Chapter 7: We Just Wanted to Serve

This was the longest interview of the season, and it will be broken into two parts. In the final two episodes of Dark Sabre for Season 2, we present to you the most infuriating interview conducted in several years of running this podcast. This heartbreaking interview details the horrific rape of a female Academy Cadet, and how not only was the perpetrator simply just dismissed from the Academy without serving prison time, but he allegedly raped other women at the Air Force Academy and got away with it. His punishment? Removed from the Academy. The Secretary of the Air Force has yet to decide whether he will serve enlisted time, or pay back the Academy. Keep in mind, this Cadet, once an Air Force Special Operations Candidate for Combat Rescue, allegedly committed multiple crimes and was simply allowed to walk away from the Air Force Academy. OSI and the SAPR office utterly failed in their investigations. The JAGS assigned to this case failed miserably. The Superintendent and the Secretary of the Air Force have done NOTHING to ensure that he was criminally held liable for raping multiple women at the Academy. It was kept quiet. 

Several of these women who came forward, some of whom were interviewed this year (some still pending for Season 3) were ridiculed and lambasted by their peers. Others decided not to come forward because they were too embarassed and could not take the pressure of the military court system due to the lack of professionalism of the SAPR (Sexual Assault Prevention Response) group (Who I refer to as Tommy Tutone running an Excel Sheet within the episode), the inaction of the Superintendent Lt Gen Richard Clarke, the failure of the Commandant General Moga, and the embarassing response of the Secretary of the Air Force. This womans mental health was sacrified just to keep things quiet and keep the image of the United States Air Force Academy polished. 

If this episode doesn't make you want to call your Congressional Members to help the Dark Sabre Project push for the DeRito Act (See episode 1 of Season 2) and or infuriate the Graduate Community of the United States Air Force Academy to demand accountability of these officers to be removed from their positions, and to insitute real change at our Federal Service Academies, then we don't know what to tell you.  You are part of the problem of why we still have to interview women being forcabily raped when they still have tampons in. Yes. That has actually happened, more than once. Be the change. Make the Air Force Academy and our Federal Service Academies great again. 

~Music by Army Veteran, musician, artist, activist *YETI TEARS*
IG: @yetitears
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Interested in coming on the podcast with your story of making a positive difference? Reach out to Us!
~Adam DeRito
IG: @adam.derito
Facebook & Twitter: Adam DeRito
Website: www.adamderito.com

This is the second half of the interview from Chapter Twenty, and the Season 2 Finale for Dark Sabre, we are talking about the failure of the CATCH Program which resulted in a Cadet Suicide at the United States Air Force Academy. 

The episode gets heavy as there are discussions about the serial rapists being admitted to the Academy, Cadet Suicides, the type of people being recruited to the Academies, and we also discuss Division 1 Sports. We dive into the broken Mental Health Program at USAFA where this survivor and her rapist were assigned THE SAME mental health doctor! Part of this discussion is also about solutions on how to resolve these issues at the Federal Service Academies; and the solutions are very simple. Potential solutions? Make retaliation for mental health and sexual assault reporting illegal; move all sports to Division 3, and charge multiple leaders at the Air Force Academy under RICO. 

Air Force OSI and the Office of the JAG are also discussed in this episode, and their levels of incompetence at the Air Force Academy, and how their investigative processes need to change at the Air Force Academy in order to ensure that survivors are getting justice. Justice delayed is justice denied. The process of unrestricted reporting in the military was and is designed to fail to give a false sense of security in the U.S. military; nevermind our Federal Service Academies. 

The Association of Graduates is using its money and power at USAFA and the Graduate Community to ensure victims do not get justice. 

The Air Force Academy is only used to speak over victims, not to speak for them.

Have the Courage to Command. 

~Music by Army Veteran, musician, artist, activist *YETI TEARS*
IG: @yetitears
Spotify: Yeti Tears
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Interested in coming on the podcast with your story of making a positive difference? Reach out to Us!
~Adam DeRito
IG: @adam.derito
Facebook & Twitter: Adam DeRito
Website: www.adamderito.com

Cadet W has been through the wringer. From being assaulted, and going through the entire process, they have never been given justice and demand reform at our Air Force Academy from the graduate community. In this podcast we discuss all the tough topics, from rape, court martials, the failure of OSI, the failure of the Superintendant, and the failure of the mental health system at the United States Air Force Academy. This is a raw, real, and upsetting episode to listen to, and I hope it begins to bring clarity to the reality of what is going on at the United States Air Force Academy.  

