WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, four women described to a Senate subcommittee the sexual abuse and harassment they endured at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
They said there was a systematic failure within leadership that was supposed to protect them.
The military branch acknowledged the failure in an internal report.
Three women who attended the academy and one current cadet detailed what they endured at the prestigious institution.
Academy Senior Kyra Holmstrup was one of those who detailed the abuse.
"'No' to him was an invitation to try again," she said. "I've seen the reporting process continue to re-victimize those who courageously come forward."
Retired Lt. Melissa McCafferty said she was repeatedly raped but was afraid to report it.
"They just don't care. They just want to make the next rank and I have seen it. In the fleet, at the academy, and at the senior-most levels," McCafferty said.
For Caitlin Maro, who left the academy after one semester, it's too little, too late.
"My main perpetrator is currently a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard. He is thriving in a career that I hoped for," Maro said during her testimony.
The hearing came in the wake of media reports detailing a yearslong investigation called "Operation Fouled Anchor" into allegations of dozens of sexual assaults at the Coast Guard Academy as well as decades of mishandled reporting of the assaults.
Lawmakers weren't happy that they weren't told about the investigation.
"That report was concealed, hidden and withheld from the United States Congress," Sen. Richard Blumenthal said.
In a report issued earlier this month, the Coast Guard said change is necessary. They called for policies to ensure accountability related to sexual assault and harassment and increased oversight.