NTTC Hosts "No Zebras & More"

SAN ANTONIO (NNS) -- Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) on board Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio hosted No Zebras and More March 19.

No Zebras, No Excuses is the first large-scale program of its kind to address and focus on the bystander mentality regarding sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR). The group includes professional advocates with degrees ranging in specialties from social work to professional counseling.

NTTC Commanding Officer Cmdr. Lee Alexander said, "NTTC is very fortunate to have the No Zebras, No Excuses training team give this presentation to our staff and students."

The group travels around the globe teaching Sailors and dependents that perpetrators of sexual assault can be held accountable for their actions. The presentation also shows sexual assault for what it truly is: a crime.

"It was a great opportunity to have real-life training for the students," said Chief Master-At-Arms Delilah Clymer, SAPR representative for NTTC. "It gives them the opportunity to really see, feel, hear and experience what is going on and what we can do to help prevent it."

"The training that I saw is better than anything we saw in boot camp," said NTTC student, Seaman Roberto Tapiador. "They presented it straight and [it] was a real eye opener for me."

Seaman Turner Adcock, another NTTC student, said, "It was very meaningful to me, and I feel much more educated about the subject matter, what it is and how to prevent it."

"I believe the training on sexual harassment benefited all of us young recruits in preparation for the fleet," said NTTC student Seaman Stephanie Dersch. "I was personally impacted by the skits, and it is something that I encourage all young people to attend."

"The military men and women sacrifice so much for this country. It is a great opportunity for us to be able to give back to them with this training," said Paul Carbini, who has been with No Zebra & More for three years.

Carbini emphasized the team feels that military personnel respond well to the training and that they really take it to heart and listen. He added that the team could see the personal impact this training has on people especially when they come to thank and share personal stories with the team.

"Because our students are the future leaders of the Navy, this is a great investment by the Navy to ensure they learn in the very early stages of their career that the Navy has a zero tolerance policy regarding sexual assault," said Alexander. "They will also know that should a sexual assault occur, the Navy has both trained personnel and professional resources to assist the victim."

NTTC Lackland is a component within the Center for Security Forces who provides specialized training to more than 28,000 students each year and has 14 training locations across the U.S. and around the world.

For more news from Center for Security Forces, visit www.navy.mil/local/csf/.