[Senate Hearing 118-434]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-434
COAST GUARD WHISTLEBLOWERS:
SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT
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FIELD HEARING
before the
PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS
of the
COMMITTEE ON
HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
AUGUST 8, 2024
__________
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
57-029PDF WASHINGTON : 2026
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
GARY C. PETERS, Michigan, Chairman
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware RAND PAUL, Kentucky
MAGGIE WOOD HASSAN, New Hampshire RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada MITT ROMNEY, Utah
JON OSSOFF, Georgia RICK SCOTT, Florida
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
LAPHONZA BUTLER, California ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas
David M. Weinberg, Staff Director
William E. Henderson III, Minority Staff Director
Christina N. Salazar, Minority Chief Counsel
Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
Ashley A. Gonzalez, Hearing Clerk
PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Chairman
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
MAGGIE WOOD HASSAN, New Hampshire RICK SCOTT, Florida
JON OSSOFF, Georgia, JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
LAPHONZA BUTLER, California ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas
Jennifer N. Gaspar, Staff Director
Brian Downey, Minority Staff Director
Paul H.J. Hurton III, Subcommittee Clerk
C O N T E N T S
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Opening statements:
Page
Senator Blumenthal........................................... 1
Prepared statements:
Senator Blumenthal........................................... 35
WITNESSES
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2024
Shawna Christine Ward, Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Retired), United
States Coast Guard............................................. 4
Crystal Van Den Heuvel, Yeoman Petty Officer First Class, United
States Coast Guard............................................. 6
Tina Owen, Lieutenant Commander (Retired), United States Coast
Guard.......................................................... 8
Meghan Lori Klement, Former Seaman, United States Coast Guard.... 10
Julian Bell, Chief Warrant Officer United States Coast Guard..... 12
Alphabetical List of Witnesses
Bell, Julian:
Testimony.................................................... 12
Prepared statement........................................... 61
Klement, Meghan Lori:
Testimony.................................................... 10
Prepared statement........................................... 54
Owen, Tina:
Testimony.................................................... 8
Prepared statement........................................... 51
Van Den Heuvel, Crystal:
Testimony.................................................... 6
Prepared statement........................................... 44
Ward, Shawna Christine:
Testimony.................................................... 4
Prepared statement........................................... 38
APPENDIX
Staff Report..................................................... 65
Statement from Catherine Hebert.................................. 114
COAST GUARD WHISTLEBLOWERS:
SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2024
U.S. Senate,
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations,
of the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs,
New London, CT.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:08 a.m., in
Evans Hall at Connecticut College, 270 Mohegan Avenue Parkway,
New London, Connecticut, Hon. Richard Blumenthal, Chair of the
Subcommittee, presiding.
Present: Senator Blumenthal [presiding].
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR BLUMENTHAL\1\
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you for being here. I am honored
to welcome all of you to this hearing of the Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigation (PSI). As you know, we are a
Subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs (HSGAC). This field hearing will be
conducted according to the procedures that we normally use in
Washington, DC, but as you can see, it has all the
infrastructure, and we will be following the procedures of a
normal Committee hearing.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Senator Blumenthal appears in the
Appendix on page 35.
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I am going to make some opening statements, then I will
introduce the witnesses, swear them in. We will give them an
opportunity to have whatever time they would like to use for
opening statement and then proceed to questioning.
Let me just say by way of introduction how grateful I am to
Connecticut College for giving us this great venue, and to all
of the folks in the audience who have come to--many of you may
be U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) retirees or even in active duty, and
I want to thank you for your service, as well as the witnesses
who are with us today, retired or currently serving.
We are in New London, obviously, which has a special
affinity and ties to the Coast Guard. All of us in Connecticut
have a tremendous respect, admiration, even reverence, and
affection for the Coast Guard because we are home to the Coast
Guard Academy, and we will soon be home to the new Coast Guard
Museum. We are really looking forward to that museum being here
in Connecticut to celebrate the tremendous contribution over
centuries to our nation by the Coast Guard.
Every day thousands of men and women put on the Coast Guard
uniform, today being one of them, and serve and sacrifice for
our Nation. They protect our Nation, and provide a contribution
to our national defense and our criminal justice system that is
invaluable, it's beyond words, an asset to this great nation.
But at the same time, many of them are survivors or will
become survivors of sexual assault and harassment. We are
honored to have witness today, five, survived of sexual assault
and harassment. We issued a report yesterday with dramatic
moving accounts of the stories from more than 80 whistleblowers
about their experiences in the Coast Guard as survivors, and
the discouraging shaming messages that were sent to them about
coming forward, the retribution that they encountered, and the
lasting ramifications to their lives.
Nearly a year ago, this Subcommittee opened a bipartisan
inquiry into the Coast Guard's mishandling of sexual assault
and harassment cases at Coast Guard Academy, and its subsequent
failure to disclose its investigation of those cases to the
Congress. Operation Fouled Anchor (OFA) was the name of that
investigation, and it began as an investigation 2014 to cover a
period of the 1990s to 2006. But that investigation was itself
covered up. It was completed in 2020. It was disclosed in 2023
only because of a news report that found it and revealed it to
the public.
Operation Fouled Anchor and its cover-up revealed a deep
moral rot within the Coast Guard's ranks, and an utter
abandonment of the honor, respect, and devotion to duty that
comprise the Coast Guard's core values. This Subcommittee's
investigation has revealed an even deeper decay. The scourge of
sexual assault and harassment is not a past problem. It's not
limited to the academy. It is persistent and pervasive,
affecting not only the Coast Guard Academy, but also the ranks
of active-duty personnel around the globe.
The culture of cover-up that hid Operation Fouled Anchor
continues to this day, and that's the reason that we are here
so that the Coast Guard will in fact change course in the right
direction and lead by example, not only itself, but potentially
other military services where sexual assault and harassment
continues as a problem as well.
This Subcommittee launched its investigation seeking
evidence about Operation Fouled Anchor, but right after we
began, we heard from a legion of whistleblowers, past and
present, men and women from across the Coast Guard, cadets,
officers, and enlisted, with service spanning more than five
decades.
Yesterday, the report that we issued, and I am going to
make it a part of this record\1\ and formally open the hearing,
because we wanted to elevate statements from those individuals
who bravely came forward to share their experiences with this
Subcommittee.
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\1\ The report appears in the Appendix on page 65.
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In the words of just one of those individuals, ``I never
came forward to report my assaults. I knew I would not be taken
seriously, and I saw how women who did come forward were
treated. They would be blamed for causing their assault,
punished for consuming alcohol or other infractions that paled
in comparison to the crimes committed against them, or victims
would not be believed that they were assaulted in the first
place.''
There's another individual who reported sexual assault who
put it, and again, I quote, ``During the investigation, they
found that this was a pattern of behavior for him. Even at
previous units, he had never been held accountable ever. It was
sickening and humiliating. It was a slap in the face of all
victims.''
The experiences relayed in this report underscore what this
investigation has already made abundantly clear the problem of
sexual assault and harassment in the Coast Guard is still far
too pervasive. It is persistent and ongoing, and it affects
officers and enlisted in present service. In fact, well over
half of the whistleblowers who shared their experiences with
this Subcommittee, described instances of sexual assault or
harassment that occurred while serving on recent active duty.
As I told Admiral Fagan, Commandant of the Coast Guard,
when she appeared before the Subcommittee earlier this summer,
these survivors have shown that the Coast Guard's failings did
not just exist in the past. They are happening right now, and
the Coast Guard must be addressed.
Today, we will hear from five of these brave individuals,
all of whom enlisted in the Coast Guard. On behalf of myself
and all of my colleagues, I want to thank each of you for being
here today. I want to thank you for your courage, and tenacity,
and coming forward. I also want to share the words of another
member who could not be with us today, Lieutenant Commander
Samantha Block. She reported sexual harassment during her
second tour years ago. She thought the individual she reported
had retired then, but earlier this year, she learned that that
was not the case.
She told the Subcommittee, ``I found out that he went onto
another unit and continued his behavior. That has been the
worst part of this whole ordeal from me to cope with because I
did what I was supposed to do. I made the report, I raised the
alarm, and it wasn't enough.''
The Coast Guard, like the Academy, fostered an environment
that seemingly from the top-down not only enable sexual assault
harassment to persist, but also fuel the culture that has
discouraged survivors from reporting, and fail to treat those
survivors with seriousness and respect they deserve.
I want to say I was encouraged that the Coast Guard has
announced a safe-to-report policy earlier this year, responding
to the problems that have been disclosed by this investigation
and others. I also understand that Admiral Fagan has directed
that the Coast Guard take 33 actions after the completion of
the accountability and transparency review initiated earlier
this year and last year.
I do not need to tell anybody here that talk about reform
is not enough. The service from the top-down, must ensure that
everyone who serves follows these express commitments. I am
also concerned that the Coast Guard has been late and lagging
in making disclosures to this Committee. We have received
additional documents production, but it has been long after we
made requests, and then only because we made the possibility of
compulsory process very real and direct to the Coast Guard.
Again, I want to be clear, I have enormous respect and
admiration for the Coast Guard and all who serve in its ranks.
I recognize all the service that they have done for this
country. I am going to continue to be a strong supporter of the
Coast Guard as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee
as well as the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
I am going to support the brave individuals who come
forward to serve in the Coast Guard. But the strongest
supporters of the Coast Guard also have to be the biggest
advocates for change to rid the scourge of sexual misconduct
and the culture of concealment that imperil it now, and in the
future.
With that, I would like to introduce the witnesses that
we're honored to have today. Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Shawna
Christine Ward, the United States Coast Guard, retired. Chief
Warrant Officer Ward served in the Coast Guard for 24 years
before retiring in 2018. Today, Chief Warrant Officer Ward will
share her experiences of sexual harassment and assault during
her service.
Yeoman Petty Officer First Class Crystal Van Den Heuvel.
She has been a recruiter for the Coast Guard since 2022, and
she will share with the Subcommittee her experience of
retaliation after reporting sexual harassment by a fellow
recruiter.
Lieutenant Commander Tina Owen. Lieutenant Commander Owen
served in the Coast Guard from 1994 to 2017. She will describe
her experiences of sexual assault and harassment, plus the lack
of support that she received while in the Coast Guard.
Ms. Megan Lori Klement, a former Coast Guard Seaman. She
served in the Coast Guard from 2012 to 2015. She will relay her
experience of sexual assault harassment by a supervisor, as
well as how the Coast Guard mishandled her report of this
incident.
Chief Warrant Officer 4, Julian Bell, United States Coast
Guard Chief Warrant Officer Bell has served the Coast Guard
since enlisting in 2003. He will share his experience also of
sexual assault.
