Was Soldiers’ Use of SHARP Training to Intervene In Bar Incident Justified?
For those that have been through SHARP training the actions of the soldiers involved is a textbook example of what the US Army encourages soldiers to now do:
Key details of a Fort Drum account of soldiers rescuing a drugged woman at a Watertown bar have been called into question by city police.
The 10th Mountain Division public affairs office, in a news release issued earlier this week, said three soldiers rescued a woman they believed was drugged at the Paddock Club, Public Square, on Oct. 28, and that it led to an arrest.
The trio, Staff Sgt. Anthony Ciccariello Jr., Sgt. James Smith and Spc. Evan Lipp, were presented a commander’s coin by division commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey L. Bannister on Nov. 16 for their efforts that night.
Detective Lt. Joseph R. Donoghue Sr. said the unnamed woman, whom the post claimed was taken to the hospital, was actually seen and cleared by Guilfoyle Ambulance staff, who let her leave with a friend. No one has been charged in connection with the incident.
The incident, which took place about 10:30 p.m. that night, remains under investigation by city police. [Watertown Daily Times]
You can read the rest at the link, but I am not sure what caused the soldiers to think she was “drugged” other than to say she was a little “off”. This is what the 10th Mountain Division news release said:
These Soldiers discovered a female at a local bar had taken an unknown drug from a man in the bar and was acting overly impaired. Their training kicked in and the result was a suspect being questioned by police and a potential victim being checked out by paramedics. [DVIDS]
If they saw someone putting something into her drink you would think they would say that in the video. It appears the real reason this incident reached the point it did was because the woman was being groped by the two men:
“I noticed that the two males had the female on one of the couches and they were molesting her,” Lipp said. “I noticed that she was barely conscious. It didn’t look right.”
Lipp said he didn’t want to overact so he asked Ciccariello and Smith to assess the situation.
“We agreed with Lipp and my immediate reaction was to go and get the bouncers,” Ciccariello said.
Unfortunately, the bouncers said that the woman and her friend came into the bar with the two men and there was nothing that the bar staff could do, Ciccariello said. But that didn’t stop the three soldiers. [New York Upstate]
If the soldiers in the video did see a drug secretly put into her drink they definitely did the right thing based off of the training they have received. However, if this woman was just being obnoxious should it be the responsibility of soldiers to determine which women are too drunk to be with other men at a bar?
A first shirt in one of the squadrons recently launched a sexual assault accusation against an enlisted guy for sexual assault.
The course of events:
They were at a party, a girl (also enlisted) was sitting on his lap. She got up to go and he pulled her down and said, “You’re not going anywhere”. He was playing around, and she laughed.
This was viewed and reported by the shirt.
The girl does not want to press charges but charges have been made. Her acquiescence is immaterial. I think about 80 percent of the male population belongs in jail under the new military sexual assault paradigm.
I learned also this past weekend that Congress has mandated a computer program (this is a matter of law, commanders have no discretion to ignore it) for abuse claims. One puts in the variables (specifics) and the computer program will tell you whether or not it is assault, emotional abuse, and whatnot.
I should add, this computer program has been around for at least a couple of years. I wasn’t aware of it until now but it just might explain the inexplicable…
Does SHARP training also encourage soldiers to intervene in what they believe are abusive interactions between local and foreign nationals when overseas? That would be setting them up for an international incident.
The videos that are shown are in a bar setting or house party usually involving other soldiers. I have never seen a video with foreign nationals.
C0ckblockers get stitches.
I remember many times complaining about how the military shouldn’t have special social rules but F Smokes, he doesn’t know 5h1t right. 🙄