Army Specialist Suzanne Swift
c/o Sara Rich
390 43rd Ave.
Eugene, OR 97405
Dear Ms. Swift,
I am writing to support you in your efforts to seek justice after experiencing sexual harassment while serving in the military. I do not support the war, and although I am continually fascinated by the variety of choices people make for their lives, I am unable to understand why anyone would sign up for the life of a U.S. soldier in this day and age. That being said, I feel that whatever it is that led you into military service led your comrades in arms there as well. You should not be subjected to such raw treatment.
I understand that yours is not an isolated case, and in a way I am not surprised. I have been reading Chris Hedges’ book “War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning,” in which he writes, “There is in wartime a nearly universal preoccupation with sexual liaisons,” and “Casual encounters are charged with a raw, high-voltage sexual energy that smacks of the self-destructive lust of war itself.” Sounds like fertile ground for cases of sexual harassment and worse.
I wish you luck with your case. If all else fails, flee to Canada!
Truly,
Liz Mann
