The Private War of Women Soldiers - Democracy Now! 3/8/07

http://www.democracynow.org/index.pl

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/08/1443232

Democracy Now!

Thursday, March 8th, 2007
The Private War of Women Soldiers: Female Vet, Soldier Speak Out on Rising Sexual Assault Within US Military


...COL. JANIS KARPINSKI: Because the women, in fear of getting up in the hours of darkness to go out to the portoilets or the latrines, were not drinking liquids after 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. And in 120-degree heat or warmer, because there was no air conditioning at most of the facilities, they were dying from dehydration in their sleep. And rather than make everybody aware of that, because that’s shocking -- and as a leader, if that’s not shocking to you, then you’re not much of a leader -- so what they told the surgeon to do was, “Don’t brief those details anymore. And don’t say specifically that they’re women. You can provide that in a written report, but don’t brief it in the open anymore.”

MARJORIE COHN: Was there a commander who saw dehydration listed as a cause of death of a woman, a woman female US soldier, and after that he said "Do not list dehydration as a cause of death anymore”?

COL. JANIS KARPINSKI: Yes.

MARJORIE COHN: Who was that?

COL. JANIS KARPINSKI: General Sanchez.

MARJORIE COHN: General Sanchez. Thank you...