Altus AFB confronts sexual assault

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Dillon Davis
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. - --   A Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Stand-Down Day took place on Altus AFB April 29, 2014 to address the current issues affecting the Air Force and Department of Defense service members, civilians and their families.

Air Force wide, every installation was mandated to conduct a SAPR Stand-Down Day to ensure all DoD service members and civilians understand the importance of sexual assault prevention and how they can be a part of the solution.

"When a member of our military is assaulted by the very people he or she trusted and serves with, or when they leave the military, voluntarily or involuntarily, because they were raped, that's a profound injustice that no one who volunteers to defend America should ever have to endure," said U.S. President Barack Obama.

The stand-down day consisted of a mandatory briefing given by U.S. Air Force Col. Bill Spangenthal, 97th Air Mobility Wing commander, unit discussions lead by facilitators and team-building activities.

The focus of the briefing was identifying the behavior of predators and eradicating sexual assault from the ranks.

"The way that we solve this problem is to identify the offenders and get rid of them," said Spangenthal during his briefing. "We have continued to develop programs to aid and care for all victims," said Spangenthal. "We've made it easier for people to come forward and we have built a trust and confidence that if you do come forward: We will listen to you, we will believe you, and we will take care of you."