Jamie Leigh Jones
Sometimes there are things that you grow accustomed to when wandering the world of information each day, such as Gareth Porter’s recent piece White House Fought NIE Over an Old Charge. There is Darfur, the humanitarian crisis in Somalia, the never ending rivers of blood flowing from Iraq and Afghanistan, and everything besides that conjoin to make the unbelievable less shocking on a daily basis. But every once in a while I come across a story that leaves me utterly speechless. This week, it is the story of Jamie Leigh Jones.
“Jones, who told her story to ABC News as part of an upcoming “20/20″ investigation, said an examination by Army doctors after the incident showed she had been raped “both vaginally and anally,” but that the rape kit disappeared after it was handed over to KBR security officers.”
[…]
“In the lawsuit, Jones also says, after the rape, she was held in a shipping container for at least 24 hours without food or water by KBR, which posted armed security guards outside her door. It was only after, Jones says, she convinced a sympathetic guard to loan her a cell phone that she could reach her father, who then called his congressman, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, to help get his daughter out of Baghdad to safety.”
[…]
“In a statement, KBR, which has moved for Jones’ claim to be heard in private arbitration, said it was “instructed to cease” its own investigation by U.S. government authorities “because they were assuming sole responsibility for the criminal investigations.” In addition, KBR said, “The safety and security of all employees remains KBR’s top priority…Our commitment in this regard is unwavering.”
[…]
“But Rep. Poe, whose office contacted the State Department to rescue Jones from the container, says neither the departments of State nor Justice will give him answers on the status of the Jones investigation. Frustrated, Poe told ABC News, “I think it is the responsibility of our government, the Justice Department and the State Department, when crimes occur against American citizens overseas in Iraq, contractors that are paid by the American public, that we pursue the criminal cases as best as we possibly can and that people are prosecuted.”
[…]
“Jones’ lawyer Todd Kelly says in the lawsuit that KBR and Halliburton created a “boys will be boys” atmosphere at the company barracks, which put Jones and other female employees at risk. “The last thing she should have expected was for her own people to turn on her,” Kelly told ABC News.”
[…]
“Since the attack, Jones has started a nonprofit foundation called the Jamie Leigh Foundation, which is dedicated to helping victims who have been raped or sexually assaulted overseas while working for government contractors or other corporations. “There needs to be a voice out there that really pushed for change,” she said. “I’d like to be that voice.”
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 12:04 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
This is one of the sickest things I have ever read. I still shocks me every time, just what people get away with. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, and yet it’s like a smack in the face every time. She is a very brave woman for doing what she is with her situation.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
She is indeed a very brave woman… Other than that.. I too am speechless.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I really admire her strength. I often wonder, if face with such horrors myself I’d be able to keep going.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
This is where the legal system really fails to uphold justice.
She’s very brave, especially the uphill fight she faces. I certainly could do that. I’m a mean vengeful bastard. If that happened to my gf, much worse would happen to the guilty party over there.
Let’s hope someone with power has decency and can see to it these people are punished, including the company for the disappearance of the rape kit!
December 12th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
un fucking real, man. all i can do is shake my head.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
” ”
I find it easy to believe, hard to fathom, and impossible to think about it without getting upset.
Animals. When did acting like a savage become “in” again?
We truly have not progressed at all in the last 10000 years.
December 12th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
That’s absolutely terrible.
What is also troubling is the idea that there are other women in service who never tell their story or seek justice for themselves…and I have to wonder how many other incidents such as this have occurred without the publics knowledge in the past.
December 12th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
I commend her strength to first tell her story and then start a nonprofit to try and help others. All we can hope for is that those who are responsible for this are brought to justice.
December 12th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Hopefully the medical personnel who turned the rape kit over to KBR will be called on to answer why that was done—particularly if they were not employees of or contracted under KBR.
December 12th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Well, I definitely commend her for the strength she has shown in what I know is an absolutely horrid situation. I also am glad to hear that she has taken it one step beyond, and has started the non-profit organization to help the unfortunately many others like her.
That being said, I am saddened by the fact that nothing will be done in this situation, and the chance of any justice coming forth is very slim to none. I don’t know what the situations are in other countries’
military, but in the US military, women are shown very little regard. We’re good enough to fight for our country, but still only considered second class citizens. Very sad indeed….
December 12th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Well some may know I was in the Army for many years…
Here is a story from Boot Camp. I have a friend, whom I shall name Ayala. She and I had just graduated and went into Columbia to enjoy graduation. ( we were stationed in Fort Jackson ) Well I went home early cause I was sick from too much drinking and she stayed behind with a bunch of the others girls from our Company. She was gang raped by a bunch of new grads that night. She came back the next day.. she was bruised and very shaken. I, who have been raped, knew to gather evidence as fast as possible. So, I grabbed my camera and took pictures of her bruises. There were on her neck, wrists, ankles, neck, the insides of her thighs and on her buttocks.. it was a hard thing to record, but we knew we needed to do this. She was reluctant to go to the Capt with what happened, he was a old school West Point Grad, who really hated females. This is the man who on the first day of Boot told all of us females ( and it was all female at the time), that were to not complain of cramps, to make sure that we cleaned our *woman parts* cause he hated the smell of nasty crotch, and to make sure that we learn that were filling a role.( this was reported to the Base Commander, to no avail ). So very obviously he didn’t inspire much trust from us or respect. After much pleading with her I got her to go with me to the Infirmary and she told the female Doctor on duty what happened. Immediately MP’s were called and the rape kit that was done on her was turned over as evidence.. she was asked to name the Privates who did this or point them out by pictures, which she did.She underwent many hours of “investigation” to make sure that she was telling the truth, when all of the physical evidence showed she was.. Well some weeks had passed and there was no word as to what was going to happen to these boys. After five or so months and we were in AIT in San Antonio, she was called into the CO’s office and was informed that there were to be no charges filed against the boys and that no more talk of the incident was to be allowed. These boys who raped here were from affluent family in the deep south and seemed to have it *brushed* under the rug. She was told this *off the record* by another officer.
This happens EVERY single day in the military.. and it doesn’t, as sick as it is, surprise me in the least. I still have the negatives from that day.
Its a sad commentary on the military and our justice system indeed.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Sick.
Honestly, rape is almost worse than murder in my mind. At least with murder, the victim’s suffering ends when they’re dead. With rape, the victim has to live with it for the rest of their lives, and in the majority of cases, there is no justice done. People who can commit such a heinous act don’t deserve to be a part of society. It upsets me to no end.
December 13th, 2007 at 5:08 am
I am absolutely disgusted with what seems to be a dual system of justice in the government. Affluent or not, those Privates committed a crime. If they had been civilians what would have happened to them?
In the case of Jamie Leigh, I also commend her for her strength and bravery in surviving her ordeal and carrying on with the non-profit organization. What she went through was reprehensible.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Yet another horror story of the price women pay for being brave enough to stand up against the misogynistic old boys club that is the American Military. Most female recruits, and civilians who enter areas of conflict are well aware of the risk of sexual assault at the hands of the enemy. The notion that the danger exists in equal measure from those who vow to serve and defend their country and it’s ideals is warped!
Jamie Leigh is truly heroic for her choice to speak out so bravely. I fear however that her lone voice will not be heard widely enough to affect change and the military will continue to sweep these indefensible crimes under the rug.