practice 8

Female service members sue U.S. military for alleged rape, sexual assaultWashington (CNN) -- Eight current and former U.S. service members filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging they were raped, sexually assaulted or harassed while serving in the military and were retaliated against once they reported the abuse. Among the defendants named in the suit are current and former Defense and Navy secretaries and Marine Corps commandants. "Although defendants testified before Congress and elsewhere that they have 'zero tolerance' for rape and sexual assault, their conduct and the facts demonstrate the opposite: They have a high tolerance for sexual predators in their ranks, and 'zero tolerance' for those who report rape, sexual assault and harassment," according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington. The suit outlines a pattern of abuse and portrays, in grim detail, the alleged experiences of the eight female service members -- two former Marine Corps officers, one active duty enlisted Marine, one former enlisted member of the Marine Corps and four former enlisted members of the Navy. "At first it was easy to laugh it off," plaintiff Elle Helmer, one of the former officers, said about her superiors' advances."When you finally said, you know, I'm really not interested, I'd rather we be friends -- that's when you became the target. They hated you for standing up for yourself," she told HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell on Tuesday night. The lawsuit alleges Helmer was raped by her superior at his office in March 2006 after a required pub crawl. She told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington earlier in the day that she hoped by going public other victims would be encouraged to speak out. "It's the first time I've had a voice in six years, so pardon if it's a little wobbly," said Helmer. She was joined by Ariana Klay, another former Marine Corps officer and plaintiff, who served in Iraq in 2008 and 2009. reason to day i has read the cnn what does i learn from this video in this news said department of defense sexual assault has no place in this department we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure the sefety dignity and well being of our people.