Again, my thanks to each of you for attending. Now as is
our practice in the Committee, I am going to ask you to stand
and take the oath. Do you solemnly swear that you will provide
this Committee the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth, so help you, God?
Ms. Ward. I do.
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. I do.
Ms. Owen. I do.
Ms. Klement. I do.
Warrant Officer Bell. I do.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. I am going to address you as
Ms. or Mr. just for the sake of simplicity, without any
disrespect to your rank, current or past. Why don't we begin
with you, Ms. Ward?
TESTIMONY OF SHAWNA CHRISTINE WARD,\1\ CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 4
(RETIRED), UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
Ms. Ward. Thank you.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Ms. Ward appears in the Appendix on
page 38.
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I want to thank this Committee for allowing our voices to
be heard and for your continuous efforts to uncover the true
culture of the Coast Guard. The culture has saturated the
entire Coast Guard fleet starting as early as bootcamp, and
continuing throughout a career. These incidents are not immune
to rank or rates, as mine occurred, as the most junior
enlisted, and continued to the most senior rank I could achieve
as a chief warrant officer 4.
Unfortunately, I am one of many who experienced sexual
assaults. Like others, my experience also involved harassment
as well as a hostile workplace. In my written testimony, I
provided several stories of sexual misconduct I experienced
throughout my career, which speaks to the culture that has been
deemed acceptable for so long. A tiny glimpse into this culture
is having a paper thrown across the table at you while a male
in position of authority is saying ``effing women'' in the
``effing Coast Guard''.
A male supervisor of mine said, ``This is not fair, but
this is the way it is.'' As a female in the Coast Guard, you
will always be under a microscope. My two assaults went
unreported. Why? This culture condoned it, and the lack of
action from leaders allowed it since I was led to believe I
would be punished for what happened to me.
Throughout my years of service, it always sounded like a
broken record. The Coast Guard continued to play year over year
after year, time after time. They always said they were
changing their culture. However, lack of action from the Coast
Guard spoke louder than their own words, not holding personnel
accountable for their actions and often promoting these
personnel with a high-ranking position to continue to spread
this culture seemed to be the theme. The Coast Guard through
their lack of actions condones this culture.
There are unspoken rules among groups of officers and
enlisted that look out after their own at all costs. Admirals
look out after themselves and do not step out of line within
this group. Like the admirals, captains adhere to this unspoken
rule and they too look out after their own. On the enlisted
side, the chiefs' mess, E-7 to E-10 looks out after their own.
As someone who was part of the chiefs' mess, I too know about
these unspoken that occurs.
While there are some good personnel within these groups,
there are only a few willing to go against their own group to
better the Coast Guard. This is a significant reason there is a
lack of accountability and transparency for the sexual
misconduct that occurs.
In January, 1974, the first group of enlisted females
called ``regulars'' reported to bootcamp. During this time, the
Coast Guard could have worked on their culture, but they made
the decision not to make their culture a priority. When I
joined in 1994, 20 years later, this culture was still running
rampant. Again, the Coast Guard could have made this culture a
priority. Yet, again, they made the decision not to.
Although it's been over 50 years since ``regulars'' arrived
to bootcamp, females have been a part of this organization
since 1830. When will the Coast Guard make changing their
culture a true priority? I still love the Coast Guard, but I am
heartbroken. They had 24 years throughout my career to fix
their culture. During this time, I frequently put the Coast
Guard ahead of my own family and missed precious moments with
my children because I cherish the Coast Guard and really
believed the culture would change.
Today, I look back and I wonder if it was all for nothing
because the Coast Guard never made change in their culture a
true priority. The Coast Guard's lack of actions and
accountability speak loud and clear. This culture is
acceptable. In the end, I am left to wonder how many more
generations of females and males must go through similar
experiences before the Coast Guard makes its culture a priority
and truly take significant action across all ranks, high and
low, to fix it. I am also left to wonder when the Coast Guard
will stop covering and making excuses for those and continuing
the culture while pushing brave souls seeking to fix it.
Unfortunately, it seems this just may be too big of a feat
for the Coast Guard and something I will never see in my
lifetime. I have had to find peace with my decisions for not
speaking up when I should have during my career. I have endured
years of counseling and mental health programs to work through
my traumatic experiences and still continue to deal with the
aftermath from incidents that occurred decades ago.
With all the odds against me, I am very fortunate I have
had a successful career. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to
stay the same. I can only hope sharing my experiences help make
the Coast Guard a better place than when I left and prevent
others from enduring similar experiences.
While the Coast Guard should be a place to thrive for a lot
of females and males, the Coast Guard is a place to survive.
Through your actions, Congress must speak loud and clear to the
Coast Guard; this culture will no longer be condoned.
Thank you.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you very much. Ms. Van Den
Heuvel.
TESTIMONY OF CRYSTAL VAN DEN HEUVEL,\1\ YEOMAN PETTY OFFICER
FIRST CLASS, UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. Hello, Senator. My name is
Petty Officer First Class Crystal Van Den Heuvel. Thank you for
inviting me to testify about the Coast Guard's mishandling of
my sexual harassment report.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Ms. Van Den Heuvel appears in the
Appendix on page 44.
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At the time of the incident, my last name was Island, and I
was assigned to the Coast Guard Recruiting Office, Hampton
Roads, Virginia. I was sexually harassed by aviation
maintenance technician first class, Matthew Williams, while we
were traveling to and from and during recruiter orientation
training at Training Center Cape May, New Jersey from 28th
November, until December 2, 2022.
While driving to Cape May and during training, Williams
divulged to me that he gets aroused by a woman urinating, made
numerous statements about listening to me urinate through the
walls of my bathroom, and asked me why I turned the water on
when I used the restroom. While traveling back to our duty
station, William stated he contemplated stealing my underwear
from my suitcase while he was in my room with my roommate and I
was out to dinner with a friend.
He then began attempting to steal them over several hours
from my suitcase that was in the backseat of my car. He stated
he would have given them back. He just wanted to smell them. I
replied that he is married, and if he wanted to smell
somebody's underwear, he should smell his wife's. He did not
stop, and I threaten to kick him out of my car, and stated he
would have to call his wife to come get him. Minutes after he
returned home, he sent me a picture of him smelling his wife's
underwear with a text saying, ``As requested.''
There were numerous mishandlings of my case. Captain
Richard Tipton, my commanding officer (CO) at the time, failed
to initiate an anti-hate and harassment investigation. He
failed to notify the Civil Rights Director, Civil Rights
Service Provider in Coast Guard Investigation Services (CGIS).
He also failed to appoint an investigating officer who has
completed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Coast Guard
training in investigating allegations of harassing behaviors.
When I filed an Article 138 to report Tipton's wrongdoing
through Admiral Russell Dash, the admiral responded by refusing
to take action on my Article 138, unless I withdrew my civil
rights complaint. Lieutenant Victor Almodovar told details of
my report to my coworkers and gave them permission to discuss
the open investigation. Chief Warrant Officer Brandon Ingram
conducted an investigation he was not qualified to do, asked
victim-blaming questions, and stated Williams was remorseful.
Now retired Chief Walter Morrie, Petty Officer Ellen Audrey
Davis, and Stephanie Figueroa, pretended to support me in my
report, but made numerous victim-blaming statements to others,
including saying I was just attempting to raise my U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability. They wondered
what my actions were that caused Williams to behave the way he
did, and alluded to previous sexual assaults I experienced,
stating I was a problem. Chief Andrew Livingston put in my
evaluations that I caused my own sexual harassment.
None of these members have been held accountable for their
actions. Instead, Chief Morrie was allowed to retire honorably.
Figueroa was advanced to E-6, and Chief Livingston was actually
given a permanent recruiter-in-charge position at Coast Guard
Recruiting Office, San Antonio, Texas.
On January 25, 2023, I was brought into a meeting where I
believed I would be getting the result of my sexual harassment
investigation. However, I was instead relieved from my special
duty position as a recruiter, given negative paperwork, and my
recommendation of advancement was removed, I was told it was
because Tipton believed I was complicit in the conduct of
Williams and because of videos I posted on TikTok.
However, days before the investigation started, I received
a positive endorsement from Tipton on advancement to chief 1
officer. Tipton also stated in writing, he looked into my
social media use in response to the sexual harassment
investigation. However, before I made my report, Tipton
endorsed my TikTok video publicly while visiting other
recruiting offices, and on a call he made directly to me after
I enlisted my first person into the Coast Guard. The Coast
Guard mishandling of sexual harassment came to light during the
investigation into Operational Fouled Anchor. This
investigation uncovered numerous cover-ups regarding sexual
assault and harassment at the Coast Guard Academy.
Before I end my testimony, I want to point out these
members that assaulted and harassed others and were protected
are still in the Coast Guard today. These are the flag officers
and commanding officers we are supposed to trust to make
decisions regarding our reports. I want to condemn those that
continue the culture that allows assault and harassments to
take place.
Admiral Russell Dash, Captain Richard Tipton, Lieutenant
Victor Almodovar, Chief Warrant Officer Brandon Ingram, retired
Chief Walter Morrie, and Chief Andrew Livingston, Petty Officer
Allen Audrey Davis, and Petty Officer Stephanie Figueroa. Those
nine members and those like them are the reasons members like
Petty Officer Matthew Williams felt comfortable sexually
harassing me, and the reason numerous members refuse to make
reports of sexual assault and harassment.
I respectfully request to not only demand change for the
future of the Coast Guard, but to demand that previous victims
get the justice they deserve.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you very much. Ms. Owen.
TESTIMONY OF TINA OWEN,\1\ LIEUTENANT COMMANDER (RETIRED)
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
Ms. Owen. Good morning. Thank you, Senator Blumenthal, and
other distinguished guest. Thank you for this opportunity today
to be before you.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Ms. Owen appears in the Appendix on
page 51.
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Recalling and reliving these events is difficult at any
stage of trauma recovery. It pains me that seven years into my
retirement, I am before the Senate telling my story that
started 30 years ago. After serving 22 years on active duty
with the Coast Guard, my testimony will give only brief
recollections of mine and others' traumas. It is my hope that I
and this panel will be the last to publicly be retraumatized
from our time in the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard we all still
love and bleed blue for. We all stand united; Academy cadets,
enlisted, officers, and retirees. We want to make our Coast
Guard the best it can be.
I am Tina Owen, and this is our story. My first assault
occurred in the X-ray room by the health service (HS)
technician first class who eventually was caught after taking
over 100 inappropriate X-rays and was sent to the brig. I
learned of his whereabouts after having what I thought was an
allergic reaction to the dyes in that same exact X-ray room as
a health service tech technician third class, three years
later. I was just told, ``Get over it. He's in the brig.''
