior Ethos. When we do that, we increase unit cohesion and esprit de corps, and we make ourselves unstoppable when it comes time to accomplish the mission given to us.

Phantom Warriors! Army Strong!