My son Cody was one of eleven young US Marines who were arrested and prosecuted for relationships with a 13 year old girl who lied about her age. Eleven young men who have lost their military careers. Eleven young men who made a mistake, one by one. Each circumstance different, yet each circumstance so very similar.
Cody met Sarah at a park-like area by the Colorado River in Arizona, an area where many of the younger military personnel gather after floating down the river. They talked for awhile and she later acquired his phone number from another young marine and called him. Sarah told him she was 18 and on another occasion, she told him she was 17 and would be celebrating her 18th birthday the following month.
Late one night, Cody received a call from this Sarah. She was crying and said that her father had “thrown her out of the house” and “she was walking in the dark”. What Cody did not know was that Sarah was only 13 years old. He immediately left the base to pick her up as he did not want her to be walking alone at night.
Sarah’s father called the police and reported her as a runaway. A description of Cody’s truck was given to the local police department by a friend of Sarah’s who felt that Sarah was likely to call Cody to pick her up. Shortly thereafter, Cody was stopped by the police due to the description of the vehicle he was driving .
As Cody pulled to the side of the road, wandering why he was being stopped by the police, Sarah revealed her true age.
Cody endured hours of interrogation and admitted to having consensual sex with Sarah.
Sarah admitted to lying about her age. She also admitted to having similar relationships with several other young marines.
Cody was taken to jail.
Sarah was allowed to return home.
Cody was not Sarah’s first sexual encounter, nor her last. Clearly, had Sarah committed a robbery or a murder, she would have been punished for her actions. Clearly, this young lady is in need of counseling and intense supervision as the road she is traveling is a destructive one, not only for her but for the young men who are infatuated by a girl who appears to be, and says she is, much older than her true age.
Sarah’s Facebook and MySpace pages display provocative photos which would be deemed inappropriate by most standards. The pages also list her age as 18. Hopefully, she will move on with her life in a more productive and sensible way. Unfortunately, it will not be as easy for eleven young men to move on with their lives. They have lost the honor of fighting for our country, many are serving time in the military prison, and they will forever wear the scarlet letter of “sex offender”.
Sarah? She is now living on a different military base with her family. May God help the next eleven young marines.