You see, I did not want to be in the medical field. I
wanted to drive the boats, but at my first duty station, I was
told that women were not going to drive the boats in this Coast
Guard. Becoming an HS was a blessing in disguise as I was
always in a position to allow people to have a safe space to
talk to, confide in someone, to know they were being heard even
though they could not tell anyone else.
When I was named enlisted person of the year for the Fifth
District, I was also endorsed for office to attend officer
candidate school. I thought for sure I could make a difference
as an officer. Inducted as one of the first five women that
formed the Coast Guard Women's Leadership groups, this is where
I realized there was not much of a cultural difference between
enlisted and officers. Survival mode is what I went into.
After leaving headquarters in the original Women's
Leadership Group, I had informal women's leadership groups for
the duration of my 22 years. You were all heard. All of the
women and men that confided in me as a health service
technician, clinic administrator, work life supervisor, or just
a shipmate, you were heard loud and clear. I am grateful to
have been that safe space for you-all.
Senator, I am here to tell you; they were raped, they were
harassed, they had inappropriate electrocardiogram (EKGs)
taking of them, they were kicked, they had things thrown at
them from across the room. These said objects hit them in the
head. They were made of public mockery. They found hidden
cameras in the bathroom. They discovered a drunk shipmate
crawling in their rack on the cutter. They all just wanted to
serve their Coast Guard in a safe space, but they were
violated.
I will leave you with one last incident that occurred while
I was on terminal leave prior to retiring, on my front porch. I
sat as the chief warrant officer read me my rights and advised
me that I was under investigation for an inappropriate
relationship with the civil rights officer who was a chief.
The investigation found him guilty of making false
statements about me and four other women on the base. False
statements to his supervisor that he was meeting us ladies and
he had a relationship with us, of which we did not. He was
afforded the opportunity to either get stationed in Alaska or
retire. Thankfully, he retired. But when asked for him to be
charged with sexual harassment, I was advised it didn't meet
the criteria.
Today, I want us all to release these pains and ask the
Senate to take this matter to a safe place and allow victims to
see actions versus words. I have received several different
treatments with the Veterans Administration Hospital and
private practices, and have more holistic approaches to this
healing of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Please help the Coast Guard and all branches of the service
become a safe place to serve our country. The VA estimates 22
veterans commit suicide each day. I am over my time, but I
would like to ask if we could just take one moment of silence
for all of our comrades that have fallen before us.
Senator Blumenthal. Without objection.
Ms. Owen. Thank you, Senator.
[The Subcommittee observed a moment of silence.]
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you very much. Ms. Klement.
TESTIMONY OF MEGHAN LORI KLEMENT,\1\ FORMER SEAMAN, UNITED
STATES COAST GUARD
Ms. Klement. Good morning, Senator Blumenthal, and Ranking
Committee Members. I am really grateful to be here today. My
name is Megan Klement, and I served in the Coast Guard from
2012 to 2015. I am a military sexual trauma survivor, and I
stand here as an advocate for my younger version of myself and
every enlisted member who needs to be heard.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Ms. Klement appears in the Appendix
on page 54.
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Have you ever had a nightmare where you are in a crowd of
people and someone is after you, but you cannot scream or run?
That is what it felt like for me serving in the Coast Guard
after my assaults. I was a 19-year-old girl who never left home
before I joined. My first unit was an isolated small boat
station that robbed me of all the confidence I left bootcamp
with.
By the time I arrived at Air Station Port Angeles, I wanted
to be seen as a good worker. I met the man who would continue
to assault me and harass me over the course of the next four
months, my second day there also days after I married my
husband.
He was more than twice my age and a retired senior chief
contracted to the base. He was a very well-liked man by the
command, and I am grateful for machinery technician (MK2) Kool
who recognized what this man was doing, and he went forward and
reported it in hopes our leadership would do the right thing.
My cries and pleas to be seen and heard did not fall upon
deaf ears, but weak leaders. Leaders who failed me on every
level. My assaults became a stain on their careers, but what
they failed to see is their response is the stain. From my
first class who did not advocate for me, my chief warrant
officer who tried to intimidate me. They were weak. My command
master chief and my executive officer who told me to keep my
mouth shut in fear it would ruin my reputation and follow me
around when in reality they were worried about themselves
because they are weak.
My CGI agents who revictimize me by making me touch myself,
they were weak. The D-13 master chief who told his colleagues I
was only upset over an unwanted hug, discrediting my months of
assaults, and then telling me I wasn't actually assaulted. He
was weak too. In true Coast Guard fashion, what did they do?
They made him the master chief petty officer of the entire
Coast Guard.
What happens under weak leaders? Failure. The Coast Guard
failed people before me and they have continued to fail people
after me. The teachings of the academy have poisoned the entire
fleet. It is extremely naive to believe that this is a problem
of the past. The officers who were cadets during Operation
Fouled Anchor are now our leaders.
When I got asked to film my assault story for the
Storytellers' Project, I was hopeful that that meant that the
Coast Guard had made strives to be better, that there had been
progress made since I would been discharged in 2015. It was
devastating to find out that the Coast Guard had still thought
it was a good idea to silence our stories, but I knew that I
was called back for a purpose and that purpose was to continue
to fight for the ones who do not have a voice.
I released my video on my own accord, and since, over 50
survivors have reached out to me, some prior enlisted, some
active duty. I have spent countless hours helping and
advocating for them. I have received messages that say, ``I
need help. I am desperate. I have no one to turn to.'' I knew
that I needed to continue to fight for change because so many
of these active-duty members are in the same situation I was in
a decade ago; left in the desert watching the last plane take
off. I will not let the Coast Guard tell the public that this
is a thing of the past when so many of your members are
fighting for justice and accountability right now.
If I had not released my video and inquired about my
documents, I would have never known that I never received a
6095, something I would need for VA benefits. I would not have
been contacted by multiple women who had been assaulted by my
same perpetrator. I would not have learned that I, in fact, was
not the first person to report him to my command. That command
repeatedly allowed his behavior to slide, and in turn, left me
to get assaulted by him. I want to see this through. I want to
feel the pride for the Coast Guard again. I want to see them be
better.
My sons are so proud of their mother for serving her
country, but what they do not understand yet is that their
mother's service was spent surviving and fighting for
accountability. When I was 20 years old and still in the Coast
Guard, I got pregnant with my son, and when I was pregnant, I
was still wearing a label as a bad worker, as a liar, and
someone who made a fuss over an unwanted hug. I was under so
much stress wearing a label I did not deserve.
It was with in my seventh month of pregnancy that I found
out I had internal damage. I had to return to work and
absolutely no one knew the news I had found out. All the pain I
felt physically was my body's reaction to my assaults, to not
feeling safe. I gave birth to my son, and I wept when I had to
return to work knowing that I was going to have to return to an
unsafe work environment. I remember holding my son in my arms
that morning, and I decided that I would continue to advocate,
and stand up, and I would become someone he was proud of.
To everyone in a leadership position, I guarantee you that
none of the leaders who failed me thought I would be standing
here today. I was not quiet then, and I won't be quiet now. The
next time you try to silence a survivor, remember me that you
could, they could be exposing what you did a decade later. Make
decisions that you will be proud of 10 years from now. Make the
right choice and advocate for the ones who need it.
The Coast Guard is filled with phenomenal people, some of
whom I consider family, and I would not be here today if MK2
Kool had not recognized what happened to me or Chief Prysock
who taught me how to protect myself. The chief who stood up for
me in the mess and the captain who fought for me, this is how I
honor these great people fighting for what is right.
What has happened to me has happened to so many others. I
am not unique, I am not special. I am one of many. I will
continue to stand up for these members, and I will continue to
help find ways to make the Coast Guard a safer place and I
highly recommend that you look into the Durio Act, Senator
Blumenthal,
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you very much, Ms. Klement. Mr.
Bell.
TESTIMONY OF JULIAN BELL,\1\ CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 4, UNITED
STATES COAST GUARD
Chief Bell. Good morning, Senator. Thank you, again, for
having us. It is an honor, and I am deeply grateful to be here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The prepared statement of Mr. Bell appears in the Appendix on
page 61.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
My name is Chief Warrant Officer Julian Bell, and I stand
before you today as a survivor of military sexual assault. I
enlisted in the Coast Guard in July 2003 and I have proudly
served for over 21 years. My journey began with excitement and
purpose as I reported to my first assignment for the Coast
Guard Cutter Chase, its Homeport in San Diego, California.
At just 19 years old, I was eager and ready to serve my
country. However, the reality of life onboard was starkly
different from what I had expected from day one. I witnessed a
toxic environment where shipmates who struggled with mental
health, or performance, or subjected to harassment and hazing.
The prevailing command climate discouraged any cries for help
leading to open ridicule and persecution instead. Violence,
inappropriate relationships, and assault became the unsettling
norms amongst my shipmates.
In 2004, during a harrowing incident in the Navy barracks,
I was drugged and raped by a fellow Coast Guard shipmate and
two navy sailors. After that traumatic experience, I felt
isolated and alone. I worked directly with the person who
assaulted me, but felt that speaking up would only lead to
further ostracization. Thus, I chose silence, leaving it was my
only option.
Despite the trauma, I pressed on in my career. By 2016, I
had reached the rank of chief warrant officer and was assigned
to Sector Houston-Galveston. It was at this time I encountered
a pivotal moment in my life. As part of my leadership training
at the Coast Guard Academy, I attended an 8-hour seminar on
sexual assault prevention and response.
It was during this training that I met Shannon Norberg,
who's here today, the Academy's sexual assault response
coordinator. With her guidance, I finally found the courage to
come forward and report my assault even though 12 years had
passed since that dreadful day. Confronting my past was not
easy, the memories resurfaced and the pain returned. I
submitted to an investigation by CGIS hoping for justice.
However, the outcome was disheartening. My assailant was
believed, and little hope was offered for accountability. After
several agonizing months, the investigation was closed. To make
matters worse, the trauma for my assault manifested serious
physical health issues, including cancer in my pelvis.
Thankfully, I was able to find medical care and recover, but by
then, my physical and mental well-being were a complete
disarray.
In early 2022, I reached a significant milestone in my
healing journey by publicly sharing my story through my
personal podcast, Sailors Disgrace, providing a space for
others to voice their experiences, share resources, and gain
insight into the life of military members managing the trauma
and aftermath of sexual assault.
Each shared story has been cathartic for me, and it has
empowered fellow survivors to navigate their own healing paths.
