# Ohio National Guard, DLA Land and Maritime partner to raise awareness at SAAPM 5K 

/ Published April 28, 2023
COLUMBUS, Ohio, 
A cloudy and brisk April afternoon didn’t stop dozens of Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime associates and Ohio National Guard members from running for a good cause.

                Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Commander Army Brig. Gen. Gail Atkins and Chief of Staff Air Force Col. Craig Lowery run in the inaugural Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month 5K April 26 at the Defense Supply Center Columbus Fitness Center. The event was a joint effort between DLA Land and Maritime and the Ohio National Guard to bring awareness of sexual assault in all its forms and learn about ways to support survivors.                            SAAPM 5K                            Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Commander Army Brig. Gen. Gail Atkins and Chief of Staff Air Force Col. Craig Lowery run in the inaugural Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month 5K April 26 at the Defense Supply Center Columbus Fitness Center. The event was a joint effort between DLA Land and Maritime and the Ohio National Guard to bring awareness of sexual assault in all its forms and learn about ways to support survivors.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Arthur Hylton/DSCCVIRIN: 230424-D-DM952-7763

The inaugural Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month 5K run stepped off from the Defense Supply Center Columbus Fitness Center April 26 after remarks from DLA Land and Maritime Commander Army Brig. Gen Gail Atkins and Ohio Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Air Force Brig. Gen. David Johnson.

“This is a joint problem, and it requires a joint solution,” Atkins said.

Johnson echoed that sentiment.

“We are only as effective and only as strong, only as powerful when our entire team is focused on the mission and when we have members that are suffering in silence, sometimes, we can't be effective,” he said.

The joint event between the Ohio National Guard and DLA Land and Maritime was designed to highlight resources available to victims of sexual assault and spark conversations on how to prevent assault, how to report assault and ways to support survivors.

Atkins shared that every 68 seconds, someone in our country is sexually assaulted and those who serve in the military services are representative of that.

“So, when you're running out here today,” she told the run participants. “Think about how many people are negatively affected in that time frame.”

Statistics from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network show one in four women and one in 33 men are going to experience some type of unwanted sexual attack or assault in their lifetime.

And the challenge with that is that 75% of it never goes reported, Atkins said.

The Defense Department SAAPM website encourages everyone to “take a step forward and highlight the power of acts that can bolster prevention, increase reporting and promote advocacy for a safer DOD community.”

“It's our responsibility to create an environment where there is trust that someone will report it,” Atkins said. “We all have an opportunity to truncate this.”

She challenged everyone at the event to play an active role in curbing sexual assault in their daily lives.

“There's a reason we're out here doing this, so we can come together as a community and think about how we can collectively stamp this out,” she said.

For more information regarding sexual assault and reporting options, contact DLA Land and Maritime’s Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Shari Murnahan at 614-692-8846, visit the DLA SAPR website or call the DLA SAPR 24/7 hotline at 1-800-841-0937.

View a highlight video below: