COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Women
Women Sue US Marine Corps Over Alleged Recruiter Rapes
Kim Curtis, Associated Press
March 8, 2006
San Francisco - Two teenage women who claimed a pair of former US
Marine Corps sergeants raped them in a Ukiah recruiting office sued the
military Wednesday in federal court for failing to properly train and
supervise recruiters.
The women were in high school and excited about joining the
military when Joseph Dunzweiler, 25, and Brian Fukushima, 26, allegedly raped
them, according to the suit. Both recruiters were demoted after court-martial
proceedings, but acquitted of the most serious charges they faced.
"I have always dreamed of being a Marine," plaintiff Jane Doe said
in a news release. "I thought they were the elite, the ones who stepped in
when everyone else failed."
The 18-year-old women, who were allowed to sue under pseudonyms to
protect their identities, live and work in Ukiah, according to their
lawyers.
They would still consider a career in the Marines if they could
be safe," attorney Michael Sorgen said at a news conference. "We're asking
the court to order them to do what is necessary to prevent this from
happening again."
The suit, which names as defendants the recruiters, the US Navy
and the US Marine Corps, which is under Navy jurisdiction, seeks
unspecified damages and an injunction requiring the military to train and supervise
recruiters, among other things.
Both of the recruiters have been discharged from the military,
according to Marine spokesman Maj. Joe Kloppel, who said he's
prohibited from revealing the type of discharge for privacy reasons.
Jane Doe said she met Dunzweiler in late 2004, according to court
documents. She said he immediately began flirting with her, asking her
out and sending her e-mails about how he wanted to "get her alone."
Doe believed Dunzweiler would prevent her from joining the Marines
if she didn't have sex with him, according to the suit. Doe said
Dunzweiler ended up giving her chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease.
The other plaintiff, identified only as Mary Roe, said Fukushima
raped her during a "sleep over" at the Ukiah recruiting office, according to
court documents. She said she was very drunk, had vomited and could not
resist his advances.
The women's lawsuit is among the latest in a series of scandals
involving military recruiters. Last week, 14 Army recruiters in
Southern California were suspended amid accusations they falsified documents.
The former Ukiah recruiters were court-martialed last fall at the
Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.
Dunzweiler was acquitted of charges he coerced Doe into having sex
with him. However, he was convicted of five lesser charges, including
having sex with another potential recruit, providing alcohol to
recruits, lying to Marine investigators and asking others to lie for him. His
rank was reduced from staff sergeant to corporal, his pay was docked by
$1,300 and he was restricted to base for 30 days.
Sgt. Brian Fukushima was convicted by the military in September of
sexual misconduct, adultery and asking a recruit to lie to
investigators. He was demoted to corporal, his pay was docked $1,000 and he was
restricted to base for 30 days.
A third recruiter, Marine Reserve Cpl. William McFarland admitted
guilt and was punished administratively. The terms of his agreement
weren't made public and he isn't part of Wednesday's suit.
A third woman who accused one of the recruiters of rape in
court-martial proceedings opted not to join the suit, according to
lawyer Barry Vogel.
The case is Doe and Roe v. Gen. Michael W. Hagee et al, C061777.
.
This archive consists of a topically organized selection of
articles culled by members of the Counter-Recruitment List Serve from printed
publications and web sites. The archive is not complete. We have chosen
material relevant to the work of