Any young woman (or anyone else) who goes online to the Air Force Academy admissions center is met with a now unfortunately ironic quotation, written in old-fashioned gender-exclusive language and taken from an inscription on a campus statue: "Man's flight through life is sustained by the power of his knowledge."
These are words from a different culture when men were the only warriors. In a different era, that culture of men and power is arguably at the root of a sexual-assault scandal at the academy, and this knowledge shames an institution priding itself on honor and discipline.
Instead of the academy being diligent to take care of its own, it would seem that attitudes were such that women cadets could not trust the academy to help them when they were victims of sexual assault. Their complaints at last have found their way to Congress.
Although this is a sorry tale, it is encouraging that the allegations were met with the seriousness they deserved. Air Force Secretary James Roche told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that 54 cases of rape or sexual assault have been identified at the academy over 10 years, a figure that has since grown a little and may grow more. "We're learning enough to realize that change must occur -- change in the climate, change in how we manage," the secretary said.
The Air Force has launched an investigation that appears to be serious. Separately, both the Air Force secretary and its chief of staff, Gen. John P. Jumper, have visited the academy recently as a sign of their concern. As there is no explaining away such behavior, both have promised stern action. This is good news for the current women cadets (about 720 out of 4,200) and all who will follow them.
Implicit in this official call to action is the recognition that there's no going back to a male-only military. After all, the presence of women in the military is no longer novel -- they first entered the military academies nearly three decades ago -- and women have gone on to serve with great distinction.
Still, this profound change in the military culture has not always been easy and old attitudes die hard. The Tailhook scandal was a notorious example, tarnishing the image of naval aviators. The Air Force Academy has itself had problems with a series of sexual assaults reported in the early 1990s. This latest embarrassment should jolt everybody out of complacency.
Such scandals are not inevitable. Those who enter military academies are exceptional young people to begin with. They understand discipline. It's up to their commanders to establish a culture in which the ability to work and live respectfully with members of the opposite sex is a prerequisite to honorable service. In 2003, contrary to the description on the statue, men and women must fly through life together.
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