From Draft NOtices, October-December 2020
Institutional Betrayal and Moral Courage: The Case of Armando Perez, Jr.
— Isidro Ortiz, Ph.D.
Sexual assault in the U.S. military is usually associated with female soldiers such as the late Private First Class Vanessa Guillen who, according to reports, was sexually harassed and killed by a fellow soldier while stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. However, male soldiers are also victims of sexual assault. A 2016 survey found that approximately 0.6 percent of active-duty men had experienced sexual assault in the previous year. Although some may dismiss the numbers as being insignificant, compared to sexual assaults of female soldiers, the numbers constitute part of what Congresswoman Veronica Escobar refers to as an “epidemic of unchecked sexual harassment and sexual assault” in the armed forces. The case of Armando Perez, Jr., offers insights into the institutional betrayal of male soldiers and the harm inflicted on those subjected to sexual assault.
“Institutional betrayal” refers to “wrongdoing perpetrated by an institution upon individuals dependent on that institution, including failure to prevent or respond supportively to wrongdoings by individuals committed within the context of the institution.” The institutional betrayal of Armando Perez occurred while he was serving in the Army in Texas. It occurred in San Antonio, at an event organized and shared by his Army unit. The assailant was the senior officer in the unit, an older soldier who held the rank of master sergeant. The assailant, as Armando has written, “kept buying me drinks until I couldn’t stand up by myself. He kept suggesting I stay at his hotel room.” Although he sensed that the optics would not look appropriate, Armando did not anticipate being harmed. The sergeant had earned Armando’s trust and loyalty to his leadership by, among other things, acting as a “big brother” and friend to Armando despite their differences in rank. The first was especially important to Armando for he had lacked a brother among his siblings.
Unfortunately, the sergeant succeeded in getting Armando to his room. When he awoke the next morning, he discovered bruises and bite marks on his body; he felt shame. He was in a situation that he had never expected in an institution to which he pledged loyalty and placed trust.
Growing up steeped in Texas culture, Armando believed that enlisting would prove his toughness and masculinity, and demonstrate that he was a “true American” in a society where Latinos were not imagined as part of the American community. The immediate reason for enlisting, however, was to acquire the educational benefits associated with military service.
Armando began college as a self-supporting, first-generation student at a community college. That proved to be unsustainable, however, so when an Army recruiter informed him that college would be paid for under the G.I Bill. On November 26, 2011, Armando seized the opportunity to enlist. Understanding that military service would entail a sacrifice, he felt that if he received the benefits of a college education, it would be a “fair exchange.”
After experiencing a tour in Afghanistan and the problems and issues associated with being in combat, Armando pursued his vision of a supported college education at Texas A&M. While still shouldered with military obligations, he remained in good academic standing until the sexual assault.
Sexual assault, according to research and the experiences of those who assist sexual assault victims, may evoke powerful and debilitating reactions ranging from anger and shame to poor sleep. Victims may also find themselves distracted and feeling overwhelmed. Armando found himself plagued by most of the identified possible reactions, impeding his ability to remain in good academic standing.
Effective coping with these reactions was thwarted by mandatory continued interaction with his assailant. The officer engaged in “retaliation,” assigning him to “shitty work” that was completely unrelated to his training and designation as a human resources specialist.
Armando considered reporting the assault but was deterred by fear of losing the educational benefits. As he noted, “I knew that anything [negative] in my file would cause me to lose my G.I. Bill, the sole reason why I joined the military.”
Burdened by painful and draining emotions, Armando ceased attending classes, became highly depressed and “gave up everything.” He also began drinking himself to sleep. Consequently, he was suspended from Texas A&M.
In March 2019 Armando saw the promise of some relief when he was transferred to Camp Pendleton in California. Unfortunately, his attempts to secure mental health services were unsuccessful. Daunted, Armando decided to “tuck it [the assault] away” and remain silent, even foregoing disclosing the assault to his parents and continuing to feel shame about it.
The case of Army Pfc. Vanessa Guillen and resulting disclosures about sexual harassment and assault were a turning point for Armando. Guillen’s murder evoked angry memories of his experiences at Fort Hood where, after his return from Afghanistan, he observed that the welfare and safety of soldiers such as himself and Pfc. Guillen were given a low priority. The unresponsiveness to pleas for action by Guillen’s family on the part of the leadership at Fort Hood angered Armando, leading him to break his silence the day before Independence Day via a tweet in which he disclosed his own experience of sexual assault.
The public revelations of sexual assault by female and male soldiers informed him that he was not alone and would find support if he disclosed the assault. Moreover, contrary to what he had feared, his family rallied around him. Boosted by this support, Armando continued sharing his experience in social media venues, using the hashtag “I am Vanessa,” and participated in interviews.
These activities became an extension of an earlier commitment Armando had made to join the Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities (Project YANO), an organization that tells young people the truth about the realities of being in the military. He is now a board member of Project YANO and is helping youth avoid the harm of institutional betrayal that he experienced.
The data for this article is derived from an oral history interview conducted by the author with Armando Perez. Data on the sexual assault of males in the military is reported in Miriam Matthews, et al., “Needs of Male Sexual Assault Victims in the U.S Armed Forces,” Rand Health Quarterly: 8 (2), 2018.
The concept of ‘Institutional betrayal’ was developed by Jennifer J. Freyd, PhD; the definition is elaborated online at “Institutional Betrayal and Institutional Courage.”
This article is from Draft NOtices, the newsletter of the Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (http://www.comdsd.org/index.php/draft-notices).
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