PRIVATE Act

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, the women of the Democratic Women's Working Group are here today with other Members that we have invited to raise awareness about the offensive Marines United Facebook page and others like it.

On these pages, male marines posted nude or intimate photos of female servicemembers and veterans without their consent. This affected hundreds of women, with an audience of an estimated 30,000 marines with access to the Facebook page.

The Democratic women recently held a hearing on this alarming situation which, incidentally, began less than a month after the first Marine infantry unit was assigned women, and that was January 5.

At our hearing, we heard testimony from advocates for servicemembers, a former marine, and a journalist who

covered this issue extensively, and most importantly, we heard from Erika Butner and Marisa Woytek, two brave, resilient marines.

Marisa is a current lance corporal. She proudly followed in her father's footsteps, and she joined the Marines because, as she stated, she wanted to be part of something bigger than herself.

Erika enlisted in the Marines for many of the same reasons in 2011, fully aware that she could be deployed to a combat zone. A lifelong patriot, she was ready, and willing to take that chance. But in her own words--little did she know that the ``war she would fight would be among her very own brothers in arms.''

At our hearing, the women described harassment and exploitation at the hands of their Marine brothers, and, quite frankly, it made us feel sick to our stomachs.

Their male counterparts put up Erika's and Marisa's photographs and made lewd and derogatory comments--asking other men to vote on whether they would ``smash or pass'' on these women, meaning would they have sexual relations with them.

The women were threatened with rape and violence, with Facebook posts like: ``We should throw marines into a tub of acid and rip-off their eyelashes.''

Sadly and shockingly, Marisa and Erika were not alone. Thousands and thousands of photos of women were shared on these Facebook pages.

I want to say to Marisa and Erika and all of these women: We share your anger and your hurt, and we are so grateful to you for coming forward with your stories.

I am a mother of a United States Marine veteran who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq--a proud mother--and I understand the selfless sacrifice a marine makes when he or she puts on their uniform. So I am outraged, as are my colleagues whom you will hear from today, that so many brave marines were subjected to this kind of harassment and exploitation while willing to sacrifice for our country. It is not only personally degrading to courageous patriots, it hurts the effectiveness of our military and the ability to recruit women.

So today's Special Order is another opportunity to amplify the voices of Marisa and Erika and to send a message that we stand with them and we will fight for their honor.

I want to thank Congresswoman Jackie Speier and Congresswoman Martha McSally, who I hope will be here with us today. They are actually, very sadly, at another hearing where the topic is sexual harassment in our military academies.

After our hearing, they went on and they introduced a bill to make it illegal for military members to share photos without consent. This is a bipartisan effort. I am proud to be a cosponsor, as are many of my colleagues, again, whom you will hear from in a few minutes; and we owe it to Erika and Marisa and all of the other women that have been subjected to this abuse to pass this legislation and to work together to change the culture of disrespect that allowed it to happen.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a great leader in this Congress, a member of our Appropriations and Budget Committees and Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

Representative Lee, we are pleased that you are with us tonight.

Very well said, Representative Lee. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Lee for her excellent service and advocacy.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield the floor to the gentlewoman from the

State of Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), my co-chair and our vice chair of the Women's Working Group, a very illustrious Member, and she serves on the Transportation and Oversight Committees.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Lawrence for her excellent advocacy today.

Mr. Speaker, I now want to yield the floor to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster), my very good friend. She is the ranking member on the Veterans Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and chair of the bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Kuster for that forceful advocacy.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), one of our greatest fighters for human rights, for women's rights; the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Mr. Speaker, I think we have made it clear that when a member of the military is unfairly abused, we are all abused, we are all dishonored.

This is not a Democratic issue. This is not a Republican issue. This is an American issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), one of our great Americans, an Air Force veteran who serves on our Armed Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Bacon, first, for his service to our country and for speaking from the heart. We are very pleased to join him in this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Torres), who serves on the Foreign Affairs and the Natural Resources Committees.

I want to say that Representative Torres is, like myself, the mother of a military veteran. Her son is a member of the Air Force. In bringing the gentlewoman up here, she probably experiences a lot of what I did. I think for parents whose children are in the military, man or a woman, there are so many of those times where you just dread that knock on the door.

You have seen your child put on uniform, and the pride that they feel. Now, could you imagine having gotten a call from your son that someone had posted a nude picture of him on a Facebook page and he was being humiliated? It is just hard to believe.

I know you are going to share some of your insight into all this. I am pleased to have you here.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Torres).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her son's service and for her service, too. I know what it is like to be the mother of a military person.

