Sexual Assault and Your Moral Duty – April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) Published April 18, 2013 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs RAF MILDENHALL, England -- The following is taken from a memorandum dated April 1, 2013, written by Gen. Philip Breedlove, United States Air Forces in Europe commander and Air Forces Africa commander, regarding the importance of Airmen taking ownership of the problem of sexual assault in the Air Force. I fully support the Chief of Staff in working to eliminate the horrible crime of sexual assault from the ranks of our Air Force. I am dedicated to this fight and want every Airman, whether civilian, enlisted or officer, to unite with me in attacking this problem. This year's theme for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in April is "We own it ... We'll resolve it ... Together." As we join this effort, we all need to be sensitive to less-than-honorable behavior; and have the courage to step in and act if we see it. At some point we may have overheard a sexually offensive joke or suggestive comments about another person. Such incidents erode the environment where our families and fellow Airmen live, work and play. They also tear down moral boundaries, diminish expectations of proper behavior and foster unprofessional conduct. The victims of these thoughtless acts are wounded emotionally, physically or spiritually. More often than not, the wounds are not obvious and they suffer in silence. One irresponsible act can have a lasting negative impact on the victim and their family, friends and co-workers. In other words, it degrades our mission and our Air Force as a whole. In this command, we will continue to take all allegations of sexual assault seriously and ensure we are committing all necessary resources to seek justice whenever and wherever a crime of sexual assault occurs. We need to strive for a culture where sexual assault in any shape or form is not accepted or tolerated. Our Air Force culture is based on Integrity, Service and Excellence, so we should not think twice about stepping in to correct behavior that is inconsistent with those values. We need to raise intolerance for sexual assault to that same level. The Air Force and I are serious about zero-tolerance for sexual assault. I want you to perform your moral duty and stop those among us who would engage in this criminal activity. I want you to intervene to protect an unwary fellow Airman. I want you to take a stand and tell the perpetrator that his or her behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. In fact, it will be reported. We all hold the solution to this problem; all of us must own it and resolve to stop it - together.