Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
(3-8) 16:40 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- Two Mendocino County high school students who say they were raped by Marine Corps recruiters sued the Marines in San Francisco today, claiming that the corps "fosters and condones'' sexual assaults by recruiters.
The suit, filed in federal court on behalf of the two 18-year-old Ukiah high school students who were not named, claimed that top Marine officers routinely ignored allegations against recruiters. The plaintiffs demanded that the Marines "properly train and supervise recruiters'' in the future.
Each woman is seeking about $1 million in damages from the Marines and the two recruiters in connection with the alleged rapes, which they said occurred early last year in the recruiting office in downtown Ukiah.
The two recruiters named in the suit, Sgts. Joseph Dunzweiler and Brian Fukushima, were both convicted and demoted in rank last year following courts martial in connection with allegations of sexual misconduct with recruits.
Both recruiters left the Marines after their superiors "determined that their further service was no longer in the interest of the Marine Corps,'' said Marine Corps Maj. Michael Samarov.
Recruit "Jane Doe" said in the lawsuit that she had been raped three times by Dunzweiler, and that he had told her she had to submit if she wanted to be accepted into the Marines.
"Mary Roe" said she had been drunk when Fukushima raped her. Neither recruit joined the Marines.
"I have always dreamed about being a Marine,'' Doe said in a statement released by her lawyer. "I thought they were the elite. But since this happened, they have done nothing but try to cover it up. I do not want this to happen to my younger sisters.''
Samarov denied that the corps had tried to cover up the incident, saying an investigation into the women's complaints began two days after they became known.
"The Marine Corps prides itself that we are a band of brothers and sisters," Samarov said. "All Marines are treated fairly firmly and with dignity and compassion.''
He said the corps had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on its specifics.
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