Statement: Army Doctor Sentenced to 164 Months for 41 Counts of Sexual Assault
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2025
Brian Purchia, brian@protectourdefenders.com
Sentencing in Maj. Stockin case marks a landmark moment for justice, but exposes systemic failures in military leadership
Washington, DC – On January 15, Maj. Michael Stockin was sentenced to 164 months – the maximum sentence – after pleading guilty to sexually abusing 41 former patients (soldiers) at Madigan Army Hospital, Joint Base Lewis-McChord. This case is one of the largest military sexual assault scandals in recent history.
Survivors endured years of neglect from military leadership, with many male victims forced to turn to media outlets for their stories to be heard. While this sentencing marks a critical step toward accountability, questions remain unanswered about systemic failures that allowed Maj. Stockin’s abuse to continue at other facilities, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Survivors have now launched a civil suit to hold military leadership accountable and demand meaningful reforms.
Military sexual assault is underreported, particularly among male survivors, whose experiences are often overlooked. Protect Our Defenders is calling for systemic reforms to ensure accountability, survivor care, and justice. Survivors are also pursuing a civil suit to hold military leadership accountable and demand broader changes. This case also underscores the urgent need for military survivors of sexual violence to receive the resources and legal representation mandated by federal law.
This sentence also coincides with the start of hearings for President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Army veteran and radical political commentator Pete Hegseth. POD has called for Pete Hegseth’s replacement as the nominee for Secretary of Defense, citing his unfitness to lead amid an escalating recruitment and retention crisis and other systemic challenges impacting all branches, ethnicities, and genders within the armed forces.
Survivors impacted by Maj. Stockin’s actions are encouraged to contact attorney Christine Dunn to explore their legal options in the ongoing civil lawsuit.
Protect Our Defenders Founder and CEO, Nancy Parrish, released the following statement:
“Sexual violence in the military is not a gender issue or a question of who serves in combat, but a leadership failure. This case underscores the urgent need for accountability and systemic change to ensure all survivors receive justice, dignity, and support.
“Pete Hegseth’s assertion that women should not serve in combat, using sexual assault as a justification, demonstrates a troubling ignorance of the reality of military sexual violence and a lack of respect for the men and women who serve. His remarks dismiss the experiences of an estimated 14,000 male survivors who report sexual assault each year and countless others too afraid to come forward, perpetuating a harmful culture of blame, silence, and inaction.”
Protect Our Defenders Senior Vice President, Josh Connolly, former Chief of Staff for Rep. Jackie Speier (former Chairwoman of the Military Personnel Subcommittee on the House Armed Services Committee), released the following statement:
“The Stockin case exposes the pervasive failures in the military’s approach to addressing sexual violence. The appalling number of victims serves as a smoking gun, highlighting the military’s complicity or gross negligence that allowed these crimes to persist. Male survivors continue to be marginalized by a broken system that retraumatizes victims and erodes trust in military leadership.
“The fact that survivors had to rely on the media just to be heard is appalling. It highlights a critical need for meaningful reform that ensures accountability, prioritizes survivor care, and restores faith in our armed forces. This case is a stark reminder that sexual violence in the military is a crisis that undermines morale, mission readiness, and the integrity of our armed forces.”
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