Coast Guard whistleblower resigns over ‘cruel’ sexual assault cover-ups: ‘Used me to silence victims’

Shannon Norenberg, the former Sexual Assault Response Coordinator at the United States Coast Guard Academy, recently announced her resignation, claiming that she was used in the USCG’s “cruel” attempt to conceal a number of sexual assaults.

Last year, CNN reported that an investigation into the Coast Guard Academy revealed a “disturbing pattern” of alleged rape and assault cover-ups and that the probe’s discoveries were kept secret for years.

'They did not want the victims to have any proof that their cases even existed.'

The investigation, dubbed Operation Fouled Anchor, uncovered misconduct from the late 1980s through 2006, involving more than 75 agents and 20,000 hours of research, Blaze News previously reported.

The 2019 draft report read, “There was a disturbing pattern of not treating reported sexual assaults as criminal matters.”

High-ranking officials “did not adequately investigate allegations as serious criminal matters and hold perpetrators appropriately accountable,” the report stated.

CNN reported that the investigation’s findings were not reported to Congress until last summer.

On Sunday, Norenberg released a letter announcing that she had recently decided to resign from her position after she realized that the USCG misled her and the sexual assault victims.

“The Coast Guard lied to me. Worse than that, they used me to lie to victims, used me to silence victims, and used me in a coordinated effort to discourage victims of sexual assault at the Academy from speaking to Congress about their assaults and about the Coast Guard’s investigation of their cases,” Norenberg wrote.

She explained that in 2018, she was assigned to Operation Fouled Anchor and, as part of the mission, was directed to meet with the victims in what she ultimately believed would amount to an “apology tour.” Norenberg stated that she was initially instructed to provide the individuals with a CG-6095 form to report the sexual assault to the Coast Guard. She noted that she “wonder[ed] why we were giving this to the victims just now if the investigation was already four years old.”

Norenberg concluded that the alleged sexual assaults were likely never entered into the Defense Sexual Assault Incident Database if the victims had never filled out the official form.

According to Norenberg, the meetings with the victims were “very emotional.”

“Many of the victims we met with cried throughout the meetings. One of the things the victims were most angry about was that none of their perpetrators had ever been held accountable for the crimes they’d committed. That anger at the lack of accountability was a consistent theme during the meetings. Some victims were upset that the Coast Guard had ripped open the wounds they had received at the Academy all those years ago, only to take no action against the perpetrators in the end,” Norenberg wrote.

“Some talked about having to relive trauma that had been long buried,” she continued. “Some talked about the pride they still felt at having served despite what happened. Some of the victims couldn’t bear to meet with us but sent their parents instead. Some were glad to at least hear something back from the Coast Guard and to receive some acknowledgment.”

Norenberg explained that just before the first meeting, she was instructed not to provide any of the victims with the CG-6095 form.

“The CG-6095 is proof for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (‘VA’) that the victim reported a sexual assault that occurred while they were in the military. Having this form makes it much easier for survivors of Military Sexual Trauma (‘MST’) to obtain services from the VA to deal with their trauma,” she explained.

Norenberg argued that the decision not to offer the forms was likely an attempt to prevent Congress from discovering the secretive operation.

“Another reason I believe the Coast Guard did not offer the victims CG-6095’s is because they did not want the victims to have any proof that their cases even existed or had ever been investigated,” she continued. “The whole thing was a cruel coverup at the expense of the victims, with the entire purpose being to preserve the image of the Coast Guard and avoid scandal. And the Coast Guard used me as part of their plan.”

The Coast Guard Academy has not responded to Norenberg’s allegations, The Hill reported.

Last year, the Coast Guard said in a statement to CNN that it is “dedicated to supporting and addressing the needs of survivors, improving access to justice, holding offenders accountable and ensuring a coordinated response to sexual assault and harassment.”

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