COB ADDER, Iraq – Soldiers of the 121st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Bde., 1st Armored Division, held a women’s symposium Dec. 20 and 21 at Memorial Hall on Contingency Operating Base Adder. This year’s theme was “Sustaining Women for a Successful Deployment” and began with a five kilometer “Take Back the Night” walk.
As the sun began to set, Sgt. 1st Class Charmerley Rogers, unit victim advocate for 121st BSB, began the walk with the battle cry “We run the day!” to which the participants shouted “We own the night!”
The evening walk rallied service members from throughout COB Adder in an effort to raise awareness of sexual assault as a military-wide problem that must be dealt with at all levels.
“You need to know that you can be a victim, whether male or female,” said Lt. Col. Angela Steward-Randle, a sexual assault response coordinator deployed with 34th Infantry Division and guest speaker at the 5K walk.
“Five males reported being sexually assaulted in Iraq in the past year,” she said. “We all need to be able to protect each other.”
Prior to deploying to Iraq, the unit conducted a similar conference at Fort Bliss, Texas. Female Soldiers in leadership positions were invited to speak on topics ranging from finance to health to military families.
This year, key leaders were invited to speak on matters relevant to and geared towards female Soldiers. Senior mentors invited to conduct workshops were Lt. Col. Maurene Schafer, 28th Combat Support Hospital nurse practitioner, on the topic of sexually transmitted diseases, and Steward-Randle, who held a workshop on sexual harassment and sexual assault. Air Force Maj. Rosanne Visco, psychiatric nurse, held a group workshop on combat stress, and Chief Warrant Officer Chris Velez, 4th Bde., 1st Armd. Div. aviation tactical operations officer, held sessions on career progression.
To break the ice before breaking down into the female warrior sustainment workshops, Soldiers from 121st BSB performed the skit, “On the air with the ‘CHARM’ talk show,” where female Soldiers played roles of individuals who’ve faced difficulties with contracting sexually transmitted disease, combat stress, and sexual assault. Both funny and somber, the skit set the tone for the day’s proceedings.
“To see Soldiers take something away from this is the most rewarding aspect of putting an event like this together,” said Sgt. 1st Class Charmerley Rogers, one of the program coordinators and host of the talk show.
“This is my baby in a way, and we can proudly say that we haven’t had a case of sexual assault in the battalion in eight months,” she said. “We check on our female warriors out at the outlying areas like [Contingency Operating Stations] Hunter and Garryowen as often as we can.”
“Events like this help the NCO [senior enlisted] and enlisted relationship,” Rogers said. “It makes it easier for junior Soldiers to understand that they can talk to us. There’s a support base there.”
Keynote speaker Brig. Gen. Heidi V. Brown, deputy commanding general for sustainment, Multi-National Corps Iraq, was on hand at the symposium grand finale to speak to all the participants about empowerment.
“Going to West Point was about dealing with a hostile environment at the time; it helped me become a better combat arms officer,” said Brown on becoming an air defense artillery officer, and the highest ranking female officer in that branch.
“While people are telling you it’s never been done before, why should that stop you? Let your character and competence speak for itself,” Brown said. “There’s only a glass ceiling if you believe there’s one. Boundaries are self-created.”
“I learned not to compare myself to others,” she said. “You’re focused on the wrong things when you’re doing that.”
