New Sexual assault victim advocates take over at AEDC

  • Published
  • By Patrick Ary
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Two AEDC employees are stepping into new roles as the base's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response victim advocates.

Wind tunnel project manager Allie Falk and financial management specialist Lynn Armer recently completed training at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with the Sexual Assault Resource Coordinator there. Because AEDC is a smaller installation and has a smaller military and civilian population, cases are referred to Eglin's SARC.

Falk and Armer received victim advocate training, where they learned the rules and regulations of sexual assault cases in the Air Force. They also learned more about the types of emotional and moral support they would provide and the resources available to them through Eglin.

"During our training at Eglin we were taught symptoms of sexual assault, the trauma of it, the healing aspect, helping skills, self-care for the victim, substance abuse, the victim blaming themselves, etc.," Armer said. "I was very unaware of how often drug-facilitated rapes occur and what they use to render the person helpless. I hope being a VA, we can help the victim with the tools they need to recover from the assault and begin their healing process."

Both women say they volunteered for the program because it is an opportunity to help someone during a critical time of need. Falk, who also does work with suicide prevention outside of AEDC, said she has seen up close and personal what sexual assault victims go through.

"You see their emotional states and how, if they didn't get help 20 years ago when it happened and they're trying to get help now, it affects them later in life," Falk said. "And we just want to be there when it happens to them - to help them start that healing process as quickly as possible."

Falk and Armer will take over the VA duties at AEDC from Sue Sipe and 1st Lt. Charmeeka Scroggins. Sipe said a large part of their role will be educating others about how to prevent incidents from happening in the first place.

"A lot of their role will be providing training for the base and maintaining an interpersonal network with local agencies," Sipe said. "They also will be AEDC's knowledge base for what's new in the movement, understanding, education and crime statistics. They should be able to provide the latest information if someone is inquiring."

Falk and Armer will have a list of contacts at area hospitals and shelters, as well as sexual assault counselors they can refer victims to. As they settle into their new roles they plan to meet with those professionals. They also want to explore what prevention training and programs they can offer in an attempt to stop incidents before they can occur.

Anyone needing assistance from a sexual assault victim advocate can call the Arnold Sexual Assault Hotline at (931) 581-7494. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Calls are confidential.