My Body…My Life…: Vance Airmen teach sexual assault prevention

  • Published
  • By David Poe
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Team Vance Airmen and family members developed a distinctive set of resiliency tools during an offering of "My Body...My Life...," a women's empowerment program, at the Community Chapel Activity Center, April 28.

The class, offered through the 71st Security Forces Squadron, is taught by Vance Airmen who are formally certified to teach the comprehensive approach to risk reduction and issues surrounding violence against women - topics close to Maj. Sara Linck's heart.

When she was 19, Linck, who shared her story at the April 28 class, was assaulted while jogging in a neighborhood near her family's home.

"I'd grown up there and went to school there," Linck said of her experience. "You wouldn't really expect something to go wrong, but there were a few signs throughout the night that something was weird ... but I thought I was being paranoid."

She wasn't paranoid, and a brazen attacker attempted to accost her. She said her first reaction was one that traditional self-defense courses hadn't prepared her for - fright.

"I just froze," she said. "I had all of this training, and I couldn't even scream to save my life. I'm sure a few seconds went by, but it had seemed like a lot longer. It was long enough for my life to flash before my eyes."

The April 28 class focused on the awareness and empowerment modules of the curriculum. Designed by a Norman police officer more than 20 years ago, it also includes: relationships, self-esteem and abuse, alcohol and drugs, date/acquaintance rape, violent rape and cyber cautions. It was originally customized for high school students, but as interest grew, it has evolved to offer "promising practice in the prevention of violence against women ages 13 to 93."

2nd Lt. Isabel Crump, the 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs chief of media operations and a course instructor, helped teach the April 28 modules. She said the class is about having the tools to help recognize high-risk situations before they happen, but also having a plan for the moments when violence becomes a reality.

"This is a way for women to feel more prepared; to empower them to be ready and aware of their surroundings in case there's a situation they don't want to be in," she said.

Crump also stressed that My Body...My Life... is not about "victim blaming." Assault victims never put themselves into adverse situations; the lessons shared April 28 just reinforced ideas on how to recognize the potential for them.

Linck's fright did turn into fight and she did manage to scream and stave off her attacker, who fled and was later apprehended.

"You don't know how you're going to react unless you've thought it out or practiced it," said Linck. "I love this program because it's simple, and it gives you some tools to think about things beforehand. It's never your fault when something happens, but there are things we can do to prevent, empower and take care of ourselves."

For more information on the My Body...My Life... curriculum visit www.mybodymylife.net. To learn about upcoming offerings at Vance, contact Staff Sgt. Casey Hamm at 213-6580.