Mr. Speaker, we are waiting for--Representative McSally is going to be with us in a few moments, and I thought, as we wait for her to join us--as I said, she is at a hearing now. Unfortunately, the hearing is on the topic of sexual harassment in the military academies.

I wanted to just state for the Record the folks who participated at our Democratic Working Women's Group hearing that we had a couple of weeks ago, we talked about Lance Corporal Marisa Woytek. We talked about Erika Butner, who is a Marine Corps veteran, and both, unfortunately, were victims of this Marines United scandal.

We also heard from James LaPorta, who is a journalist for The Daily Beast and a former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who has covered Marines United extensively. His work has appeared in The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, among other national publications. During his 8 years on Active Duty, Mr. LaPorta served within the infantry and intelligence communities, deploying multiple times to the war in Afghanistan.

We also heard from Miranda Peterson. She is the executive director of Protect Our Defenders, which she joined in 2013. Protect Our Defenders' mission is to uplift and support survivors of military sexual assault, and to improve and reform the U.S. military's process for addressing rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment.

Prior to joining Protect Our Defenders, Mrs. Peterson worked on the historic lawsuits against the Department of Defense filed on behalf of military sexual assault survivors who experienced abuse and retaliation after reporting, and which were the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary film, ``The Invisible War.''

We also heard from Elizabeth Hillman, and she is the president of Mills College. She was invited by Representative Barbara Lee. Elizabeth Hillman has conducted extensive research on the history of sexual violence in the military organization's culture. She is a director and past president of the National Institute of Military Justice, a nonprofit that promotes fairness in and public understanding of military justice worldwide.

She previously served on the Response Systems to the Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel, an independent panel chartered by Congress to study and make recommendations about sexual assault in the U.S. military.

And of course we heard from Gloria Allred, who is a nationally renowned women's and victims' rights attorney. She was the lawyer representing Marine Corps veteran Butner and Active-Duty Marine Lance Corporal Woytek.

What treasures these activists are. They are patriots in their own way because they are defending and standing up for our patriots; and how sad that they have to spend so much of their time to do that.

Now, since this scandal broke up, there have been numerous articles written. I want to share one as we wait for Representative McSally, who, herself, is a military veteran.

Thomas Brennan actually broke this story. He wrote that: ``The U.S. Department of Defense is investigating hundreds of marines who used social media to solicit and share hundreds, possibly thousands, of naked photographs of female servicemembers and veterans.'' That is just so shameful.

``Since January 30, more than two dozen women, many on Active Duty, including officers and enlisted servicemembers, have been identified by their full name, rank, and military duty station in photographs posted and linked to from a private Facebook page.'' Again, very shameful.

Mr. Speaker, I am now pleased to welcome Representative McSally. I would say to you that I have been talking about you in your absence. First of all, I told the Speaker that you were, unfortunately, at a hearing on sexual harassment in the military academies.

But we are so grateful for your--first of all, for your service to our country and for your advocacy in standing up for what is right for our military men and women. Ms. McSally is our lead sponsor on this PRIVATE Act, which we have had many speakers talk about.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McSally. We have come to, I think, a perfect ending here today--those of us who were here today. I know, on a bipartisan basis, we look forward to fighting for the gentlewoman for what is right and to get this bill passed.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here tonight for this Special Order on the Marines photo sharing scandal.

I am pleased to be with you but disturbed about the underlying incident. I don't think there is anyone in this country who is watching this evening who doesn't share our sentiment. This is shocking. It is disturbing. And most importantly, it is degrading to the women in the Marines.

I have to just imagine what it would take to become a marine and to be a woman in the Marine Corps. The training, the dedication, the commitment that these people have set their lives toward serving our country.

I am very pleased to join my colleagues today to express my disappointment and, indeed, outrage at the conduct of literally thousands of marines who violated the standards of the Marine Corps and displayed dishonorable conduct and terrible judgment by distributing sexually explicit photos of Active-Duty and veteran women marines online.

The behavior on the Facebook page Marines United is wholly unacceptable and is not only morally repugnant but undermines the safety, the security of female marines and, indeed, our national security.

Women marines were, in some cases, identified by name, rank, and location. These women who are bravely serving our Nation in uniform were put at risk of blackmail, of violence to themselves, or worse. This cannot and will not be tolerated by the United States Congress, by the leadership of the Marines, and by Americans across this country.

The Marines represent the greatest fighting force in the history of the world, and actions like this cannot be allowed to undermine their effectiveness and unit cohesion. As the founder of the bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, I join my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to understand the persistent challenges that the culture of sexual violence poses on school campuses, in the workplace, online, in the military, and throughout our society.

We are beginning to change the conversation around sexual violence and intimidation, but there is much more work to be done. I strongly support the bipartisan legislative action to back up the cultural change that we know is starting to take place.

The PRIVATE Act, led by Representative Martha McSally, would amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice to ensure that the type of explicit sharing that was seen in the Marines United scandal is expressly prohibited.

Mr. Speaker, I want to particularly thank Representative McSally and our Democratic colleague Representative Jackie Speier for their leadership on the Armed Services Committee in protecting the interests of women in our military.

I know that leadership within the Marines and the Armed Forces is taking the issue of sexual harassment and sexual violence very seriously, and I appreciate their commitment to improving safety for all our servicemembers, regardless of gender. This is an issue that transcends politics. I have been encouraged by the bipartisan support that this issue has received.

I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to end sexual violence and intimidation in the military and, indeed, throughout our society.

Mr. Speaker, I want to just take a moment to share with you the testimony of Lance Corporal Marisa Woytek, as indicated by our leader today, Representative Lois Frankel. She quoted some of the testimony, and I wanted to share a few other parts with you.

These are two marines who came and spoke to our bipartisan Women's Caucus, and they described what had happened to them; that these personal explicit pictures had been shared on the internet, that their names, their rank, their duty station, had all been shared without their consent.

I want to talk to you about the backlash since they had the courage to speak out, because as we investigate further in the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence--whether it is in high schools, whether it is on college campuses, whether it is in the military--when someone has the courage to identify the harassment, sexual assault, intimidation, there is an incredible backlash on social media.

She writes:

``Within the past 24 hours alone, I have had former Marines harass me online, and say and state that they actively look for sexually explicit pictures of me. One of the former Marines who has been harassing me has also been a predator to many women online denigrating women in Marines United, and has even gone as far as saying he would throw an Active Duty female Marine `into a barrel of acid.' ''

These are our best and brightest. These are the people that we rely upon to keep our country safe, to uphold the dignity of our values overseas.

She continues:

``Another Marine stated to me directly that he was `passing my info around to Marines, so far the rough estimate is 3,000. Good luck ever being able to show your face again.' ''

This is a woman who has trained, who has dedicated her life, and whose family is proud to call her a marine. And I, as a Member of Congress, am proud to call her a marine. She does not deserve this in the workplace.

One last quote:

``Another former Marine asked `Who has this bitch's pictures, I want to blast them all over.' ''

I have to ask my colleagues for a bit of personal privilege to even use that word on the floor of the House of Representatives. That is not a word that should ever be used for a marine in the United States Marine Corps.

So I think you can tell this is deeply troubling to us as Members of Congress, deeply troubling--it should be--to the leadership of the Marine Corps, all the way up to and including our Commander in Chief. This is simply unacceptable.

As members of the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, as members of the bipartisan Women's Caucus, as Members of the United States House of Representatives, we will not let it stand.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record testimony of a female marine.

Testimony of Lance Corporal Marisa Woytek

My name is Marisa Woytek. I am a Lance Corporal in the

United States Marine Corps. I enlisted, like many of my

brothers and sisters because I wanted to be part of something

bigger than myself. I joined to follow in my fathers' foot

steps who served honorably in the Marine Corps.

Over the past few years of being active duty, I've

experienced the amazing things the Marine Corps has to offer.

I experienced, brotherhood and sisterhood, I experienced

comradery, and I have many fond memories that I will carry

with me until the day I die. But with the good, comes the

bad. Since my first few weeks in the Marine Corps outside of

boot camp, I have seen on numerous occasions the denigration

of Marines, especially female Marines by fellow Marines. Some

active duty and some former Marines have been posting picture

women for the so called game of ``Smash or Pass'', and some

have included personal and explicit pictures including these

women's names, ranks, and duty station without their consent.

Since speaking out, I've received backlash on social media.

Within the past 24 hours alone, I have had former Marines

harass me online, and say and state that they actively look

for sexually explicit pictures of me. One of the former

Marines who has been harassing me has also been a predator to

many women online denigrating women in Marines United, and

has even gone as far as saying he would throw an active duty

female Marine ``into a barrel of acid''. Another Marine

stated to me directly that he was ``passing my info around to

Marines, so far the rough estimate is 3,000. Good luck ever

being able to show your face again''. Another former Marine

asked ``Who has this bitch's pictures, I want to blast them

all over''.

