Who Really Killed Maria Lauterbach?

Maria Lauterbach´s case is a study in stark contrast to the tragedy of Meredith Emerson, the missing hiker in Georgia, where hundreds mobilized immediately to help find the missing woman.  Maria Lauterbach was not so fortunate.  She had the Marine Corps looking out for her best interest--or for theirs.   Though her senior officer reports to have taken her rape allegation seriously, why did the Marine Corps keep her and her alleged assailant in the same working environment?  The psychological trauma associated with sexual assault is reason enough for a superior to arbitrarily request reassignment.  We have to wonder, what difference could it have made.

According to the 2005 Miles Foundation report,  "A Considerable Sacrifice:  The Costs of Sexual Violence in the Armed Forces",  sexual assault is more common in the military than in civilian society.  In fact, sexual assault was characterized in a memorandum by Secretary Donald Rumsfeld merely as "inappropriate behavior", though the Department of Defense did define it later as a "crime".  The report also reveals that military victims are less likely to report the assault since most incidents occur between parties of known identity.

Fear of reprisal, subsequent injury to military career, ostracism by peers as well as the neutrality of response by the military in the investigation of allegations all combine to create frightening barriers for the victim to navigate.  Add to those the fact that the modus operandi of the military is to leave the victim and the assailant in close contact with each other.  Common sense dictates this is a formula for disaster.

Sexual assault is the most profound demoralizing act of violence.  Rape is not new in military tactics; a terrorizing tool of war, it fractures villages and communities, demoralizing the inhabitants through fear, humiliation, terror and shame.  The suffering and need for medical attention, as well as associated costs, caused by the physical injuries sustained in these brutal attacks are staggering. 

UN Population Fund executive director, Thoraya Obaid commented to the BBC, "Everybody in the world knows that sexual violence, especially in war situations, is wrong.  But very little effort is being directed either to stop it or to provide support to women who are facing this kind of a crime in their own countries."

Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, stated, "Sexual violence is a human rights violation, a global public health problem, and an impediment to recovery, development and peace."

Sexual violence is wrong anywhere, anytime.  In light of the fact that rape is now a global issue, the United States is in many cases looked upon as a savior to people in need.  The Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines  have helped many in the throes of conflict and helped rebuild communities, towns, cities and countries in the wake of occupied destruction.    The armed forces have codes of honor, firm rules and regulations implying one or many are safe in their care.  

What happens to their internal victims?

Many continue to be victimized.   Those who are raped in the military are often looked upon as willing participants or unreliable witnesses.  Once the accusation of rape is made, the military´s response is inconsistent, ranging from disbelief in the victim´s charges to taking slow action or no action in achieving justice.   Victims fear they will be viewed as traitors to their units or that the perpetrator will be more believable, especially if he or she is of higher rank.  One survey showed three-fourths of military women raped did not report the occurrence to a commanding officer.  Sadly, the same survey revealed a small percentage reported they felt rape was an unwanted but expected byproduct of enlisting.

There are many questions hauntingly unanswered in Maria Lauterbach´s case.   Why were she and her alleged assailant allowed to remain in the same environment?   Was an amniocentesis offered as a tool to confirm paternity when she discovered she was pregnant?    What psychological support was offered to Miss Lauterbach after the alleged assault?   What treatment was provided to her and what services were available?  And finally, why wasn´t the public immediately notified of her disappearance when clearly she was a woman at risk? 

The Marine Corps failed to take care of one of their own.  Because it remained quiet and dragged its militaristic feet, a young woman and her child are dead, while the accused appears to have fled the country.  Their substandard care cost lives, not in the theater of war, but in their own proverbial establishment.  

Now we shall never know the whole truth of Maria Lauterbach.  However, we do know she had the courage to tell someone something was amiss.  For that, she gave her life.