Thirteen students, working to follow their dreams and make the best out of their futures, crushed by the effects and traumatization of not only sexual assault, but by the fact that it had gone — they had gone — unacknowledged by officials in power. Multiple former U.S. Coast Guard academy students, twelve women and one man, filed sexual assault complaints on September 5, 2024. They seek $130 million in damages, $10 million each.

These former students stated that the academy, located in New London, Connecticut, let sexual assault victims and abusers go disregarded, and failed to protect them and provide them with appropriate medical care. According to Reuters, a Senate subcommittee commented that the Coast Guard had also gone as far as to shame the affected, while overlooking perpetrators.

In June, 2024, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan commented that the organization “failed to ensure a culture that is safe for all.” Admiral Fagan currently oversees all global Coast Guard operations, which includes 42,000 personnel, and that’s only considering individuals in active-duty. If a high-ranking officer of the agency can recognize and address the issues and injustices at hand, why hasn’t change been invoked?

Some of these students, previously enrolled in the academy, left their schooling behind and ended their military careers before they had truly begun. The remaining people had proceeded to join the Coast Guard, only to continue to be assaulted within the corrupt agency.

Christine Dunn, an attorney for the 13 cadets, stated that this news is only the “tip of the iceberg,” and that there have been “numerous women and men who were sexually assaulted at the Coast Guard Academy and have never gotten justice.” Once again, it’s clear that this is a recurring issue in the academy as well as Coast Guard operations, yet it has still been disregarded by officials. Cadets who come forward about their assault are shamed by individuals in power, and silenced by the community as a whole. Though many accounts have been presented, most are still dismissed by the flick of a hand.

This is a persistent matter in the agency, and it needs to be addressed properly. Coast Guard cadets and members of the military in general who come forward about assaults and harassment should be presented with sensitivity, care, and concern. Measures must be taken to prevent these problems, such as more supervision of private matters between members, as well as necessary medical assistance for those affected.

These young cadets set out to succeed in their goals to become members of the Coast Guard, only to be taken advantage of in the process. Not only did they have their rights violated, but they were shut down and shamed by Coast Guard officials, leaving them powerless and humiliated. The agency has continued this behavior for decades without any repercussions for abandoning their members. Thus, initiative in terms of procedure and care must be taken in order to ensure the safety of all men and women pursuing careers in the Coast Guard or any other branch of the U.S. military.