Tailhook to Fort Hood: Contemporary History of Military Sexual Trauma & Third Order Effects

Abstract
Military sexual trauma is bookmarked in time by two scandals: the events of Tailhook in 1992 and the Fort Hood Investigation following the murder of Specialist (SPC) Vanessa Guillen. The Tailhook Conference was attended by an estimated 4,000 aviation officers. During the conference, 83 women and 7 men were sexually assaulted. Lieutenant Paula Coughlin, was one of the 83. She reported her assault to her leadership and as one of the only women in her unit, she was told that sexual harassment was to be expected. Lt Coughlin, frustrated by the lackluster investigation, took matters into her own hands and brought her report to the media. The investigation that followed identified an estimated 300 individuals who engaged in misconduct, none went to trial, majority were given non-judicial punishment. Following the scandal, Lieutenant Coughlin faced harassment and retaliation for which she was awarded $3.5M.

In summer of 2019, SPC Guillen reported an incident of sexual harassment by her supervisor to her unit leadership who failed to act. The following spring she was reported missing. More than two months after she was reported missing, her remains were found in a shallow grave. She had been brutally murdered by a fellow Soldier, SPC Robinson, who had also been reported for sexual harassment. Posthumous investigation found that her report of sexual harassment wasn’t related to her murder. However, the unanswered reports of sexual harassment illustrate how her leadership created an intimidating and hostile environment where sexual harassment was overlooked and allowed.

Has history repeated itself or have we failed to learn from lessons past? The time between the two events spans almost three decades. In that time period significant resources and efforts have been allocated to the prevention and response of sexual assault and harassment in the military. However, there is still much to be done.

This poster presentation aims to present a timeline between Tailhook and the Fort Hood Investigation that highlights significant policy changes that impact sexual assault and harassment in the military and parallel research efforts that identify risk and associated health outcomes for survivors.