European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 30, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A sunday. October 30, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 5family from Page 1 to his e-5 pay until the clemency period runs out which is about 45 Days after the end of trial i was told a Elvira Coles said. A then he s reduced to  pay which i will been led to for a maximum of 12 months and then we receive nothing a no Cham pus civilian health and medical program of the uniformed services no health program  still she insists that Money Isnit her main worry. A. V a  a a a a a a a the toughest part is helping my abused daughter Damaris overcome her guilt for telling me the truth about her father a Coles said. A although her father and i have told her again and again that daddy did something terribly wrong she still blames herself for telling me about it and plunging the family into hard  the turning Point for the Coles family began at Midnight june 18 during a Barbecue dinner and party that Coles and her husband were hosting at their army stairwell apartment in bad Kissinger. It was then that Elvira Coles encountered her husband and 7-year-old daughter together in the bathroom in what seemed very suspicious circumstances. She soon coaxed the truth from both learning that her husband of seven years had been abusing the child since she was 4 years old. A my first reaction was to kill him. I was torn up with anger but my first concern was my daughters health and i rushed her immediately to the Hospital in Wurzburg. They reported the abuse to the  the Hospital found that Damaris had not been physically injured because the sexual encounters had not involved vaginal penetration she said. The sergeant admitted in court to three sex acts with his daughter dating to 1991. A my daughter feels no anger at her father although she has been told a by both of us a that he did something wrong to her a Coles said. A she said she still loves her daddy and has forgiven him. If she can do that then i am also willing to forgive but not  her belief that the family could be salvaged led Coles to plead at her husbands court martial for special treatment. She begged the court to put her husband and family into a joint sexual offenders rehabilitation program mentioning specifically the army run program at fort Knox by. A by entering this program Ido not think that my husband will be getting off Scot free or that the government is losing a she stated to the court. A the government would be saving a family. A if he is sent away we will All be victims. This program would give us the Opportunity to be together and work As a family unit a she said. But the judge refused to recommend her husband for family treatment choosing instead the prison sentence. A i was disappointed because we had the chaplain Ana two social workers who pleaded in our favor a Elvira Coles said. Many of the participants in the court martial have refused to discuss the Case with the stars and stripes including the judge the prosecutor defense attorney and one of the social workers. Stanley Coles battalion chaplain capt. Charles e. Reynolds who testified at the court martial also refused to be interviewed. But in a written statement he said that people should be reminded what devastating effects such a crime has upon a family. He wrote that it was important for the army to be sensitive to doing All it can for those who seek help. Another witness who urged group treatment for the Coles family was army it col. Rene j. Robichaux who was appointed by the court to the sergeants defense team. He is the director of the social work department at Lan Stuhl army regional  s. A it. 5a Quot we a. A amps Kevin Dougherty it col. Rene j. Robichaux who has counselled army sgt. Stanley b. Coles believes therapy at fort Knox would have been the Best Choice in his patients Case. Medical Center near Kaiserslautern  a a a a a a Robichaux who has extensive training in the areas of child sexual abuse and abnormal behaviour was selected to provide psychological care for Coles who attempted suicide three times following his arrest. A at the Coles trial i fully supported the defense lawyers Appeal to the judge to recommend the defendant be referred to the fort Knox sexual offenders rehabilitation program a Robichaux said. A i know of no other diversion program in the  Robichaux said he favored diversion because the Coles family wants to stay together. A a y a a a a mrs. Coles is not very typical in her reaction to this Shock the family has received a he said. A when you meet her you know she can protect her  in most incest cases he said a the wife uses the incident to escape from a tyrannical  not this time. A mrs. Coles grabbed him by the Scruff of the neck got his confession and took her child to the Hospital. So in this Case family therapy is the Best Protic Tion for the child a he said. Robichaux said he believes that the military court system in Europe is flawed when it comes to cases involving children. A in the United states civilian courts appoint an and item guardian attorney to represent the child a rights a he said. Although court martial judges also have that authority they done to take advantage of it Robichaux said. He said he often finds himself partly filling the role. A a that a my Job Here but i done to have nearly the clout with the court that an attorney would  Robichaux said that in cases such As the Coles the court makes the decision but neither the judge nor the reviewing general will have to live with the consequences. Robichaux described Damaris As a a neat Little girl a Bright 7-year-old, who despite the abuse received much from her parents in the Way of care and  a the Coles not Only qualify for diversion but deserve a Chance a he believes. Elvira Coles believes its a necessity. A Damaris has already asked me How All this will affect her in the future a Coles said. A without the program i will not be Able to afford the treatment for my daughter and for  or. Arthur Cooper an american psychotherapist in Giessen who often serves at courts martial As an expert witness said one of the problems with criminal prosecution of child abuse cases is that it focuses solely on the suspect. A the Only humane solution in child abuse cases is one that helps the child a he a said. A.  ��.��. A. A a a a a. A a a a a one crime has been committed upon the child and there a no sense in commit. Ting another by refusing a family therapy if they qualify for it a Cooper said. A what has been done to the daughter cannot be undone. She has lost her father but maybe through treatment she can gain a  Elvira Coles said her husband told the court that he was willing to undergo therapy and deeply regretted his crime. A in the meantime with the help of the chaplain he has turned Back to god and will change his ways. I think his three suicide attempts show the great sense of shame he feels a Coles said. Whatever happens the dreams have ended for the childhood sweethearts from Gary ind. A i remember when he moved into the neighbourhood with his family a said Coles. A i was 5 years old and he was 8. We were married when he was 18 and i was 15. It Wasny to an easy life but being in the military Community made it quite  Coles said she can return to her family in Gary but they be made it Clear they will accept her Only if she severs ties with her husband. V Toa Gary is a Tough place to raise children a Coles said of the City that has one of the worst murder rates in the nation. A they have Metal detectors in elementary schools to keep weapons out. I done to want to go Back to  to help families facing financial woes recent Federal legislation offers the Promise of eventual financial assistance for Elvira Coles and other families in . Sydney Hickey associate Dirac Tor of the National military families association in Arlington va., said the transitional compensation pay act signed into Law last year is designed to provide benefits for families in courts martial however she said the Pentagon has not yet developed regulations or a plan to get the benefits to families who qualify. A payments depend on rank and time obligated to serve in prison but the minimum payments Are for 12 months and the maximum is 36 months a she said. A the payments would be the same amount As if he had died on Active  Hickey said a companion measure granting spouses commissary and Exchange privileges will soon follow. A it Hasni to been signed yet by the president but its a done Deal a one said. A spokesman for the 3rd inf div in Wurzburg Germany said its Legal staff received official notification on oct. 24 that defense Secretary William Perry had signed the approval for the program. Red Mcavis a my children Are used to the civilized military school environment. I really done to know what we shall  those who know Elvira Coles say she is a woman of remarkable resilience. A a it a been my unshakable Faith in god that has helped me survive this ordeal a she said. A perhaps some of Elvira Coles Perserver ence can be explained by the fact that she and her husband were also abused  a a a a a. A a i was sexually molested by a relative from my second to my 12th year and my husband was sexually molested As a Young boy by a female baby Sitter when his family was stationed Here in Germany a she said. Coles has visited her husband at the army confinement facility in Mannheim every saturday since his conviction. A the did no to want me to visit him in prison but he was glad when she did she said. A i did no to take the children the first time because i did no to want them to see him behind bars or plate Glass. But its not like that at All. You sit in a Large room and face each  since then she has taken the children with her three times a a he a very excited about the visits and the children love to see him. We All live for  Knox incest program a companion to prosecution the fort Knox ky., program that Elvira Coles had hoped her family could enter is based on the premise that certain child sexual offenders can be successfully treated and the families preserved. Maj. Stuart smythe and Charlotte h. Shuler army social workers who supervise the program say it stemmed from the realization that children in military families who reported their fathers or Stepfather for child sexual abuse often suffered consequences that made them regret reporting. A if they lived on Post and their dads were convicted the children lost their government quarters their school their friends and neighbors and of course they lost their income a the social workers said in a written description of the treatment system. A Many children have weighed their potential losses and decided it was better to endure the sexual abuse in silence rather than face the other potential losses the whole family would suffer a they wrote. A prosecution of a child sexual abuse Case required the child a cooperation and testimony yet we were doing very Little to consider her needs or wishes a they  said that fort Knox family incest treatment efforts started in 19s6 and evolved into the current program formally established in 1933. It is not intended As an alternative to prosecution but a companion to the process. For some soldiers it has been a diversion treatment process and for others a condition of a suspended sentence. A so far we be had 14 families go through the program a smythe said. A although we done to have tracking ability on the families we believe there have been no  the criteria for admittance include the requirement that the Case be limited to opposite sex incest that there is no prior reported record of child sexual offences that the offender is motivated to undergo treatment that the offender is not a a fixated paedophile a meaning that the primary sexual attraction is not toward children that the family be treated As a unit and that the offender be recommended for treatment by the a court martial judge and military Community officials. A lid Mcavis