Legalman 2nd Class Ronald Forster, Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Japan volunteered as the producer and official master of ceremonies of Sailors Challenging Reality and Educating Against Myths (SCREAM), a Sexual Assault Awareness program featuring volunteer Sailors performing skits intended to educate Sailors about sexual assault April 18-19.
"The purpose of SCREAM is to challenge sailors frame of mind in regards to sexual assault," said Forster. "We pick scripts specifically designed to make sailors think about the situations and how they could prevent the assault from happening or if they are a victim, what they can do to respond in regards to reporting, whether restricted or unrestricted."
Forster put in over 100 hours of volunteer efforts resulting in a fantastic production which has already received praise from various Flag officers, area commands, and Sailors of all ranks. "Our goal is to train as many sailors in prevention, response, and resolution as possible so that we can, in the future, protect our shipmates," said Forster. "The theme for this year's sexual assault prevention month was "Protecting our people protects the mission," and we strived to show that sexual assault affects both the sailors involved and the command as a whole."
Forster learned that teamwork can make anything come together like a well-oiled machine. He was among volunteers from eight commands who were all passionate about presenting this training and presenting it right. The production was masterfully carried out and clearly left audiences impressed and with much to think about.