My brothers and sisters are why I am here today. The

majority of Marines are intelligent, well rounded, and

respectful people. Those Marines are who the world should be

praising. The disgusting actions of a few do not define an

entire branch. We must remember that the Marine Corps is an

institution that prides itself in honor, courage, and

commitment. Most Marines practice these values everyday, and

those who do not bring dishonor to themselves and to the

United States Marine Corps.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the need to support those who have been victimized by this terrible crime.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men will experience sexual violence, and 7 out of 10 sexual assault cases are committed by someone who the survivor knows.

Nearly 50 percent of female survivors will experience PTS, or post trauma stress, and per the Rape and Incest National Network, only 2 percent of those offenders will spend jail time or be convicted of a felony.

Sex trafficking is a prevalent problem, and according to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders. Of those numbers, 80 percent are female and half are children.

Sex trafficking occurs when someone uses fraud, force, or coercion to cause a commercial sexual act with an adult or cause a minor to commit a commercial sexual act.

Thus, victims of sex trafficking are also victims of assault. They are threatened, taken from families and loved ones, and forced to commit acts they would not do on their own free will.

These statistics demand action. I personally know victims of sexual assault, and I have tackled it head-on while as a commander. I started this journey when I was a commander at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

When I arrived there as a new base commander in 2008, the allegations of sexual assault were too high. I implemented a two-step solution to address the problem.

First, all rape accusers, if willing to testify, would have their day in court, have their day to say what happened to a jury.

Second, those convicted of rape would have their names and prison sentences distributed widely around the base. Our rates immediately improved. This program was later ranked by the Air Force as the number one sexual assault response program--the number one in the Air Force. So I take this issue seriously.

I recently met with Courtney, a constituent in my district in Omaha, who was sexually assaulted while serving as a marine. She shared her story with me, including how she was treated after reporting the rape. And what she told me greatly disheartened me. I could not believe that someone who proudly served in uniform was basically ostracized by the very people she served with.

She felt persecuted and ignored for daring to report an assault that should not have occurred, from simple acts of being ignored to having her belongings thrown out of the barracks in black trash bags by her fellow servicemen.

Courtney was not only a victim of assault, but a victim of repeated backlash from superiors and colleagues. Courtney developed PTS because of not only the assault, but how she was treated for reporting the assault.

In my district office is Makayla, an intern who at the young age of 15 was molested by her father. Makayla's parents were divorced, and one weekend when she was alone with her biological father, the horrendous crime took place.

She would live in fear for the next 2 years until, finally, by the grace of God, she told her mom what happened. The days following were a whirlwind, from giving testimony to telling her grandparents what their son had done to her.

The lives of both women will never be the same. However, they both know and both knew that God would turn their trauma into triumph.

Makayla is now a college student at the University of Nebraska Omaha and shares her story at colleges, schools, nonprofits, and other organizations all over Nebraska. After graduating, she wants to work in politics to change the policies surrounding sexual assault cases.

Courtney is also speaking out and has started a blog on social media sites detailing her journey to recovery and sharing her story so others know that they are not alone.

She also will be staying in touch with me about potential legislation and ideas to help those who are victims of sexual assault in the military.

There are many in Omaha who deserve recognition for the work they do every day to combat sexual assault and human trafficking to help victims. The Women's Center for Advancement helps victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. They have a hotline that victims can call and make that their first step in getting the help they need.

Project Harmony offers victims of child sexual assault the opportunity to take forensic interviews instead of having to appear in court, which can retraumatize the victims.

The Coalition on Human Trafficking is training staff at hotels and motels to be able to identify possible victims of sex trafficking. The goal is to provide the awareness training to all hotels within a 50- mile radius of Omaha, and to date they have trained over 85 locations.

Finally, we can't forget the members of law enforcement who work tirelessly to catch those responsible for sexual assault and human trafficking. Without them, there would be so many more victims who would still be abused, assaulted, and traumatized.

And while there are law enforcement and others dedicated to stopping these assaults and human trafficking, there is more that could be done.

Earlier this month I joined my colleagues as an original cosponsor on H.R. 2052, also known as the PRIVATE Act, which would amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice to provide harsher penalties to anyone who engages in what is known as revenge porn.

The Violence Against Women's Act of 1994 also helps provide some justice. This act used Federal funds to help investigate and prosecute sex offenders and establish the Office on Violence Against Women in the Department of Justice, a program we must continue to support.