However, during the summer of 2023, when cable news network
(CNN) released their report of Operation Fouled Anchor
detailing the shameful history of sexual assault and harassment
at the Coast Guard Academy, I was both saddened and motivated.
Rather than feeling defeated, I felt emboldened to take
action to fight against the culture of cover-up that was taught
at the Academy. I became a sexual assault victim advocate,
eager to effect change. I also shared my story with senior
officials in the Coast Guard at the Executive Summit in
February of this year, and attendees including Admiral Fagan,
expressed that my account would trigger necessary change.
Yet, soon after, I faced another setback during the
training videos that I recorded, along with Meghan Klement for
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, concerns arose
about the release. The fear of tarnishing the Coast Guard's
image halted the release of my story and those of my fellow
survivors. We had hoped our voices would be heard, but instead,
we felt our experiences were being silenced.
Additionally, I was in the midst of a second investigation
to my case, which had been reopened due to efforts from CGIS
leadership. However, I soon discovered troubling issues,
including missing evidence. From my initial interviews leading
to doubt about the thoroughness of the investigation. I was
left feeling as if my quest for justice was being undermined
yet again. Ultimately, no administrative or criminal action was
taken against my assailant, who was allowed to retire shortly
after reclosing the investigation.
To further exacerbate the hopelessness of my case, CGIS
just contacted me weeks afterwards investigating an unrelated
hazing incident during my time on the Chase, nearly 20 years
before. It was obvious that their intent was to implicate me in
something that would bring discredit to my name and my story.
With each step, it became clear that our systems were
broken. While I have served honorably for over two decades and
loved the Coast Guard, I have witnessed firsthand the failures
within our systems to protect and support those in vulnerable
positions. Now, we must ensure that when our members call for
help, they receive compassionate and honest responses that
prioritize their healing.
The stories of a survivor like myself are far too common,
as we hear today, and we have a responsibility to change that
narrative. We must create an environment rooted in care and
transparency where survivors are encouraged to speak up and
their stories lead to meaningful action. We need to transform
our culture and to one that respects, supports, and empowers
those who have faced unimaginable traumas.
It's time for us to stop silencing survivors. We must learn
from their experiences and honor their strength. We have let
down our brothers and sisters for far too long, but now is the
time for action. Together, we can pave the way for a brighter
and safer future within our ranks.
Thank you, and I look forward to your question, Senator.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. Let me say, again, as I said
to you when we met privately before we came out here, how proud
we are of you for coming forward. How proud your families, your
children, each of you who has children, should be for your
courage and strength and being with us today. I have read your
testimony a couple of times, each of your testimony, and I have
to tell you, hearing your stories, your faces and voices just
has enormous impact on me, and I hope it will on the Coast
Guard and on our Nation.
One of the themes that I think cuts across all your
testimony is the difficulty in reporting, and even the
discouraging and shaming of reporting that occurred, which
itself incurred is an emboldens the assaulters and the
perpetrator.
I would like to begin with some questions around the
reporting issue to you, Ms. Klement, you noted in your opening
statements that at various points in your career, you had
specific individuals who looked out for you and stood up for
you. How did the support from those individuals enable you to
ultimately report what happened?
Ms. Klement. It's a good question, Senator. When I realized
that I had somebody who held some sort of rank and position
standing behind me, that is when I became really brave. It was
really amazing when I realized I came somewhere where there was
people that were going to advocate for me. Then I knew that if
I had just a few people who held some sort of rank standing
behind me, that I could push it as far as I could. There's a
lot of power in that.
Senator Blumenthal. Now, one of your superiors told you to,
``Think about the life and career of the men who were harassing
you.'' ``Think about the life of and career,'' of the
perpetrators. How did that affect you?
Ms. Klement. Senator that often plays in my head. I was a
young girl, and I was really scared, and I was afraid to come
forward. When he called me out back behind the building, he
took me around the side where nobody could see us or hear us. I
was hopeful that somebody was going to help me get out of the
situation I was in. When he said those words to me, I lost all
hope. I felt ashamed, and embarrassed, and I felt completely
discredited. That has followed me around for 11 years now.
Senator Blumenthal. Let me pose the same kind of question
to Ms. Ward and Mr. Bell. You both mentioned in your opening
statement that you did not report the sexual assault or
harassment that you encountered until years later, if at all.
Can you elaborate on why you chose not to report then, and
maybe whether you would have made the same decision again now?
Ms. Ward. When I went to bootcamp, it was kind of a blur,
but I do not recall any sexual harassment, sexual assault
training when I went through, being exposed to the acceptable
comments that permanent party staff at Cape May allowed. Then
showing up at my very first duty station and being told when I
am being picked up at the airport, that I am replacing another
female who slept with a married VM-2, which is completely
illegal. They moved her up to--it was called a group back then,
but it's considered a sector nowadays. They moved her, and I
was replacing her.
The constant harassment I was receiving at the station and
being in trouble for every little thing I did or did not do,
kind of led to the whole, ``If I say anything, I am going to
get in trouble.'' After my first assault at the unit, I did not
even know who to talk to. I could not tell you what the
reporting procedures were. I was not allowed to talk to anybody
higher than my rank. I was just living under a microscope.
I could not talk to any guys at the unit because I was
constantly told about inappropriate relationships with males.
If I said hi to you, then I would be in trouble for an in
inappropriate relationship just for me talking to you.
Then, I go to my second station, and I received the same,
if not worse, harassment against the crew. Then to find out
that the commanding officer had his boys club, and he would
constantly say how great these boys were, and he named them by
name. Everybody at the unit knew who they were, and the boys
were the ones that were causing all the issues and got away
with everything, including my assault, and then assault on
another coworker of mine who was male.
All of this just reiterates in your head, it's going to be
your fault. Because I went drinking, I had alcohol, I was with
the group. Both of them involved with alcohol. But I would have
been blamed because I was drinking. I would have been blamed
because I was in a room with somebody I worked with. It was my
fault. But that is what was in my 19-, 20-year-old and 21-year-
old brain. That no matter what you do from the minute you are
picked up at bootcamp, this is what they just ingrain in you.
Nothing will come out of my assault. And that's OK.
But to see this culture continue time and time again,
everyone here having the exact same story. The Coast Guard's
just saying it's OK. I am tired of the words. I am tired of the
word commitment. There is no commitment. Words are not enough
to fix it. Action actually has to be taken in order to do it. I
probably did not even answer your question, but I hope it was
clear. [Laughter.]
Senator Blumenthal. It's a very good answer. Thank you. Mr.
Bell.
Chief Bell. Yes, Senator. 20 years ago, it was very common
to experience the culture that I experienced where open
retribution was prevalent. From my first day on the ship out of
bootcamp, I remember vividly a fellow junior member was in the
process of being discharged for saying he was suicidal. While
he was still on the ship and still working during this process,
he was openly ridiculed in front of me on my first day on the
ship and called horrible names, that I won't say here, in front
of the entire crew. People laughed it off. This is someone that
was really struggling with their personal issues. I received
that message loud and clear, that if you were to speak up, you
are going to turn out just like this guy.
That's just the very first incident, the first day. The
year and a half I was on board, it was almost every day
something like that was happening. I did not have a safe place
to go. I could not trust my command. I could not trust my
chiefs. I could not trust even the junior petty officers above
me to take a report of anything. Something as serious as sexual
assault. Certainly not. I could not complain about a toe.
There was nothing you could complain about without getting
ridiculed. Hazing was prevalent every single day as well. It
was just a very toxic environment. Also, at that time, we did
not have victim advocates. We did not have a Sexual Assault
Prevention Response and Recovery (SER) Program. It was
relatively non-existent. We did not have a mechanism in place
either to make those reports to receive the care. I was really
left in the dark.
Again, I want to highlight the fact that this is still
prevalent even today. Yes, there are some great response
resources that we have. Many people are afraid to use them
because of retaliation, because of retribution, because of fear
discrimination. That is the issue. The underlying issue of all
this. There's no trust in our systems.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. Ms. Van Den Heuvel, you were
relieved from your special duty position and given a non-
recommendation for advancement and negative papers after you
reported sexual harassment. In fact, the evaluation you
received shortly after you reported states, I am quoting,
``Member engaged in inappropriate conversations that left the
impression to another member to engage in similar behaviors.
This extremely unprofessional behavior ultimately led to sexual
harassment.''
Blaming the victim, in other words. Can you tell me about
the impact of this evaluation and other actions on you and your
career?
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. Absolutely, Senator. The
largest impact careerwise is I'm still a first class. If I
would not have reported, I would've advanced to chief last
year. That's probably the hardest hit I've taken. Advancing to
chief, has been a goal since I joined the Coast Guard. And
then, mentally I was diagnosed with PTSD following this, not
even in response to the sexual harassment, but in response to
commands actions. The commands actions have affected me more
than the sexual harassment did.
Senator Blumenthal. I know these questions are very
personal, and you know, I apologize that they are personal, but
again they are extraordinarily important to people
understanding what you have gone through and what others are
going through.
Let me ask you, Ms. Van Den Heuvel, your written testimony
mentions you received counseling on your work performance and
your marital status shortly after you made your report, and
that you felt you were being blamed. That you were being blamed
for the harassment you experienced. Which factors led to that
conclusion?
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. I am really happy you asked
about that. This is a common tactic that many commands use when
members are struggling with anything. Depression reporting
sexual harassment and sexual assault. They know that there's a
written policy in our civil rights manual stating you cannot
retaliate against members for engaging in protective activity,
like reporting.
However, they will find things, little things that they can
punish you for. Like in my written statement, I said that they
changed my work schedule while I was ordered to be out of the
office. I would have never known about the change. However,
when I returned, they already had an opinion about my report
and I was counseled that I just did not show up for work.
However, anybody who's ever served in the military knows if I
chose to just not show up for work, I would not be sitting
here. I would be in the brig.
Then there was a second part--I cannot remember what the
second part was in your question. Oh, my marital status. This
is another tech accused. Just like Ms. Ward said, with women,
if we're not married and we have any type of relationship with
our male coworkers, we are labeled words I cannot say, because
I think this might be televised.
Perception is reality for the Coast Guard. They perceive
that you are doing something inappropriate, then you are doing
something inappropriate and you are at the mercy of your
commanding officer to believe you or not believe you. My
marital, I was going through a divorce at the time. It was two
months before I was finalized, and my marital status was taken
into question, and I was told I could not talk about any of my
personal life at work, even though nobody else was told that I
was the only person not married. There was one other person who
was engaged, but he got married while was I there. I was the
only person going through a divorce, and my marital status had
nothing to do with my sexual harassment.
