Jessica Hinves: For Thee I Sing
Protect Our Defenders member Jessica Hinves wrote an incredible essay for the hypothetical review about sexual assault in the military. Jessica was also featured in the Oscar nominated documentary, The Invisible War.
My pastor has talked to me about forgiveness. Everyone who has been a victim should have the chance to go somewhere where they do talk about that. The spiritual aspect of this experience is important; we need a way to provide attention to the core and essence of a person, whether they are an atheist or a believer from any religion. People are shy and hesitant to talk about spirituality because it becomes an issue of what role does God have in the military. But spirituality does not need to be organized religion; it can be about resilience, which is a characteristic every solider needs.
I think of spiritual strength as physical, mental and emotional. We can do better with giving meaning to these concepts; now, it’s become a PowerPoint presentation. In addition to implementing command accountability and communication – access to information about our cases, resources, rights – cultural change can happen through programs that empower both men and women so we’re not in a place where the question of women being in combat is seen as a threat by many.
There’s a museum in California that I visited with inspiring images of Rosie the Riveter. We’re still fighting for acknowledgement that we do belong in the military – and when we make progress in the military, I hope that carries over into society. I’ve discovered a protectorate, a sisterhood in this work, of other women and also men who are allies, and that sustains me. After everything, I am still an optimist. We have a chance for the military to be a change agent that, if it evolves, can be a catalyst and model for society to empower women and address sexual assault.
