Educational Media Reviews Online

The Invisible War starts on the ultimate high note, recounting the lofty dreams of young female recruits, wanting to see the world, proudly wearing the uniform, honoring the tradition of her family's military lineage, loving the rigorous discipline of boot camp and the thrill of keeping up with male recruits. We quickly descend, however, to the depths of absolute terror and pain as an endless wave of women describe how they were sexually assaulted by higher ups, peers and people they considered friends and brothers while serving in the United States Armed Forces. From the Navy, to the Coast Guard, to the elite Marine Barracks Washington D.C., no servicewoman, or serviceman, is safe from the threat of sexual assault: it is estimated that tens of thousands of men and women are sexually assaulted annually while serving in the US military.

In possibly the most egregious example of adding insult to injury, victims who report sexual assaults are often threatened and punished, reduced in rank and even charged with adultery in cases where the perpetrator was married. Attackers, on the other hand, are shielded, either because commanders do not want to lose a trained soldier, because of personal friendships or because the attacker is also the commander in charge of deciding whether or not to pursue a case. The majority of alleged rapists, therefore, seem to remain in the military, repeatedly attacking their subordinates and colleagues. While it is clear that the military should remove the investigation of sex crimes from the normal chain of command (similar to most NATO countries), the filmmakers outline other systemic problems that need to be addressed, including the fact that the military cannot be sued as well as a problems with Veteran's Affairs benefits. Kori Cioca, for example, has been diagnosed with PTSD and is unable to eat solid foods after having been beaten by her attacker. She was forced to wait over a year on a disability claim, only to be denied because she was 2 months short of the minimum time-served to receive benefits. We also see the military's bizarre approach to preventing sexual assault through the SARC/SAPRO offices, which focus on prevention campaigns. One, the "Ask her when she's sober" campaign assumes sexual assaults are simply the result of the victim being inebriated at the time. The other emphasizes the buddy system and features a cheesy video that appears to blame a female victim of groping for not having taken a male escort with her when walking on base. It conveniently seems to gloss over the fact that your colleague who is very eager to escort you across the base may also be a potential attacker, as a Navy study revealed approximately 15% of recruits had either attempted or completed rape before joining (more than twice the rate in the normal civilian population). This groundbreaking film has directly resulted in Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta moving the authority to prosecute allegations of sexual assault higher up in the chain of command, which supposedly will result in less cases swept under the rug (though after watching the film, it is hard not to assume that the cases will just be swept under a larger rug).

Invisible War excels at showcasing the previously hidden human rights violations perpetrated against individuals who eagerly enlist to risk life and limb to defend the rights of others. This film is therefore highly recommended for courses in gender and women's studies, peace and conflict studies and should be required viewing for any young person considering joining the military. There is a 60 minute version available from Roco Films (although the 95 minute version is readily available in home video). Near the beginning, the film includes some poor quality, highly pixilated stock footage that may seem to make the video unplayable in classrooms, however, these moments are fleeting, and while an unfortunate choice, do not distract overall from the excellent quality of the content.