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SARC is here to help

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Amber R. Kelly-Herard
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --  Joint Base Balad, Iraq, has the only Sexual Assault Response Coordinator office for the entire Iraq area of responsibility.

The SARC Office on JB Balad is responsible for all personnel of all branches, to include contractors.

"The mission of the SARC Office is to educate and advocate," said Capt. Richard Laca, JB Balad SARC Office chief. "We educate about different pro-active bystander intervention techniques and sexual assault prevention, and advocate for those that need help."

Laca does site visits throughout Iraq, along with conducting SARC briefings at Right Start and commander's calls to educate the populous about the SARC program and on how bystanders should intervene if they see something that could lead to a sexual assault.

Although Laca is stationed at JB Balad, he travels to Kirkuk Air Base, Al Asad Air Base, Sather Air Base and Ali Air Base to conduct site visits and victim advocate training.

More than 75 victim advocates throughout Iraq help with the SARC program. Laca instructs an 8-hour training course for those interested in becoming a victim advocate in Iraq.

"The victim advocates help by going to appointments with sexual assault victims and, more importantly, they are an open ear for them," said Laca, who is deployed from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

Either Laca or a victim advocate can meet anybody, anywhere, except in a containerized housing unit. They will remain with the victim of sexual assault until the victim says they no longer need their services.

The SARC program also acts as a liaison between the victim and different departments such as Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Army Criminal Investigation Department, Legal and medical personnel.

"The biggest challenge is getting everyone to realize the SARC program is a program to help victims of sexual assault and not a program of calling men rapists or women victims," said Laca, who is a native of Sacramento, Calif.

Laca comes to JB Balad with much experience. His SARC program at Eielson AFB was named Pacific Air Forces SARC Program of the Year. Laca has been able to implement parts of his award-winning program from Eielson and his previous deployment to help the SARC program here in Iraq.

"I highly encourage everyone from our wing commander to an airman basic, as well as, civilian contractors to remain on alert and become a pro-active bystander who will report and prevent any type of unacceptable conduct and behavior at all times," said Laca.