Finally, I have agreed to cosponsor H.R. 1035, the Extending Justice for Sex Crimes Act of 2017, which amends the statute of limitations for a victim of human trafficking or a Federal sexual offense to seek and recover damages.

This bill sets a 10-year statute of limitations from the date the victim discovers the offense or injury and not when it occurred to file a civil action. It also extends the statute of limitations for a minor victim to file a civil action for 10 years from the date that the victim turns 18. Currently it stands at 3 years.

Sexual assault and exploitation is a social problem and a crime. We need to step up and assist with prevention of these acts, prosecute the perpetrators, and provide the provisions for resources for victims.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague. And yes, I just came over from a hearing on the Armed Services Committee; first panel with some victims, and second panel with the superintendents of the different military academies.

As the only female veteran on my side of the aisle, and having been an academy graduate myself, I thought it was very important for me to be there and continue to help to lead on these issues that are near and dear to my heart. I know there has been much discussion. I want to say thank-you for helping to organize this and manage it and all the people who came down to speak on this very important issue.

As was likely mentioned before, we came upon this issue on Saturday, March 4. The Marines United Facebook page discovered individuals linked with this private group were posting nude, intimate photos of women, as well as personal information, their names, and duty stations, without their consent or their knowledge.

The next day, the NCIS started to launch an investigation and, 1 week

later, discovered, unfortunately, this was not an isolated activity. Sharing intimate photos without a consent is a problem that now we are seeing in the other branches of the military.

Such degrading behavior from troops in uniform is disgusting. As a veteran and a former commander myself, it is infuriating. In some ways it is not surprising, but it is intolerable, and we rise on both sides of the aisle today to say that we are standing together to help on our part, in our appropriate role to stop this.

Our servicemembers enlist to serve this country and protect it from our enemies. They should not have to watch their backs among individuals who are to be their teammates. Sharing explicit photos of fellow servicemembers undermines women and destroys trust and morale. It decreases effectiveness of our Armed Forces, and it embarrasses America. United States troops must be warriors. What it means to be a warrior is to embody courage, commitment, honor, trust, and respect. In all the services we have our core values. They are on and off duty. That is what it means to stand up. We stand in the gap for others. We are not the perpetrators. We are supposed to be the protecters. We are supposed to be the ones who are embodying and leading in those values that we hold dear.

The unearthing of this widespread problem has highlighted the difficulty in prosecuting Active Duty military members, though, who do this, who share private, intimate photos of their teammates without consent. This action is harmful, and it destroys the bonds of trust in the unit that are so critical for our warfighting capabilities.

So to look at the UCMJ, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, again, I am pretty familiar with this having been a commander and a retired colonel. We have a couple of articles, article 133 and article 134. Article 133 is conduct unbecoming of an officer. Article 134 is what we call anything that is prejudicial to good order and discipline. This is one I would say as a commander we often use as the catchall article. When we could not prosecute someone under another article, we go to article 134 because we knew their behavior was degrading good order and discipline.

Civilian law faces challenges in prosecuting this crime. Thirty-five States and the District of Columbia have statutes against sharing private, intimate digital media without consent, but the State laws vary in their proof, the elements, and the punishment.

The Marines recently created a regulation where they can charge these Neanderthals who commit these violations, but creating regulation isn't the same thing as strengthening the law. That is why I introduced the PRIVATE Act. Again, this is a bipartisan bill. My bill provides clear, unambiguous charge that gives commanders a sharper tool in the UCMJ for targeting and prosecuting this behavior. It clearly defines this behavior as a crime, and it also addresses the issues of intent and free speech.

These actions are a symptom of a larger issue: why we must change the culture that promotes this behavior. While these blatant, disrespectful actions have been committed by a specific subset of our military, this is indicative of a larger cultural problem. I just came from speaking about that in our Air Force Academy hearings--I'm sorry, not just Air Force, all the academies.

This is not the first time that behavior like this or culture like this has really been addressed, nor will it be the last. Myself, as the first woman in the U.S. to fly in combat in a fighter aircraft and to command a squadron, I have personally experienced, confronted, and overcome sexist behavior in the military. I have been there, I have seen it, I have lived it, and, quite frankly, I am sick of it.

We need to do what we can together to stop it. We must confront the underlying issues that inculcate resentment toward women in our services. We need to address the topic now and send a clear message this behavior has no place in our military. The issue is developing at the speed of broadband, but our solutions are often stuck at the speed of bureaucracy.

