NEW LONDON, Conn. — On the heels of a scathing new report detailing the alleged mishandling of sexual assault allegations within the U.S. Coast Guard and at New London’s U.S. Coast Guard Academy, five whistleblowers came forward to publicly share their stories at a field hearing on Thursday.
The hearing was held at Connecticut College in New London, as part of an investigation into these claims, which is being conducted by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. PSI is a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs.
The “Coast Guard Whistleblowers: Sexual Assault and Harassment” hearing included testimony from:
• Julian Bell, Chief Warrant Officer 4, United States Coast Guard;
• Crystal Van Den Heuvel, Yeoman Petty Officer First Class, United States Coast Guard;
• Tina Owen, Lieutenant Commander (Retired), United States Coast Guard;
• Shawna Christine Ward, Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Retired), United States Coast Guard
• Meghan Lori Klement, Former Seaman, United States Coast Guard.
Each victim recounted their experiences of sexual assault and/or harassment during an open comment portion of the hearing.
“While the Coast Guard should be a place to thrive, for a lot of females and males the Coast Guard is a place to survive,” said Shawna Ward.
“Have you ever had a nightmare where you’re in a crowd of people and someone is after you but you can’t scream or run? That is what it felt like for me serving in the coast guard after my assaults,” said Tina Owen.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal chairs the subcommittee, which is digging in to “Operation Fouled Anchor,” an internal sexual assault investigation conducted by the Coast Guard itself between 1990 and 2006 that was kept hidden.
“They’re more concerned about the image of the Coast Guard, about getting the budget correct as opposed to taking care of their members,” said Julian Bell.
Witnesses told the subcommittee that allegations of sexual harassment and assault were handled improperly on countless occasions, with the accused often transferred, offered retirement or, in some cases, even moved up the ranks.
“These members that assaulted and harassed other members and were protected are still in the Coast Guard today. These are the flag officers and the commanding officers we are supposed to trust to make decisions regarding our reports,” said Crystal Van Den Heuvel.
Blumenthal asked the witnesses, who represent just a fraction of the over 80 whistleblowers that have come forward, what needs to be done to change the culture. They emphasized the need for accountability, pushing for perpetrators to be named. They also said they’d like to see third-party reporting options implemented and leaders who condone this “cover-up culture” to be weeded out.
“My cries and pleas to be seen and heard did not fall upon deaf ears, but weak leaders. Leaders who failed me at every level. My assaults became stains on their careers, but what they fail to see is their response is the stain,” said Meghan Lori Klement.
Though the Coast Guard has cooperated with the investigation and made policy changes when it comes to sexual assault training and reporting, survivors say it doesn’t go far enough. When Blumenthal asked those testifying if they believed that the response would be different if they had reported sexual misconduct today versus back when they first came forward, responses were mixed.
“I think my sexual harassment report would have been taken serious today only because I’m under a different command,” said Crystal Van Den Heuvel.
Others went on to express doubt, claiming that fear of retribution and intimidation still exists.
“Words are not enough to fix it; action actually has to be taken,” said Ward.
“The underlying trust issues. If we don’t address that, all the other policies and changes all the money we put into these efforts is going to be a waste.,” added Bell.
Blumenthal vowed that the subcommittee’s investigation will move forward with a sense of urgency. The record remains open for the next 15 days for witnesses to provide further comment if desired, and committee members to ask additional questions.
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Kaelee Collins is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. She can be reached at kcollins@fox61.com. Follow her on X, and Instagram.
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