Altus Air Force Base News

 

Altus AFB gains four new Victim Advocates

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Levin Boland
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. - --  The 97th Air Mobility Wing Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office recently recruited four new volunteers to help combat sexual assaults within the Air Force.
 
These volunteer Victim Advocates are U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Danielle Pier, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kanesha Boone, Don Taber and Rosy Rosalez. They will join the eight current victim advocates on Altus AFB. Victim advocates are first line responders to victims of sexual assault and provide them with a variety of services, including anything from emotional support to legal assistance.

"Victim advocates support someone who has been sexually assaulted," said Cheryl Jones, 97th AMW sexual assault response coordinator. "They have answers for questions that may come up concerning different issues such as legal, medical or emotional matters."

As a Victim Advocate, the volunteers will rotate being on call for a week at a time and will be expected to respond to a sexual assault at any time, whether it's in the middle of the work day or in the middle of the night.

"We try to only have our VAs on-call once a month," said Jones. "But during your on-call week, you have to be prepared 24/7 to respond to a sexual assault."

Pier is one of the new volunteer victim advocates and is excited for the opportunity to help.

"I knew a few people who experienced something like this and they came to me for help even though I wasn't a victim advocate," said Pier. "I was able to be there for them and I was a shoulder they could lean on. That's was the most rewarding part, being able to help them through it."

Jones is grateful for all of the volunteers they receive. The four new volunteers have raised the SAPR office's victim advocate force to 12 people.

"I'm so happy that they decided to become victim advocates," said Jones. "It really takes a special kind of person to decide to take the journey of becoming a victim advocate and taking the time to help and assist someone in need. These people are my heroes."

For additional information about the Altus AFB SARC office, please visit www.altus.af.mil and click on the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response tab on the top right.