‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌Content warning: This email contains discussion of sexual assault
John,
My name is MJ Hegar. I’m a former Air National Guard search and rescue pilot who served three tours in Afghanistan. During a rescue mission, I was shot and my helicopter was brought down by Taliban gunfire. I was honored to have received both the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for my service.
I’m also a survivor of sexual assault in the military. Today, I’d like to talk to you about our military’s broken justice system that is failing our service men and women—and what we can do to fix it.
Service men and women who have been sexually assaulted deserve an unbiased, impartial justice system. That’s why I’m calling on Congress to pass the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act.
If you’re with me, please sign on as a Citizen Co-Sponsor of the bill here. [[link removed]] -MJ
I was sexually assaulted by a military doctor while serving in the Air Force. My assailant admitted to the crime within hours of the attack. My commanding officers assured me that my assailant would be appropriately punished.
But nothing happened. In fact, a few months later, my assailant was nominated for the Medical Group Company Grade Officer of the Year award. My chain of command really let me down.
My story is far from unique. By the Department of Defense’s own estimate, an average of 56 service members were assaulted every day in 2018. The vast majority of those cases go unreported. And it’s no wonder: Retaliation against service members who report is the norm.
Of those cases that do get reported, conviction rates are alarmingly low: In 2019, only 6.4% of sexual assaults reported were even tried by court martial, and only a fraction of offenders were convicted of a nonconsensual sex offense.
The system is broken, and it has a lot to do with how these cases are handled: by non-lawyer commanders who have near-universal decision-making authority when it comes to handling sexual assault and harassment charges.
The folks in the chain of command are excellent at executing the mission. They’re not the people who should be making decisions about whether or not to prosecute someone for sexual assault.
Think of this another way: Nowhere else in America would your boss decide whether to prosecute a coworker who raped you.
Every year since 2013, my friend, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, has fought to pass her bill to take the accuser’s and the accused's chain of command out of the picture and establish an independent justice system to objectively address cases of sexual assault based on evidence instead of perceptions.
I believe this bill will be a game-changer. We have to stand up for our men and women in uniform and demand the accountability, independence and transparency that our service members deserve. We have to pass the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act.
So here’s my ask: Sign on as a Citizen Co-Sponsor of the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act. I promised this team could deliver 15,000 petition signatures by midnight tonight. [[link removed]]
We owe the men and women who serve our country an objective and fair military justice system worthy of their sacrifices. Now is the time to go and get it.
Thank you for joining me in this fight.
-MJ

Authorized by MJ for Texas

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