Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reiterated his commitment to “stopping sexual assaults in the military,” during a recent visit to the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network. During the visit, Hagel praised RAINN workers for raising awareness of sexual assaults and for providing victims a strong support network, states an April 21 release. “You are changing the world for the better,” he told RAINN employees. More than 300,000 people have used the “military-centric” Safe Helpline for information regarding sexual assaults, since it was launched three years ago. More than 22,000 people have sought anonymous one-on-one assistance and crisis support during the same time period through online chat, telephone, and texting helplines, states the release. “The connections we’ve seen on [Safe Helpline] are pretty powerful,” said Jennifer Marsh, the network’s vice president for victim services. “People leave feeling like they’re not alone and like they’ve helped somebody else, which we know is a big part of the military.”
The top Air Force commander on on the Japanese island of Okinawa has clamped down alcohol and issued a curfew for junior enlisted Airmen and Guardians at Kadena Air Base for the next month. The order came roughly two weeks after a U.S. Marine was arrested for allegedly robbing and…