Senator Blumenthal. Let me ask. I know your report, I think
it was made less than two years ago. This is a question I am
going to ask all of you, but I will begin with you. Do you
think your report would be treated differently today,
differently from what you know of the Coast Guard today,
treated differently than it would have been two years ago or in
the past?
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. I think my sexual harassment
report would have been taken serious today, only because I am
under a different command. My commanding officer, I know that
the way he talks about sexual harassment prevention and sexual
assault prevention, it is not the bullets that they are given
to talk about it. He actually advocates. He was very supportive
of me being here. I do think that it would be taken serious by
him.
That's the issue with the Coast Guard. Is you are at the
mercy of your commanding officer. If he does not take it
serious, you were going to be retaliated against and nothing's
going to happen with your report.
Senator Blumenthal. If you are in a better command, it
would be taken seriously. But if you were in that former,
encountered the same of lack of seriousness and respect.
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. Absolutely.
Senator Blumenthal. Let me ask others of you the same
question.
Ms. Klement. I have an answer for that, Senator. I have had
multiple, a lot of survivors reach out to me with situations
currently happening. I went through what they are going
through. Like Chrissy said, they have tactics when you seek
help. I had sought help for mental health, and so I was labeled
as a problem. A lieutenant commander went through my medical
record and found that I had flat feet. They actually tried
kicking me out for fraudulent enlistment because they did not
want to deal with the assault stuff.
That is a tactic they re still using. There's a couple
girls I know that have come forward with assault. It's not
necessarily handled, but then they will look at their work
performance and find something to use. So, no, I don't think
that it would have been different. But, again, I agree with
Chrissy, that it really depends on your command and how much
they value mental health and assault.
Senator Blumenthal. Ms. Ward, you served for an impressive
number of years? How do you feel about change in culture? Is it
enough? Would it have a meaningful effect on you reporting?
Ms. Ward. When I retired in 2018, the culture never
changed. Just to be clear, the culture does not change, has not
changed. I am sure it went way before I even came. I do not
know if it would be any different if I knew back then how a
report--I don't know if it would be any different today. That
is super sad to say, because it's all who's in that leadership
position. They have power over you, and it's how you are
perceived. If they perceive you as a person who wants to try to
fix something and say, ``Hey, this is wrong,'' you get ousted.
I have seen time and time again. People get separated from
the Coast Guard. I got sent away from my second duty station
because I was experiencing such a horrible climate at the
station. Not only with the sexual assault, but with the climate
that I got called into the commanding officer's room. He wanted
me to name names, and I refused to give him names because it
was his boys club.
His comment to me was, ``Didn't you want to go to group
when the records were sent there? How about report tomorrow?
Problem solved.'' That was my experience with trying to fix
something that I saw that was wrong. I got sent away. I was the
problem. The station was perfectly fine without me. Then it
engraves in you that it must be you that is the problem.
When I hear stories today with everybody saying the exact
same thing, we are the problem because we are trying to fix
something that we see as broken. No, I do not think it's any
different. Again, it's all who's in the leadership, and who's
willing to do the right thing. Because we all know policy is
written, and we have to follow policy, and it depends on how
much people are willing to follow policy.
Ms. Owen. Senator, if I may, I would like to just give a
good news story.
Senator Blumenthal. You have served a significant number of
years before----
Ms. Owen. 22 years. Yes, sir. The comment that was made to
me when I thought I was having the allergic reaction was
actually a panic attack. I saw that individual years later
because I had at that point outranked him. I felt much more
comfortable approaching him with the subject.
After I administered his service-wide exam, I called him to
the side, and I just expressed to him what he said to me many
years ago and how it affected me. Very calmly, not without
accusatory effects, but I just needed him to know that his
behavior then would not be tolerated now because I was in a
position to stop those actions.
A few days later, I received an apology letter in the mail.
I think sometimes if we could bring to the forefront some of
these issues, again, having the right command and the right
people with either a good background being raised by good
people, or having just some good morals and ethics, I think
some of this could be mitigated.
I am very fortunate to have been able to approach that
individual and resolve some of those thoughts of maybe it was
my fault that this happened to me when, in fact, over 100 women
got assaulted in that same very X-ray room.
I don't know that things would be different today. I have
been retired for seven years. I can tell you, on the way out
the door, the shade of blue did not look much better. I would
throw caution to the wind if there's been a true impactful
change over the last 50 years.
Senator Blumenthal. Ms. Klement referred to her younger
self and you have just referred Ms. Ward to the position that
you had later in your career as a lieutenant commander as
opposed to an enlisted or new recruit. All of you are now in a
position of greater power. At the time that you suffered sexual
assault and harassment, you were powerless compared to the
perpetrator and compared to the system.
Ms. Klement. Yes.
Senator Blumenthal. That's why creating a safe place for
reporting is so very important because the mere power structure
fully apart from what was said to you explicitly discouraging
you from coming forward is a part of the problem.
The culture of covering up, failing to confront this
problem is one that persists today because of that power
structure and because of a lack of safe reporting system. Ms.
Ward used the word action. Let me ask you on this panel, what
you think is necessary to create that kind of safe reporting or
safe culture that encourages whistleblowers and survivors like
yourself coming forward?
Ms. Ward. I reported once, but that was for a hostile work
environment. It was at an elite unit. The best of the best, I
was told. My lieutenant commander just--I felt like I walked
through a mirror in my entire career before then. I was a chief
warrant officer, just a brand-new chief warrant officer. I had
several years in before this. I felt like my entire career just
went backwards. Everything I did that was correct up until this
point, all of a sudden became wrong.
I got the courage to file against my lieutenant commander.
The hardest thing I ever had to do in my career. To walk into a
conference room because it was required, and see him in the
middle of this one side of the table. He was in the middle.
There's a half a dozen other people there from the unit. To
tell me at that moment that because he never physically hit me,
it cannot be considered a hostile workplace. At that moment, I
knew the entire meeting was for nothing. My report was for
nothing. I was told to play the game.
The action that is needed on this, honestly, is to publicly
name these people and not continue to hide. The people that are
doing it. There is no other way. We have heard words and we
have seen policy come out. We have heard the words, I am
committed, I am committed, I am committed. But what action has
actually been taken? Not a thing.
It's holding everybody equally responsible in all levels of
the command. It starts at the commandant and works all the way
down to the bottom. When it is noticed that somebody did not
follow proper procedure for how to do a report, well then you
need to hold that person accountable.
If the command did something wrong, then they need to be
held accountable. But it's equally across the board, not one
command holding one person responsible, but on the other side
of the coast, somebody does this exact same thing, that they
are not held accountable. That's what needs to be done.
Senator Blumenthal. Ms. Van Den Heuvel?
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. Yes, great question. I
actually have a list of things and we actually have a program
now on Coast Guard where we submit ideas that we want to be
implemented in the Coast Guard. I have submitted some of these,
but they have gone nowhere.
One thing to prevent retaliation I would love to see
implemented is when you have a sexual harassment, sexual
assault, or just harassment in general, that command should not
be able to evaluate you for at least a year. We have a lot of
programs for victims that waive a lot of things for up to a
year such as weigh-ins, things like that. A lot of
administration things we could implement that for evaluations,
but we do not. I had a civil rights complaint against my
commanding officer. That commanding officer evaluated me. It's
kind of a conflict of interest, and it makes me look worse as a
performer to people who have never.
Second, I do agree with Ms. Ward. I think that these
captains and flag officers that are not handling these cases
right, they need to be named and they are retired. They need to
be pulled back in active duty and held accountable so that the
future captains and future flag officers are doing their due
diligence and processing these cases.
Then third, people who have reported, especially people
like myself and Mr. Bell who are in the Coast Guard still, they
need to look back into--there needs to be something implemented
to where we can submit our cases to be reviewed by an outside
agency, not the civil rights process. It does not work. It
ultimately goes back to the Coast Guard for their decision. We
need to submit to an outside agency so that there is no
conflict of interest.
Commanding officers, they typically go to college together.
Somebody's making a decision based on--like, Admiral Dash in my
situation and Captain Tipton, they were at the academy
together. I am asking an admiral to hold a captain accountable,
and they probably have a personal-type of relationship. I do
not know them in their personal life, so they might not, but if
we are submitting to an outside agency, it prevents all of that
bias and all that conflict of interest.
Senator Blumenthal. Ms. Owen.
Ms. Owen. I would piggyback on that and say that I think
this is an opportunity for us to look out to an outside agency
to be able to do anonymous reporting to. I think that's the
hardest part, is coming forward and having been in many
positions within the work-life realm, folks are even just
scared to come in that building because, well, what if my
command sees me coming in and they do not really know why I am
coming in?
I think if we could take the issue to an outside entity to
investigate and potentially bring forward justice for the
victims, I think that would be helpful. Not only for the
victims, but also for the handful of people that are identified
in the Coast Guard to be able to take these reports. Do that
times 20 years, and let me know how your mental health is
holding up for you.
I am very thankful that when I retired from the Coast Guard
and my first call to the VA was the women's clinic, I said, ``I
need to start therapy, and I need to start today.'' They said,
``Were you a victim?'' I said, yes. They said, ``That's all we
need to know.'' I have been in the gentle hands of the VA now
for seven years. I am trying to declutter my head of all the
victimization stories that I was given.
I think protecting the people in uniform and the civilian
employees that work in that environment, I think is helpful to
going forward. That's one thing I would recommend.
Senator Blumenthal. Great.
Ms. Klement. Senator, I think we can all agree on this
table that a third-party investigation is what needs to happen
because there's going to be no bias bringing that in. It's also
going to bring accountability. If these commands are not doing
anything wrong, then they should not be worried about a third
party coming in.
I had no idea that there was any outside sources. I did not
even know what the Office of Inspector General (OIG) was--I was
told that you probably should not call the police department.
That's your right, but you just probably should not do it. So
there's all these things that they say you can do. I had
retaliation against me for even calling a congresswoman.
These are our rights. But with the culture, if you do it,
you are going to be shunned. We need to have a third party
coming in and doing checks and balances on these commands. The
difference with the Coast Guard is there are so many small
outlying units that there's very little accountability. The
other branches have big bases. There's a lot of eyes there.
They are like little cities. We have these little places
everywhere, and it's left up to those commands. The trust is
put into those commands to make all the right decisions.
Again, you get one CO and an Executive Officer (XO) that
are willing to push the envelope and kind of lie for each
other, everybody at that unit is screwed. My executive officer
who told me to keep my mouth shut is a 2-star admiral now. He
was never held accountable. I want to know who's holding them
accountable. We need a third party. That's just what needs to
happen. They need to have access to it and there needs to be
knowledge of it frequently.
