> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A living casualty of war - URL: https://www.smdp.com/a-living-casualty-of-war/ - Published: 2006-11-13T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T22:05:46.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Events, Pier, #archive-import *Soldier’s mom takes matters into own hands* SANTA MONICA PIER — It’s a holiday that has new meaning to Sara Rich. Standing before a sea of white crosses at Arlington West of Santa Monica — the temporary war memorial erected on the beach just north of the pier — Rich, the mother of Army Spc. Suzanne Swift, came to pay her respects to the thousands of lives lost in the war. “This is where I honor the human sacrifice of Iraq, and not just the soldiers,” Rich said on Saturday of the civilians who have died in Iraq. “I thought this was the right place to pay respects to these 2,000 families living my worst nightmare.” On Veterans Day, a holiday when the nation honors and thanks those who served in war, Rich, of Eugene, Ore., wonders why the military is mistreating her daughter, a veteran of the Iraq war. Swift, 22, has been held in custody at Fort Lewis, Washington, since June for being absent without leave. Swift is said to be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, a mental condition caused after she was allegedly sexually assaulted three times by at least two commanding officers during her first tour of Iraq in 2004. The military confirmed and disciplined one of the officers in one case, and dismissed the other two cases, saying Swift’s claims were unsubstantiated. It’s a story that has been heard far too often in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — a female soldier being mistreated, discriminated against or sexually harassed in the U.S. military. However, this tale has a twist. Unable to face another tour of duty in January, after the horrors she faced during her first, Swift stayed home with two and a half years still remaining in her commitment to the Army. Five months later, she was apprehended and now faces the possibility of court martial and dishonorable discharge. Her mother is now touring the country, speaking out against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — two wars in which the Pentagon has reportedly received more than 500 complaints of sexual assaults in the U.S. military. “She’s suffering,” Rich said. “She’s an Iraq veteran who is being prosecuted for being a victim.” Five months after her daughter was taken away, Rich, the granddaughter of a colonel, has a different perspective of Veterans Day. “I have more grief around it,” she said, pointing to the white crosses that symbolize each of the U.S. lives lost in the wars.“I have more grief for them. I grieve for the ones on the street. I grieve for the ones in danger and the ones who are psychologically damaged.” TAKING A STAND The military’s attitude toward Swift’s case is unacceptable to Rich, who has taken action since her daughter was apprehended, rounding support among women’s rights advocates and anti-war activists across the country to demand Swift’s honorable discharge from the military. Veterans groups such as Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War have come out in support, staging a sit-in at the office of Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) in Washington D.C. in September, causing him to promise a congressional investigation into Swift’s case. But there has been no congressional investigation, as promised by DeFazio, Rich said. “If we initiate something, he \[DeFazio\] will take it to the armed forces committee,” Rich said of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services. A petition to free Swift has circulated across the country and received more than 5,000 signatures to date. Rich has also started a Web site (www.suzanneswift.org), where she keeps supporters updated on Swift’s mental condition, which she says has been deteriorating due to stress and depression. Rich believes her daughter will be forced to serve another 18 months and then be honorably discharged. With the turn of events over the past five months and the increased publicity over Swift’s case, Rich hopes that women entering the military will be wary of the potential dangers, aside from roadside bombings and suicide bombers. When Swift told her mother she was going to Iraq, the thought of sexual harassment was something that never entered Rich’s mind. “I heard stories, but I thought ‘not my daughter, she’s tough,’” Rich said. “If a woman enters the military, be aware of manipulation and abuse. Stay in numbers. Don’t be alone with a man.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 13, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111306.pdf?ref=smdp.com)