In the News

Iraq Vets Force Congressional Investigation of Suzanne Swift Case
Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), Veterans for Peace, and Oregon constituents achieved
a victory on the road to ending military sexual violence today with a pledge from Congressman Peter
DeFazio's (D-Ore.) office that he will be initiating a congressional investigation into the case of Army
Specialist Suzanne Swift...

July 14, 2006
Female Soldiers Treated 'Lower
Than Dirt'
by Rose Aguilar
AlterNet - San Francisco, CA, USA

July 13, 2006
'Meet Me in Fort Lewis' - Protests
Planned for Army Specialist Who
Went AWOL After Charging Sexual
Harassment
Democracy Now! - New York, NY, USA

July 12, 2006
Nobody Cheats the Justice of
Murmurs
by WW Editorial Staff
newsdesk at wweek.com

July 12, 2006
A Soldier's Heart Then and Now
by Chante Wolf
Pulse of the Twin Cities

July 12, 2006
AWOL Soldier's Cause Gets a
Hand from Powerful Women's
Advocate
by Mike Barber
P-I Reporter
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

July 11, 2006
Mother of Sexually Harassed
Soldier Recounts Ordeal as
Daughter ...
Democracy Now!
Interview by Amy Goodman
(mp3 available on Democracy Now!
site linked to article title above)

Support Suzanne Swift
Code Pink

July 31, 2006
Abuse of Women GIs: Good Men
Must Check Bad Ones
by Erin Solaro
The Christian Science Monitor

Jul 29, 2006
Word From Suzanne's Swift's Front
Lines
Mary Conley
BlueOregon

Jul 24, 2006
Different Ways of Fighting
by Christopher J. Stephens
The National Ledger

July 24, 2006
Protesters Demand Justice for
Sexually Abused GI
by Jim McMahan
Seattle

July 24, 2006
Readers Write: Rape and the U.S.
Military
By Laura Barcella
AlterNet

July 19, 2006
Pentagon Cultivating Culture of
Violence Against Women
by Andrea Lewis
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City, Utah

July 16, 2006
Suzanne Swift - Sexual Abuse in
the Military
by Dan Goldstein Articles
Dan Goldstein Articles

Jul 16, 2006
Report from the Suzanne Swift
Demonstration
by Linda Jansen, Doug Nielson, and
Elliot Stoller
Seattle Indymedia Center

July 15, 2006
Suzanne Swift Rally
KEZI 9 News, ABC Network
Eugene, OR

July 15, 2006
Swift Protest
by Carla Castano
KVAL TV 13
Eugene, OR

July 15, 2006
Rally, Watada Address Military
Injustice
KGMB9 TV News - Honolulu, HI, USA

July 11, 2006
The Seduction of Suzanne Smith
Blogger News Network
By Ed Kent

July 9, 2006
Suzanne Swift Update
by Mary Conley
BlueOregon

July 7, 2006
Command Rape
By David Swanson
opednews.com
Internet

July 6, 2006
Suzanne, Sara, and Military Sexual
Trauma
By Callie Wight
Committee Opposed to Militarism and
the Draft
Internet

July 3, 2006
Letters to the Editor
Swift is Brave for Speaking Out
Register Guard, Eugene, Oregon
Lauren Asrael
Eugene

July 1, 2006
Letters to the Editor
U.S. Military is a Men's Club
Register Guard, Eugene, Oregon
Beatrice Appleton
North Bend

June 27, 2006
Refusing to Kill is Not a Crime
International Day of Action to Support
First Lt. Ehren Watada

June 21, 2006
Army Launches Investigation of
Sex Charges
By Susan Palmer
The Register-Guard

June 21, 2006
New Officer to Check Sex Abuse
Report:
Colonel not in female MP's chain of
command to look into claims
By Mike Barber
P-I Reporter
Seattle Post - Intelligencer

June 20, 2006
Woman Soldier Claims Sex
Harassment in Iraq
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
The Guardian

June 17, 2006
Silent Sorority Walks in Soldier's
Boots
By Robert L. Jamieson, Jr.
P-I Columnist
Seattle Post - Intelligencer

June 16, 2006
An American Soldier Says No
Mary Conley
BlueOregon

June 15, 2006
Soldier Complains of Sexual
Coercion
By Susan Palmer
The Register-Guard

June 15, 2006
Fort Lewis Solider Says She Was in
Coerced Relationship
By The Associated Press

In a Democracy Now! exclusive, Army Specialist Suzanne Swift speaks out in
her first national broadcast interview. After serving in Iraq, Swift was arrested
and confined to base for going AWOL. She says she was sexually harassed and
abused by her commanders in Iraq and at home. In the interview, Swift reveals
for the first time that an Army investigation concluded in July that they could not
substantiate her claims. Swift says, "For women considering going into [the
military]: Don't." Her attorney, Keith Scherer, says, "It's pretty clear from the
language in the report that they didn't do a diligent investigation."

From Victim To Accused Army Deserter
Harassment Allegations Have Galvanized Activists
By Donna St. George
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 19, 2006

EUGENE, Ore. -- Suzanne Swift remembers
standing in her mother's living room, hours away
from her second deployment to Iraq. Her military
gear had already been shipped -- along with her
Game Boy, her DVDs and books, her favorite pink
pillow, her stash of sunflower seeds. She had the
car keys in her hand, ready to drive to the base.
Suddenly, she turned to her mother.

"I can't do this," she remembers saying. "I can't
go."

The Case of Suzanne Swift — U.S. Female Soldiers
Doubly at Risk
Apr 4, 2007
By Melissa Sanders

Suzanne Swift joined the military to get money for college. During her junior year of
high school, Swift signed a contract to enlist with the military police for five years
after she graduated high school. She was told by her military recruiter that she
could avoid being deployed to Iraq by signing a longer term contract.

Swift was sent to Iraq as soon as she completed basic training. She reports that
she dealt with ongoing sexual harassment and abuse from her fellow soldiers on
top of dealing with the everyday trauma of being in a warzone. Swift says the
harassment was led by her superior officer, who then coerced her into a sexual
relationship. Click here to read more...

April 8, 2007
From the London times
Battle of the sexes-
Thousands of female US soldiers are suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq -
having been bullied, harassed and even raped by their
male colleagues. Sara Corbett talks to seven women
on the front line of a new conflict... Read more about
Suzanne in the Times