I have met with the commandant of the Marine Corps, General Neller, immediately after this news broke. We had a very productive conversation, and I look forward to continuing work with him and the other service chiefs to address this issue.

We also can't allow this to turn into victim blaming, though. According to one victim who tried to have a video removed:

``I went to the police to get them to take it down, and they told me, because I didn't live in North Carolina, they couldn't do anything. I then went to his command, and they said: Why don't you stop making sex tapes?''

This is not a matter of free speech on the internet. This is a matter of military members who have infringed on the rights, the duty, and the basic respect of others. We can't afford to let another military member become a victim of this crime.

I appreciate everyone stepping up for this Special Order today. I appreciate the bipartisan support of the PRIVATE Act. It is not going to solve it by itself, but it is going to give the commanders another tool. I promise I am going to tirelessly be working and leading on this issue to protect our troops and make sure we have the best, most respected, and most trusted warfighting force.

I want to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to speak.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Frankel and Congresswoman Jackie Speier of the Democratic Women's Working Group for hosting tonight's Special Order and for their constant advocacy on behalf of the victims of the Marines United scandal.

The gentlewoman is correct. While I was not blessed with a daughter, I was blessed with three sons, one who I am proud to call a veteran of the United States Air Force.

My son Christopher was the first one to leave home, and I can't imagine, as a mother of a child who is leaving him for the first time going into basic training, receiving the types of calls that these parents must have received, completely heartbreaking.

One of the stories that my son shared with me was of a suicide that happened that involved one of his classmates, and how the parents found out about her suicide through a Facebook post because everyone was sharing a condolence note.

So these things happen; and while we cannot and may not be able to always control the actions of these young men and women, there is a basic understanding and expectation from parents like myself that when we send our boys, and our young men and our young women, daughters and sons, to the military, that they will be taken care of; and when they file a complaint, that those complaints will be taken seriously and fully investigated. They deserve nothing less.

Sexual harassment in the military certainly isn't new, but this scandal is a wake-up call that we cannot afford to ignore. The victims of Marines United don't just deserve our sympathy and our support, they deserve a commitment to doing everything that we can to finally bring an end to sexual harassment in the military in all forms.

This isn't a case of boys being boys. This is a disgusting violation of women who have taken an oath to defend our Nation.

I would like to read part of Erika Butner--corporal, U.S. Marine Corps,

2011 to 2016--part of her testimony here today.

She begins by stating her name and thanking you for the opportunity to testify at the August 8, 2011, hearing.

And she states: ``I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps knowing I could have potentially deployed to a combat zone. If presented the opportunity, I would have given my life for this country without hesitation. Never once did I think the war I'd fight would be among my very own brothers in arms.

``During the time I spent in the Marine Corps, various clothed photos of me were taken from my personal social media accounts without my consent and shared on sites that are like Marines United with great frequency. They would post my photo and caption it, `Smash or Pass,' in other words, `Would you have sex with this woman or not?' followed by extreme vulgar, degrading, and repulsive comments, including rape talk. My so-called brothers in arms shared clothed photographs of me on Marines United, posted my contact information, and discussed all the unspeakable things they would like to do to me.

``Comments I saw on other posts of the site included how female marines aren't `real' marines and belong in the kitchen. One post suggested friendly fire to the women who are now being integrated into the infantry units. Another male veteran described how he would rip off an Active-Duty female's eyelashes and then throw her into a tub of acid. Many veterans think because the UCMJ does not apply to them, they're immune from legal action.

``This culture of sharing photographs has been going on long before Marines United, and even before Facebook. With the use of social media and other file-sharing sites, this behavior has developed into something that has led to harassment and the degradation of men and women servicemembers. If this behavior had not come to light, I believe it would have continued as a dark secret of the military.''

Her statement goes on. I will not read the rest of it but continue by saying that these aren't faceless strangers. They are our daughters, our sisters, and our friends. They are American heroes who volunteered to serve our country.

As a mother of a veteran, I know that our military is better than this. Our men and women in uniform represent the very best of this Nation, and I am proud to stand with my colleagues this evening in support of bringing about the changes we need to put a stop to the sharing of nonconsensual pornography in the military and, ultimately, bring an end to sexual and gender-based violence and harassment in our Armed Forces.

The next letter that I write to one of the academies recommending a young lady from my district, I want the reassurance from our military that her safety, her personal safety, will be taken seriously. And I need to have a commitment that she is just as American as any male of our military.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for this opportunity.