Senator Blumenthal. Mr. Bell.
Chief Bell. Thank you, Senator. Again, I agree with
everything that's been said previously, and I would like to add
a few things on my accord. But the big thing that I mentioned
earlier is the trust in the system. That's what needs to be
restored. In order to do that, the Coast Guard needs to hold
themselves accountable. I think starting with Operational
Fouled Anchor, it is not just the report itself, but the hiding
of the report, and making those people answer for what they did
and did not. I mean, that's step one.
Step two, that concur with a third-party oversight in
pretty much every aspect, including our investigating authority
within ourselves. CGIS handling sexual assault cases has proven
time and time again that they are incapable of properly
handling these cases. They have too much skin in the game, so
to speak. They work directly with the commands, oftentimes
their former command themself.
It's interesting that you asked earlier about what we would
say to our younger selves if we could make a report, feel
uncomfortable. My case was actually, again, reopened this year,
and CGIS just failed to follow through properly with the
investigation. I was not interviewed a second time. My
assailant was not approached or interviewed, and the case was
waited out until he retired.
Again, CGIS had that in their hands and let it go. That's
just my case as one example. As a victim advocate, I work
directly with survivors, currently working several cases, and
you still see CGIs failing these members. We need to remove
that from the service. Thank you.
Ms. Klement. Absolutely.
Senator Blumenthal. These ideas are enormously important
and valuable, and I think are going to be part of our final
report and our recommendations. What comes across is not only
the deterrence to reporting, but also the lack of effective
investigation, whether it's because of conflict of interest or
the old boys' network.
Mr. Bell, your experience, I think shows it very well. You
shared with us that during the initial investigation in 2016,
it's not ancient history, this is 2016. You felt that CGIS
believed your assailants denial of involvement and not your
report of the assault. During the reopened investigation, I
understand that when you used material from your initial
investigation, you found that some of it was not provided to
you or was missing entirely.
Chief Bell. That's correct.
Senator Blumenthal. For me, as a former prosecutor, this is
kind of a unconscionable failure of investigation. You cannot
have trust, you cannot have people coming forward if the
investigation is a sham, and known to be a sham, as undoubtedly
happens because everybody knows that the investigation produced
nothing.
You told the Subcommittee that CGIS never even interviewed
your perpetrator during the reopened investigation. Instead,
the case was closed and the district where the individual was
then on active duty determined there was not enough information
to reduce the rank or pay in that individual's forthcoming
retirement.
I guess, focusing on the investigation, do you think the
lack of investigation was a problem for you, and have you ever
received an explanation?
Chief Bell. I have not, Senator.
Senator Blumenthal. From CGIS? Have they ever given you an
explanation?
Chief Bell. No. I asked them directly, the investigators
why they did not interview him, why they did not interview me.
I did not get an answer. I asked to review information from my
initial case in 2016, so I could help the investigation. I was
provided missing pieces of my initial case. Like you said,
large sections of my interviews were completely missing or
actually explained my assault and named other people. All that
was not provided.
I was also assigned a lawyer, requested this information,
my lawyer's been completely ghosted by CGIS legal for about
five months now, trying to get this information. We both
submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. I am still
waiting for that. I am not sure what I will get.
That's just been very disheartening and it's very common,
that tactic of just waiting till someone retires. That happened
in my case, and I have heard that time and time again. I have
seen it firsthand or command chiefs and captains that are
caught in doing something they should not be doing, whether
it's assault, harassment, or otherwise. It's just easier to let
them retire than prosecute. That is very common.
Senator Blumenthal. Which is another common theme.
Retirement erases all sins, and it prevents accountability.
Chief Bell. Absolutely.
Senator Blumenthal. I think it was maybe Ms. Owen suggested
pulling perpetrators back from retirement some way and holding
them accountable, or maybe it was--or one of you suggested it.
Which would seem to be one of the potential remedies here for
imposing accountability. We are talking here about two basic
requirements; accountability and transparency. Neither yet has
been achieved by the Coast Guard in these kinds of
investigations, at least so far.
Let me ask you on the subject of investigating, Ms. Van Den
Heuvel. The officer who investigated your report of harassment
found that your harasser, not you, violated Article 134 of the
uniformed code military justice (UCMJ) for indecent conduct.
But you shared that both you and the individual who harassed
you were reprimanded. Are you familiar with the same happening
again to others who reported that kind of crime? In other
words, both the victim or survivor and the perpetrator were in
effect punished?
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. Absolutely. It's a very
common thing that occurs. I do not want to say I consider
myself lucky, but I consider women trying to join the Coast
Guard lucky that going through that office, because I am very
grateful to anything positive that came out of that experience,
that he was relieved.
Because a lot of times, the perpetrator, he suggests that
they get punished usually for unrelated matters. Find something
to force that person out.
Senator Blumenthal. One of the other things that I think
comes across in your experience as well as the 80-plus
whistleblowers accounts and in our work is that many of these
assaulters or harassers went on to do it again. They were not
caught, they were not punished, they were not held accountable.
Ms. Klement, I think that you were not the first person to
be harassed by the individual you described. To the best of
your knowledge, was that individual ever held accountable?
Ms. Klement. Thank you for asking that, Senator.
When I was stationed there, I knew of three women that he
had touched. But to my knowledge, nobody had ever reported him.
I was told that I was the first. He was a retired senior chief,
that he was a contract worker for the Coast Guard. Since I
released my survivor video on my own, I have had multiple women
tell me that they were assaulted by him, and some for years,
that also reported him. He was never held accountable. He
retired from that base last summer, so he is now receiving
senior chief retirement and GS retirement. No, he was never
held accountable.
During my investigation, which I have never seen the full
investigation, FOIA won't get my stuff back to me. I made the
report early 2013, I got out 2015. The whole time nobody ever
contacted me. When I inquired, they said my investigation was
still open, so I could not see it. I learned just recently that
they closed my investigation two months later, and I was never
privy to the information.
The only thing I have seen is the synopsis, and it was a
check and balances. They went through the boxes. They
interviewed him once. I was also getting sexually harassed by
my boss, they interviewed him. Once they interviewed them, they
stopped. They never interviewed any of the other women that I
said he was touching. No, he was not held accountable, Senator.
Senator Blumenthal. Ms. Owen, a fellow service member
falsely accused you and several other members, female members,
of having inappropriate relationships, as you have just told
us, even though his false claims forced you and other women to
go through an investigation. That investigation found in fact
that he was stalking you. He was allowed to choose between
transfer to another duty station and retirement. How did you
feel what he was permitted to retire?
Ms. Owen. At that point, I had days left in the Coast Guard
as I was on my terminal leave. I felt like if I said something
really bad, they would not kick me out because I was already on
my way out. I made a phone call to legal and had that
discussion that we could not condone his behavior, nor could we
allow him as a perpetrator to be transferred to an isolated
duty station to where this could happen again, or even worse.
Senator Blumenthal. I know you also reported other types of
misconduct, was the treatment of those claims similar.
Ms. Owen. I did not report the first one, only because I
was told, ``He's in the brig. Get over it.'' At that point, I
just started to do some self-healing within myself. Knowing
that he would not come back. I felt safe, even though I did not
even know his name. I felt safe that he would not come back and
he would not hurt anyone else.
I think that's half the battle. Is as a victim, you always
want to know where your perpetrator lies and you want to keep
your eyes on them. You do not want to have them walking around
the Coast Guard in a uniform and have to run up on them, or
even worse them be your supervisor at a later date.
Senator Blumenthal. Let me ask all of you, but beginning
with Mr. Bell, because I think you told me that you were not
surprised when you learned about Operation Fouled Anchor. Can
you tell me why you were not surprised?
Chief Bell. Thank you, Senator. Several reasons for that. I
grew up in a Coast Guard family. I have run on the Coast Guard
my entire life. My older brother just recently retired as a
Boatswain's Mate Class (BMC), as a chief. This is my culture,
right? I grew up in this. I understand it. The good, the bad,
and the ugly.
With everything that happened with my case, how the
investigation went nowhere, and all the things I have seen over
the years, especially against female members, it just painted a
clear picture of the why. It finally made sense. Everything
clicked when Fouled Anchor was released. It's like, of course,
all of this lying and cover-up obligation has been taught at
the Academy.
When a cadet harasses or assaults another cadet, and that
cadet is let go, there's no problem. Everything's swept under
the rug. You just taught the other 400 cadets how to handle a
sexual assault, a sexual harassment case, and that's been
perpetrated for decades.
When that report came out, I understood the crux of it. It
made perfect sense. It was crystal clear. Then, when I realized
the report was buried, it made even more sense. Of course, the
senior leadership has been lying to us. Of course, they do not
truly care. They are more concerned about the image of the
Coast Guard, about getting the budget correct as opposed to
taking care of their members.
We are really good at waving the flag and showing all the
great and wonderful things that we do every day. Because we do
them. We do really incredible stuff. That's why I have stayed
in for so long. I have loved the mission, but we do not
highlight that we need help. That our members are struggling.
We would rather put that in the shadows and carry on. When that
was released by CNN, it just made perfect sense, Senator.
Senator Blumenthal. Were others of you surprised by
Operation Fouled Anchor?
Ms. Klement. Senator, I have a something to say about that?
I was not surprised the least bit because it's exactly what I
experienced with my own situation. An issue that I see is that
the officers in my situation were more worried about their
careers and their advancement than they were about my well-
being. I think it's really important to note and see that these
officers are under the impression that if an assault happens at
their unit, that is going to be a negative mark on them.
Therefore that is going to be prevent them from advancing.
The reason they did not give me a 6095, I was never put
into the system. Therefore, my command, it looked as if our
numbers were lower. Right? I think that we need to fully
understand that we will never, ever eradicate sexual assault
completely. It has been around since the beginning of time, but
what we need to really implement is that the assault itself
isn't a stain on that CO, but the way he responds to the
assault is what should be bad on his marks or whatever.
Because, obviously, if there's an excessive amount of
assaults happening, that's one thing. But my assault should not
be a negative mark on his lead because then people are going to
be less likely to talk about it, go forward with it because
they are not going to be able to move up in the ranks.
Senator Blumenthal. Others have you also shook your head
that you were not surprised? If you want to elaborate on why
you were not surprised?
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. I will elaborate, Senator. I
was not surprised for two reasons. Statistically, sexual
assaults, sexual harassment, happens majority in the military
service and college. The Academy is both of those things. It
did not surprise me at all that that was happening.
