More than 250 Sailors, Marines and civilians from Naval Air Station Oceana (NAS) and Dam Neck Annex tenant commands participated in the 2nd Annual Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Awareness Challenge obstacle course hosted by Tactical Training Group Atlantic (TTGL) on board NAS Oceana Dam Neck Annex, April 5.

The participants in the event took time out of their day to show that there is support for those who have been through sexual assault, that it is time to stand up and be heard, that there is no excuse for sexual assault, and that there are always a team of people to support and stand behind victims.

"My goal for this event is to help end the stigma and let people know that there is an entire group of people out here supporting the effort to end sexual assault," said Electronics Technician 2nd Class Keshia Johnson, a victim advocate from TTGL.

This year's obstacles emphasized teamwork, showing that no one should go through sexual assault alone and that it requires the whole team to end sexual assault. In that light, many of the obstacles required participants to work as a team.

"There are people here for support. The network is bigger than just the victim advocates; there is an entire group of people here to support victims going through this," said Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Sherrai Lewis, a victim advocate from TTGL. "A big part of the SAPR program is understanding that no one has to go through this alone."

The obstacles were sponsored by other commands and the larger ones were painted with messages so that even the people not participating in the event saw the signs and the messaging.

"We are challenging people to step up and come forward," said Amy Wade-Smith, the lead installation Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) for Oceana and Dam Neck. "At every stage of this course there is going to be a team of people to step in and help participants complete the obstacles, just like there are people to support victims. We know that teamwork is a key part of this process, so helping one-another and letting people know that there is a team supporting people through this process."

The SAPR program is not just about responding after a tragic event has happened but is also geared toward training Sailors and Marines to be aware of their surroundings and step-up if something seems out of place.

The final obstacle of the day was a balloon-throw toward a chalk-written sign with the words "Help Us Blot Out Sexual Assault." By the end of the race the words 'Sexual Assault' were no longer visible, showing the commitment of these Sailors, Marines and civilians to eliminate sexual assault from the Navy and Marine Corps.

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