12 Cadets Claim Reprimands for Reporting Sexual Assaults

The number of female U.S. Air Force Academy cadets who say they were sexually assaulted and then reprimanded for reporting it has increased to 12, Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) said Friday.

News reports last week said at least five female cadets claimed they got in trouble for reporting they had been sexually assaulted. Allard said his office has since heard of seven more cases.

Academy officials did not return calls for comment Friday.

An Air Force team is at the Colorado Springs-based academy looking into the reports after Allard and Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) asked the Pentagon to investigate.

Allard said he did not know the outcome of the more recently reported cases, but he said he believes the women’s stories.

“If the man is the one who committed the rape, he is the one who should be kicked out and not the victim,” Allard said.

In the five earlier cases, one woman said she was raped after a night of drinking and strip poker. Another said she left the academy after commanders responded to her rape allegation by charging her with violating rules against drinking, fraternization with upperclassmen and having sex in dormitories, according to the news reports.