It also does not surprise me that a lot of victims did not
get justice. Unfortunately, with sexual assault, it's typically
one word versus another. I have reported sexual assault early
in my career. I am blessed to say that my command did take it
very serious and that person was discharged. But a lot of
times, it's just one word versus another, and there's no
evidence.
However, their covering up Operation Fouled Anchor, that
also was not surprising. That's where the issue really was for
me, because it shows that the Coast Guard is not taking this
situation very serious. It just kind of creates a cycle of an
issue, because then, they are not reporting and they are not
getting care that they need to gather that evidence on the
perpetrator accountable.
Ms. Ward. I will add on to that. I was not surprised. I was
very sad to hear it. However, the Academy is just one small
slice of the entire Coast Guard, and it's happening there. You
can guarantee it's happening in the entire Coast Guard.
I worked at a unit who was led by an admiral, and he had an
aide. We were giving in-person training for sexual assault and
sexual harassment. That aide made this comment that women ask
to be raped depending on what they wear. I was a chief warrant
officer. I was speechless. The trainer never really corrected
this thought process, but at the same time, I am like, wait,
you are an academy person. Is this what the Academy preaches?
Is this what the Academy teaches you? Did the academy not stop
this thought process that you have that depending on what we
wear, we are asking for it. I was just at a loss.
When it came out, I was not surprised having had many years
of interactions with a bunch of academy graduates and seeing
how a bunch of them react still to women being--like, ``I was
the last graduating class that did not have women,'' and how
much of a feat that was for them. Right?
The cover-up that happens, because like I said, they look
out after their own at all costs. It does not matter how we are
treated in the Coast Guard, as long as they are looking out for
their own to making sure their own is OK to get them to that
highest point they can be to retire. It's a sad story.
Senator Blumenthal. You know one of the documents that was
produced to us that was done contemporaneously with the
decision not to disclose the report had, in handwriting, pros
and cons. The implicit message of that document was the cover-
up, in effect, put their individual reputations and, maybe, the
Coast Guard, above the fate and well-being of the individuals
were victims and survivors.
But the lack of transparency was not really in the interest
of the Coast Guard. In other words, the cover-up did not serve
the Coast Guard's interest, even though in the short run, they
may have felt, well, it was bad for the unit, bad for the
reputation of the CO.
I do not know whether any of you have comments on the need
for transparency, greater disclosure, more public understanding
of this problem. My own view, again, not just a Senator, but a
former prosecutor, that the public knowledge and disclosure
serves a deterrent to misconduct, particularly sexual assault,
and harassment. I do not know whether any of you have comments
on the age for transparency and disclosure.
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. I do have a comment, Senator.
We have this report that comes out every quarter called Good
Order and Discipline. It basically lists out any member in the
Coast Guard or civilian who's had any disciplinary. It does not
list their names. It just lists their rank and basic charges
that they were found to have violated.
I think that when it comes to sexual harassment or sexual
assault, they need to be named. Not the victims, that's
protected. However, the perpetrators should be named. That
would deter people. If people were nervous about their names
being out there if they were caught, it would deter them from
acting like that.
Ms. Ward. My written statement was the fact that public
shaming, as you said, it's about the only way to hold people
accountable, because who wants to be named for something that I
was covering up? Like, I do not want my name on there, so I am
going to do the right thing. It's sad, it's come to this point,
but this is where we are today.
Words have not been enough. Commitments have not been
enough. New policy has been issued, but what good has that
done? That has not done anything. Where are we at now? I agree
with Crystal that we have to do some sort of public naming in
order to get the high leadership down to the low leadership to
understand that this is not acceptable.
Ms. Owen. I would like to piggyback Senator, if I may, on
that. I think specifically the cadets, I think they are in the
hardest position than anybody else in the Coast Guard. They are
so vested. They spend four years at the Academy learning the
Coast Guard inside and out, more so than any of us sitting at
the table. We all love our Coast Guard and we know our
specialties, but they really bring to the forefront, the future
of the Coast Guard. They go on to lead the Coast Guard. They go
on to be the commandant of the Coast Guard.
But can you imagine if you were a victim at the Academy and
your senior shipmate was the perpetrator, and now you know for
20 years you are going to have to run away from your
perpetrator. There should be a checks and balance to allow
victims to safely serve their entire career, whether it's 20 or
30 years, and not have to serve with the perpetrator ever again
if they so keep them in the military.
I did have that one promise made to me by a master chief.
He said what would you like from this? I said I would like to
never see that FTC again in my career. He said, well, I make
that promise to you today. He gave me his coin, and I never saw
him again. Now, wherever he was, I am not sure whether it was
just by luck I did not get stationed with him again. But there
needs to be a more specific program to ensure that these cadets
can go on to have a very successful and safe career after said
incidences.
Senator Blumenthal. Being a victim of sexual assault or
harassment should not mean your retirement, right? Should mean
the perpetrators being held accountable, in part because that
perpetrator may go on to repeat----
Ms. Owen. Absolutely.
Senator Blumenthal. [continuing.] The assault or
harassment. Mr. Bell, you were recently part of a session. I
think it involved one of the new procedures that's been
instituted February, 2024. I do not know the exact name of it.
I think it was the result of the accountability and
transparency review process.
Chief Bell. Yes, sir.
Senator Blumenthal. Can you describe what that session was
and what your takeaway was?
Chief Bell. Yes, thank you. As part of the accountability
transparency review (ATR) for short, the commandant directed 33
different action items. One of the first ones was to hold an
executive summit at Coast Guard Headquarters, where all the
flag officers were present, as well as your gold batch master
chiefs, so all your senior officials, both active and reserved,
as well as civilian counterparts.
I was invited to speak at this summit. Through my victim
advocacy, I voiced my story, and I shared my experiences with
the ATR review team at Coast Guard Headquarters, and was
invited to this program. In February of this year, I shared my
entire story and was very vocal. Everything that's been said
here I also shared. I shared what I thought needed to happen
within the Coast Guard about true accountability, how our
culture needs to change, how this is a workforce problem, not
just an Academy issue.
I received a standing ovation from the crowd. But when the
crowd settled, only about two or three people really came out
to me and spoke. One of them was Admiral Fagan. I was promised
that things would change, and things would get better, and
thanks for speaking. I was also approached by the head of CGIS
who offered to reopen my case, which we have already discussed
how that went.
I felt really humbled to be there. It was a great
experience. I was grateful to be there. To finally be able to
say my peace with the senior staff of the Coast Guard was
cathartic. There were people in that room that were with me
when I was assaulted, that were stationed with me. Ms. Norberg
was also there just by coincidence. She's been heavily involved
in my case since 2016.
It was a real honor to do that. But I also felt it was the
typical song and dance at the same time. There was a lot of
empty promises being made, a lot of talk. Since February, we
have kind of seen where things have headed with the recent
congressional hearings, the recent committee hearings. I still
feel jaded, I think, by everything and that's kind of why I am
here today, so is to keep saying what we're saying and to say
that we can have these meetings, we can talk about this stuff,
but until we truly hold ourselves accountable, especially the
senior staff and the prior administrations, the previous
commandant, the people that hid Fouled Achor.
Again, I said this to the Commandant and to everyone in
that room that we need to hold ourselves accountable in order
to move forward. We can make these program changes and policy
changes, and those are great, but we are not rebuilding the
trust from the crew. That's where our issues lie.
Senator Blumenthal. That was the Senior Executive ATR
Implementation Summit to ``discuss the accountability and
transparency review as well Operation Fouled Anchor''. I
appreciate your commenting on that. The fact is that a great
many of the directed actions from that ATR implementation
summit. The review itself involves some type of training or
resource offering. Five of the requirements; an online sexual
assault prevention response, recovery training, Coast Guard-
wide workplace climate survey, a toolkit for unit level sexual
misconduct discussions, work life resource hub series of in-
person workforce training modules have been marked as complete
as of last month. Do you think that that these kinds of actions
are enough?
Chief Bell. I think those are a great start, and those are
good things. We need those. We need that data. We need that
information. We need to educate our workforce and educate our
leaders on how to properly handle assault cases. But then,
again, I just go back to the culture, and I go back to the
underlying trust issues throughout the service. If we do not
address that, all the other policies and changes and all the
money we put into these efforts, it's going to be for waste.
Senator Blumenthal. What really is needed at the end of the
day is accountability, transparency----
Mr. Bell. Yes, Senator.
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. Yes.
Senator Blumenthal [continuing.] I think there's a strong
degree of enthusiasm for that point.
Mr. Bell. Yes, Senator.
Senator Blumenthal [continuing.] The record should reflect.
Let me ask, finally, any of you have perspectives on do urgency
of this Mr. Bell, Ms. Van Den Heuvel, you are still members of
the Coast Guard. You are on active duty. You see the issues of
morale, accountability, transparency, firsthand every day. Tell
me how urgent you feel this issue is and any of the others you
have perspective on.
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. Senator, I think it's
extremely urgent, and I would urge something to be rolled out
about that policy or procedure within the next--I know it takes
time, but the next year or so, because we are already--I think
our numbers are worth about 4,000 enlisted members short of
what we need in the Coast Guard.
Not only this, there's other factors that go into that. But
with the way social media works and the way that young people
research decisions, they are sharing. There are people on
Reddit, there are people on TikTok sharing their stories about
what they experienced in the Coast Guard and other branches.
People are going to continue to not want to serve unless the
people who have been victims are speaking up saying, yes, this
is true. This did happen, but now it's like this. I would urge
the next year or so.
Chief Bell. I concur, absolutely. The urgency is there as
needed. Now we need to take these actions and move forward.
There's people right here at this table that still hurt from
all this. There's junior members going through bootcamp today
that are at the Academy today that are facing these realities
every single day. We do not have time to waste. I believe we
need to enact change now.
Senator Blumenthal. Two points. I think the point that you
just made is so enormously important. All of the services are
having trouble meeting their goals. As a member of the Armed
Services Committee, we are really troubled by the fact that in
an all-volunteer; Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and
Coast Guard, we depend on people coming forward, have to want
to serve.
You are doing recruitment right now, or you have done it
for a while, you were doing it. You see firsthand the issues
that young people have as concerns when they make that
decision, whether to raise their right hand to serve our
country. This problem is pervasive and persistent as it is
going to have a major impact on recruiting.
The other point that I think was made that struck me a
couple of you have mentioned not only that the assaulters or
harassers were allowed to retire without accountability, but
some of them are now admirals or in positions of command. What
does that say about Coast Guard in real time right now? That
the lack of accountability has enabled them to continue their
careers and maybe allow others to continue their careers after
the investigation should have held them accountable.
I think that is another consequence of the ongoing problem
and another reason why action is particularly urgent. You said,
Ms. Ward. The time for words is over. It is time for action.