~Music by Army Veteran, musician, artist, activist *YETI TEARS*
IG: @yetitears
Spotify: Yeti Tears
Twitch: yetitears

Interested in coming on the podcast with your story of making a positive difference? Reach out to Us!
~Adam DeRito
IG: @adam.derito
Facebook & Twitter: Adam DeRito
Website: www.adamderito.com

Today the Dark Sabre community will get to listen to a member of Permanent Party speak about their experiences as an Academy Military Trainer (AMT) at the United States Air Force Academy. They give a very balanced view outside of "Cadet World" on what their experiences have been like at the Academy, reforms they would like to see, and discuss many of the current controversies at the Academy that has been addressed to the Dark Sabre Team over the years. It's an eye opening interview, and I really hope people out there are listening to what is discussed in this podcast. 

~Music by Army Veteran, musician, artist, activist *YETI TEARS*
IG: @yetitears
Spotify: Yeti Tears
Twitch: yetitears

Interested in coming on the podcast with your story of making a positive difference? Reach out to Us!
~Adam DeRito
IG: @adam.derito
Facebook & Twitter: Adam DeRito
Website: www.adamderito.com

Cadet X spent most of her teenage years preparing to attend the Air Force Academy. What she didn't know was that when she got to the Academy, she would be raped by someone on the Drill Team, and that she would develop a medical condition that very well could prevent her from ever becoming a mother. The Air Force Academy's response? Silent and no justice. 

This brave Cadet also explains the critical issue of failing infrastructure at the Air Force Academy which has been giving Cadet's Chronic Rhinitis, affecting the medical readiness of our future officers. The Air Force Academy and the Association of Graduates has no problem spending millions upon millions of dollars to upgrade its football stadium, but simply is not investing enough time, money, and infrastructure spending to ensure Cadet's have a safe place to live and study during their four years at the Academy. As she explains, it is very rare that any Cadet makes it through their four year experience without experiencing some sort of trauma that is so easily preventable. The leaders of the Academy have absolutely failed its Cadets, and continue to turn their nose up at these critical issues that are being ignored. 

~Music by Army Veteran, musician, artist, activist *YETI TEARS*
IG: @yetitears
Spotify: Yeti Tears
Twitch: yetitears

Interested in coming on the podcast with your story of making a positive difference? Reach out to Us!
~Adam DeRito
IG: @adam.derito
Facebook & Twitter: Adam DeRito
Website: www.adamderito.com

Erika Willis recently graduated from the Air Force Academy and is currently training to be a medical doctor. She describes her struggles at the Air Force Academy with the forced teaching of critical race theory and transgender ideology. As someone training to be a medical doctor, it is intellectually dishonest to be teaching ideals versus science on how to treat patients in our ever evolving Air Force and military as a whole. In addressing issues of sexual assault, and the lack of leadership in the Air Force to protect all of its members, this episode will challenge the current state of the Air Force Academy and the Air Force. It's an intense and controversial conversation, and I hope that this episode challeges that narrative from the perspective of a medical professional in our nations military. 

~Music by Army Veteran, musician, artist, activist *YETI TEARS*
IG: @yetitears
Spotify: Yeti Tears
Twitch: yetitears

Interested in coming on the podcast with your story of making a positive difference? Reach out to Us!
~Adam DeRito
IG: @adam.derito
Facebook & Twitter: Adam DeRito
Website: www.adamderito.com

Major Jared Hafich is a 2014 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He is a veteran of Academic, Conduct, and Aptitude Probations while at the Zoo, and faced dismissal his Firstie Year for “less than arbitrary” reasons. After persevering, he commissioned as a Security Forces Officer and led a successful career in Law Enforcement, Nuclear Weapons Security, and excelled in his duties at a Military Police Instructor. Jared has led, and learned from, countless stellar Enlisted Defenders. He realized the importance of caring for those under your command, thanks mostly in part to the lessons he learned while being “under the gun” while up on The Hill.

For more info on our guest CPT Jared Hafich
Instagram: the_halfinch

~Music by Army Veteran, musician, artist, activist *YETI TEARS*
IG: @yetitears
Spotify: Yeti Tears
Twitch: yetitears

Interested in coming on the podcast with your story of making a positive difference? Reach out to Us!
~Adam DeRito
IG: @adam.derito
Facebook & Twitter: Adam DeRito
Website: www.adamderito.com

Rising from the ashes, former Cadet Joe Scioscia tells his story of his time at the United States Air Force Academy came from a family of service, and was failed by permanent party when he sought out leadership the most.

