Two of Maine’s congressional delegation are leading the charge when it comes to advocating for members of the military who have been sexually assaulted or raped.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, spoke with hundreds of veterans from around the country who are victims of sexual assault in the military, this week at “Truth and Justice: The 2012 Summit on Military Sexual Violence,” hosted by the Service Women’s Action Network. Pingree was thanked by conference-goers for her advocacy.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was also thanked and awarded The Lauterbach Award for Truth and Justice during a ceremony at the conference for her commitment to the elimination of sexual violence in the military. The award is named for Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, who was just 20 years old when she was murdered in 2007 by a fellow Marine accused of raping her only weeks earlier. Her mother, Mary Lauterbach, presented Collins with the award. Since her daughter’s death, Lauterbach has been actively working to increase awareness of sexual assault in the military and to improve both the care and justice that service members receive when sexually assaulted.

Collins, along with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., submitted the Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act last year, provisions of which were included in the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law in December. Those provisions allow sexual assault survivors in the military to seek the assistance of advocates with confidentiality, and survivors also have guaranteed access to a lawyer. Survivors also gained the ability to request expedited consideration to be transferred far away from the location of their assailant.

The important work these women are doing on behalf of service members should make every Mainer proud, and their efforts to eradicate these despicable acts of sexual violence are rightly commended.

No one wants to believe that service members would perpetrate these crimes against their fellow soldiers, but the fact is, it happens. And when it does, those victims need to be supported and their cases taken seriously. Service members also need to feel like they can speak up when they are assaulted, without fear of retaliation or that their situation will be ignored.

Pingree and Collins have been working to make these rights realities, and they showed their continued support for veterans like Jennifer Norris of Rumford, a 15-year veteran of the Air National Guard, who said she was raped and sexually assaulted soon after joining the military.

At the conference, Norris said, “I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me, I had lost my purpose in life. And when I started to see other people who were victims, I realized it was my duty to speak out and bring attention to this problem. It gives me a sense of purpose. I’m a soldier again, but now for a new cause.”

Stories like Norris’ ”“ told by the courageous service members who speak out ”“ push legislators like Pingree and Collins to fight for these rights, to aid those in the military who experience such acts during a very difficult time.

Pingree has also sponsored legislation in support of victims. Her bill would make it easier for veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder from sexual assault to get benefits. Currently, she said, veterans are often denied benefits because records of an assault are incomplete or unclear. Her legislation would address those cases by lowering the standard of proof victims are required to provide.

Pingree also recently met with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who agreed to make several changes to Pentagon policy regarding sexual assault in the military, she said, including the establishment of a special victims unit and mandatory training for all personnel within two weeks of joining the military.

As support for victims of sexual assault in the military is strengthened, another thing needs to change: The culture that allows women and men to be assaulted by their peers. Such behavior should not be tolerated, and certainly not swept under the rug. Any incidence of sexual assault is one too many.

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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.