That really has been one of the themes that has been constant
that we have heard from whistleblowers and others.
I just want to assure all of you that we are very action-
oriented. We are very focused on results. More than just
training and education. As important as it is, it's important.
We want to see other actions, more accountability and
transparency.
I do not know whether any of you are still having problems
getting records. Ms. Clement, you are nodding. Mr. Bell, still
having problems getting records from the Coast Guard disclosure
about your own cases? Maybe you can talk a little bit about
that.
Ms. Klement. Senator, I have never seen my investigation in
its entirety. I have never seen what my perpetrator said. I
have never had access to it. I submitted a FOIA, I think it
was, May 29th. Officially, I still do not have access. I did
inquire about it while I was still active duty and they would
not give it to me then, either. We will see if I ever get it
back.
Senator Blumenthal. Mr. Bell.
Chief Bell. Yes, Senator. Same thing I mentioned previously
with the reopening of my investigation. The information that
was provided to me from my 2016 investigation was missing large
portions of it. I did not receive any kind of written statement
or any information on who they interviewed. Absolutely nothing.
Since the reopening of my investigation, I tried to get it
again with my lawyer that was assigned to me and CGIA legal has
been stonewalling us and refused our FOIA request. I had to
resubmit another FOIA request, and we are just playing the game
at this point. I know your office has also dealt with trying to
get Coast Guard documents in a timely fashion, and it just
seems to be part for the course.
Senator Blumenthal. There's really no excuse for the
refusal to disclose these kinds of documents in your own cases
or to resist our Subcommittee's request for documents because
they are regarded as, and I am quoting, ``Sensitive''. There's
no legal privilege or basis to resist that kind of disclosure
to our Committee or Subcommittee.
The Coast Guard's been doing better under pressure. after a
year-long investigation, we are receiving more of the documents
that we requested, but we are still working on it. It's still a
work in progress and I hope that the Coast Guard will be more
receptive than they have been to disclosure to our
Subcommittee.
I want to give each of you an opportunity to say anything
in closing that you might want to take whatever time you would
like give each of you an opportunity if you would like to make
some closing remarks.
Ms. Ward. Thank you. I appreciate that. I do not want you
to get this wrong. I love the Coast Guard. I still do, but
there's a certain part of the Coast Guard that's completely
broken, and it's a national emergency. Shall we need to ``pop a
flare''? My husband likes to say.
The Coast Guard needs help in this particular aspect. I am
really heartbroken that the Coast Guard is not being
transparent with you. I would get congressionals all the time
in my jobs throughout my career, and we always had to hop to
and get it done. To hear that what they are doing to you just
broke my heart because that is not normal. From my experience,
I would have to put everything down and get it done quick and
fast. That's what I did. Because it's very important.
To see how they are treating you. Just goes back to the
whole, we are going to hide it because things were wrong, and
we do not want to show exactly how bad it's, and they are
protecting themselves. There's no other way to look at it as
why are we hiding it? Like, why can't we just give you all the
documents you are asking for?
Throughout my career, I came across working for certain
people, and Tina came across the particular officer that we had
in common years apart from each other, but with the same
mentality. He went on from where I saw him, and he went into
more position of power. He retired as an admiral. A beloved
admiral, that everybody would talk about how wonderful this
admiral was. But when you actually saw and had to work for him,
and saw how he treated you, if you were not one of the boys, it
shed a different light. This particular culture needs to really
stop, and it needs to stop now.
And training. You can give all the training you want. I did
20-plus years of training. Training is great, don't get me
wrong. But when people are not following what is written in
policy, when they are not following what's written in law, when
they are not following the training, who's holding them
accountable? No one. No one's holding anybody accountable.
My thing is, starting from the top, you need to work all
our way down. Current, and prior, retirees, separated, whatever
you have in your power under the law, and anything you have in
your tool belt, I really urge you to utilize those to tell the
Coast Guard that this culture is no longer going to be
condoned. We are putting a stop to it right now through action.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you.
Petty Officer Van Den Heuvel. Like Ms. Ward, I know it can
come off testifying about sensitive situations with the Coast
Guard that I do not like the Coast Guard. However, the opposite
is true. I absolutely love the Coast Guard. Everybody who meets
me knows that I love the Coast Guard.
Before this last incident in 2022, I was a recruiter, and I
volunteered to actually compete in the Coast Guard to be a
recruiter. I competed against hundreds of members in that
position because the Coast Guard absolutely changed my life. I
am from an impoverished area of San Louis, Missouri, and I had
experiences and opportunities that I never would have had if I
did not join the Coast Guard.
For me to sit here and say anything negative about the
Coast Guard to show how urgent and how serious the situation
is, just like you said, Senator, when you truly do support
something, you want the best version of that if you want to
ensure that the right things are being done. That is why I am
here, and I really appreciate you inviting me.
Ms. Owen. In closing, I would like to say I too came from a
very poor upbringing. So, joining the Coast Guard was like
staying at a Hilton. It was pretty impressive. I was excited. I
got food every day. I got clothes to wear and I actually got to
see the world.
For me, there was no giving up. I just ask you
respectfully, Senator, that you will dig a little into the past
and know that this is not the first time these issues have been
brought to light and brought to the public. We are the smallest
branch of the military services. If this is going on with the
Coast Guard, I can only imagine what could be going on with the
other branches of the service.
I think your message should not only just be to the Coast
Guard, but be to all the branches, and to the United States of
America. That sexual harassment and sexual assault will not be
tolerated. There will be measures in place that will allow
victims to live in a healthy state of mind, and perpetrators
will be penalized.
I thank you again for having us, and I hope that we do not
have to have too much more retraumatization because we are
retired as a collective group. You punch your card when you
feel like you cannot do another day. I know that to be certain
for myself. That 22 years seemed like a long time, but I know
that I could have helped a lot more folks if I would have had a
better environment to stay in. I think your message back to
Congress and to this country is that we stand united and we
won't tolerate this anymore. Thank you.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you.
Ms. Klement. Senator, I just want to say that I am so
grateful to be here. This has been a very healing experience
for the younger version of myself. I think that there needs to
be a way to hold these people accountable and to bring them
back. They did a lot of turmoil in just our lives and so many
others.
I also came from just a middle-class family who loves
America. I could not afford to go to college. The Coast Guard
was the option that I had, and I was really excited and happy
to serve my country. I am still proud that I made that
decision.
I was telling them last night at dinner, as weird as it
feels, I do not regret joining the Coast Guard. I do love the
Coast Guard. I love what it stands for. I love so many people
in the Coast Guard. There are so many wonderful people there,
but unfortunately, the people that are in charge are not making
the right decisions. They are teaching the people below them to
not make the right decisions. I would just love to be able to
see accountability. Thank you.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you.
Chief Bell. Thank you, Senator. Thank you everyone. I also
like to express my gratitude for being here today, for
meeting--already friends with Meghan. But meeting everyone else
in this panel is truly an honor, and it really is.
All of us have gone before us and spoken. It's the saying
that we stand on the shoulders of giants. That is absolutely
true. My thing with all this really, Senator, is the culture is
rebuilding trust because the Coast Guard's going to continue.
No matter what we do today, we will always be here, hopefully,
as a Nation. Our jobs are important, our missions are
important, protecting our nation is important, and protecting
our members is equally important.
We need to have leaders that are fully capable to do that,
that own their mistakes. Just as I teach my two children, you
make a mistake, or if you do something wrong, even if it was
not a mistake, you did it on purpose, you own it. You say,
``Yes, I did that. I'll learn from it. I am going to try to do
better next time.'' We still do not have that. We do not have
our leadership owning the past, owning the damage that has been
done.
That would be my call for this, Senator. Let's own up to
our past. Let's move forward. Let's keep pushing. We can make
this a wonderful place to work and to serve. Everyone deserves
the respect. We are all volunteers. We all sign up willingly to
serve our country and to potentially lay down our lives for
that cause. We deserve that respect. We deserve to be taken
care of. Until we have that, this issue will continue. Thank
you, Senator.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. Let me again say thank you
to all of you. Not only for your courage and strength, but also
your eloquence and your insight. This hearing has been
enormously valuable. I know that you are here because you love
the Coast Guard, all of you. Let nobody be under any
misimpression that you are here because, like all of us, you
revere and respect this great service.
Also make no mistake that the other branches of our
military have the same kinds of issues. I have spent 14 years
on the Armed Services Committee, and from day one, sexual
assault and harassment has been an issue that we have tried to
confront in every one of those other military services.
I have worked with Senator Gillibrand who's been a great
leader on this issue in legislation, and investigation, in
meetings, and hearings. We are not singling out the Coast
Guard. In fact, to give the Coast Guard credit, this
investigation started because of an investigation done by the
Coast Guard itself. Operation Fouled Anchor uncovered this
problem, but then unfortunately, the leadership of the Coast
Guard, then leadership, decided to conceal it and cover it up.
They would have done a great service to the Coast Guard if
they had simply in 2020, given it to the Congress and said, we
have a problem, but we are going to deal with it. The
commandant came before our Subcommittee and in her testimony,
she said, ``We will become an organization that is intolerant
of harmful behaviors, that is myopically focused on
transparency, and creates accountability for every member of
the organization.''
But as you have observed so well, we are past the point
where words are sufficient. We need to see action and your
recommendations provide a good basis going forward. We have
heard others, we are going to incorporate them in our report.
We are not about just uncovering evidence. We are about making
recommendations that that's what you want to do.
We are going to try to persuade the Coast Guard to match
the courage and strength of the whistleblowers who have come
forward, including yourself, with the actions that it can do
going forward. It's not just an act that's important. It's the
future of the Coast Guard. It depends on accountability and
transparency.
I can simply pledge to you that we are going to continue
this investigation, and we are going to do it with a sense of
urgency that you described because time is not on our side. The
brave and dedicated men and women who wake up every day in the
Coast Guard and protect our nation at risk to themselves, often
in harm's way, deserve nothing less than the truth telling that
we're going to demand of the Coast Guard and the action that
hopefully will fall to make the Coast Guard be better.
My thanks to every one of you for being here today. Thanks
again to Connecticut College for hosting us. I recognize that
each of you in the course of going through this experience, has
had to relive some of those experiences that you would rather
put behind you just as investigations of this topic forced
others to so as well. It's especially meaningful that you are
here today. This investigation will continue to be bipartisan,
nothing political about it. My hope is we will finish as soon
possible.
With that the record will remain open for 15 days for any
additional comments that you would like to make or questions
that my colleagues may have that you can respond in writing to.
Thank you all. The meeting is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 1:20 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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