Then Cadet Scioscia put in for a "Staff Summary Sheet" or Triple S to go to a wedding for a friend. He was initially given permission by his instructors and his Air Officer Commanding (AOC). He was accused of lying to his AOC about going to the wedding, despite getting permission prior to leaving USAFA for the wedding. A classic case of miscommunication and lack of empathy, Cadet Sciosica was charged with an "Honor Violation" in a clear case of overbearing unlawful command influence from a spiteful commander. This is another classic case of a Cadet's experience is completely dependant on their AOC, and Joe's case in particular is a classic example of failed leadership within the Permanent Party of the United States Air Force Academy. This is a perfect example of why the Cadet Handbook/Cadet Sight Picture needs to be abolished because the rules only pertain the the Academy, and are not in line legally with the Uniform Code of Military Jusitce. As a result, the Cadet Rules can be taken out of context and utilized by a poor commander to drastically affect the lives of their Cadets that they should be mentoring to become good lieutenants. 

Cadet Scioscia's mother was diagnosed with cancer and went through an extensive procedure, and instead of expressing empathy and understanding, Cadet Scioscia's philosophy professor tried to charge him with an Honor Violation for submitting a draft assignment without a works cited page, and his AOC at the time jumped on the opportunity crush him once again. His story is disheartening, because instead of mentoring and helping Cadet Scioscia through one of the most difficult periods of his life, he sent him to another Honor Board for parking his vehicle at the Cadet Chapel while working as an altar server at the Cadet Chapel, and his professor accused him of cheating on an assignment during his mother's cancer recovery. Despite explaining the entire situation with legitimate evidence of not violating the Honor Code, Cadet Scioscia was removed from the Academy. 

Despite his personal failures as a Cadet, Joe rose from the ashes of his experiences at the Air Force Academy and became a Constitutional lawyer based upon his journey at the Academy, to ensure that other American's do not have their rights violated as his were during his time in the Air Force. 

Cadet Brad Wudby experienced an extrodinary experince at the United States Military Academy, better known as West Point. He was a football player who experienced significant difficulties and was retaliated against by his chain of command. Despite completeing requirements for graduation, then Cadet Wudby was kicked out and forced to pay back his tuition. What did he do? He filed suit against West Point and applied to the Army Board of Corrections for Military Records. 

In May of 2007, the board ruled to reinstate his degree, but the Secretary of the Army overruled the Boards decision. The importance of this case is showing the unprecedented power that these arbitrary military board of corrections have, and despite ruling in favor of service members, the Service Secretaries can overrule these decisions. They should not have these ultimate authorities that disregard the Constitutional Rights of our service members. In the end, Brady Wudby was awarded his "equivalent completion" degree, but it did not come without personal mental health consequences when he became a Narcotics and Organized Crime Detective for the New Jersey Port Authority as a law enforcement officer. 

Melissa and Anthony have a compelling story of perseverance, service, and love. Melissa was sexually assaulted as a Cadet at the Academy, and found comfort in a fellow Cadet Anthony. After falling in love with each other at the United States Air Force Academy while each of them competed in NCAA Division 1 Athletics, they discovered that they had an unplanned pregnancy.

Melissa was shamed for being pregnant while she was a Cadet, most notably by Col (Ret) Gail Colvin, who was one of the first women to graduate from the Air Force Academy. Melissa, being a Catholic, refused to have an abortion and wanted the responsibility of being a mother. Col (Ret) Colvin encouraged many women at the Air Force Academy to have abortions during her tenure there because it wasn't deemed as being "professional". Melissa recognized when she came back to be an instructor at USAFA that many Cadets struggled with unplanned pregnancies and were terrified of USAFA leadership because they felt they had no options. Melissa and Anthony have dedicated over ten years of their lives to changing that stigma at our Federal Service Academies. 

Melissa and Anthony shared the strong desire to serve their country as commissioned officers, and give back to the Air Force Academy as instructors. While navigating the archaic rules of our Federal military academies, Anthony and Melissa had to endure significant hardship in order to keep their family together…all while upholding their oath as military service members. Join Melissa and Anthony on this special two part episode where we will discuss the challenges, legal implications, and story of exceptional resilience that led to the creation of the CADET Act, and why this important reform for our federal military academies effects us all.

Instagram: Adam.DeRito

Website: www.adamderito.com

Music: YetiTears