>> i remember him turning off the lights and me asking what are you doing? >> women who feel betrayed by the military they committed to serve. the pentagon's battle to do something about it. revealing investigations. fascinating characters. stories with impact. this is cnn presents. tonight's host, drew griffin. >> reporter: a special look at the men and women who have served our country and eye-opening investigations into the unbelievable injustices done to them. we begin with the startling story of how u.s. soldiers were used as human guinea pigs. during the cold war, the military embarked on a top secret program to test chemical and biological weapons but researchers used animals but believe it or not they also used humans. volunteers from the army who had no idea what they were signing up for. well, nearly half a century later, some of these human guinea pigs are emerging from the shadows with disturbing stories about what the military did to them then and how they are being treated now. dr. sanjay gupta investigates. >> i joined 18 years of age. the height of the vietnam war and really felt a sense of duty to my country to go and serve. >> i went straight to ft. bragg. it was just the thing to do. that was my obligation. that was my duty as an american. >> i was drafted and i was sent to ft. sill and placed in the missile detachment. we were supposed to be nuclear guards for the nuclear war heads that were to go on the pershing missiles. >> three american soldiers. tim josephs and frank rachelle and bill blynnski. called to arms half a century ago from different backgrounds but about to share an experience that would change each of their lives at edgewood arsenal military base in maryland. >> a couple of doctors came and gave a presentation. >> they presented it as not everyone would be chosen. >> three-day passes are the rule. >> no duties. no guard duty. no kitchen police. >> this is what we filled out. they ask you about your criminal background. they ask you if you drank and ask you about your parents and they ask you about your brother and your sisters. silly questions like did you like your mother better than you did your father. i took the test and got chosen and you got a couple of days off at home and reported to edgewood for two months. >> when you got chosen, were you excited? >> yes, i was glad to go. it was like a plum assignment. you would get all of the weekends off and the idea was they would test new army field jackets, clothing. weapons. things of that nature but no mention of any drugs or chemicals. >> in the beginning that's what we were told we would be doing, testing equipment, not testing drugs. >> reporter: but edgewood arsenal was testing drugs. beginning in 1955. >> this is edgewood arsenal. the united states army's chemical commodity center. >> this was the cold war and the united states wanted defenses against a possible soviet chemical attack. >> chemical attack may come in the form of a vapor, a cloud of smoke. >> reporter: the u.s. was developing psycho chemical weapons of its own. >> here's a group of normal soldiers responding correctly to a series of routine drill commands. after receiving a small dose of lsd, they are confused and undisciplined. >> reporter: edgewood arsenal is where much of the research took place using men like tim josephs. >> when i got there, it did not look like a military base. more like a hospital. >> reporter: describe it. what was it that you saw? >> everyone in lab coats. some military doctors and i guess some were civilian doctors but you were well aware you were private and i expressed my concern right from the beginning. they took me aside and said you volunteered for this. if you don't do it, most likely prison and a dishonorable discharge. >> you were intimidated? >> yes. >> reporter: coerced? >> yes. >> reporter: forced? >> forced. >> reporter: you didn't sign up for this? >> no, not at all. >> i reported up there september the 3rd and that started my ordeal. i trusted my government. i trusted the army. we were assured that we would not be harmed in any way. >> reporter: they said don't worry? was that the right message for them to be giving you? >> not at all. >> reporter: you trusted them? >> sure. >> reporter: how about now? >> i don't trust them very much at this point. >> reporter: and there is good reason for that. the army was testing substances ranging from lsd to nerve gas on human subjects. coming up. >> privates received a high dose of the incapacitating agent. in five minutes he won't be able to focus properly. the health problems these veterans say followed them from edgewood and haunt them to this day. automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. 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[ male announcer ] the citi thankyou visa card. redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. rewarding you, every step of the way. redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. during the cold war the u.s. military launched a top secret program to see what sometimes dangerous chemicals could do to the body and the mind. veterans of these tests say they faced health problems long after the drugs wore off and they say the government has not lived up to its promise to take care of them. here, again, dr. sanjay gupta. >> these are the men of baker company. a special volunteer troop detachment at edgewood arsenal, maryland. >> reporter: for 18-year-old army private tim josephs the tests started almost as soon as he arrived at edgewood, home to a top secret military testing program using human subjects. >> sometimes it was an injection. other times, it was a pill. >> reporter: did they tell you what it is? >> the drugs or chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two. one test i was involved with, i was pretty much out of it all day and that afternoon, i woke up with parkinson's symptoms immediately. >> reporter: so you had tremor? >> and aching in the limbs and arms and numbness. >> in this -- is a compound called -- >> reporter: bill billlynnski was exposed to tear gas three times at edgewood. >> this chamber looks familiar from the test i was in. >> reporter: this video shows volunteers in the gas chamber at edgewood exposed to cs. >> the effects were apparent almost at once. >> your eyes water and knows runs and your skin burns. you start throwing up. it's a real mess. >> reporter: in another test, he received an injection before being taken to a room with padded walls like this one. >> i'm sitting in a bedroom looking at the wall. all of a sudden, i'm looking at it and it starts fluttering like a flag does. >> careful control of these chamber tests resulted in a dose of only two parts per million. >> reporter: frank rachelle tested a similar drug in aerosol form. >> i leaned over into a face mask and inhaled and exhaled and inhaled and exhaled. >> a low dose of agent was ed if into the mixing bowl. >> reporter: this video shows carpenter undergoing the same kind of test. >> within an hour, carpenter's hands will feel cold, his face hot. borderline hallucinations come late in the experiment. >> reporter: like the photo in the film, frank rachelle experienced hallucinations. >> people were calling my name and nobody was around. there were animals coming out of the walls. it appeared that all of my freckles were bugs on my skin and i took a razor and i tried to cut some of them out. >> what was it over here in the corner lying down and looking at the wall? >> reporter: in all, some 7,000 military volunteers or more were part of chemical tests at edgewood from 1955 to 1975. the military tested at least 250 chemical and biological agents during the cold war, including potentially lethal nerve agents like vx and seron and barbiturates, taranquilizers an narcotics. this army film shows performing drills under the influence of lsd. volunteers were ordered not to ever tell anyone what had happened at edgewood. >> the thing about this whole program, you were told up front, you don't talk about this. you don't tell nobody about it. we couldn't even talk to our doctors and we couldn't even talk to our physicians. >> it was hammered into us that we were never supposed to talk about this. it was top secret. >> reporter: these days, palynnski is suffering from inflammatory bowel disease and cancer of the blood. frank rachelle has problems. >> i have breathing problems and i have nightmares and do i still remember and think about the test. >> reporter: tim josephs has parkinson's disease. he had to retire early. >> americans would not tolerate this kind of attitude toward our veterans. they would not allow it to happen. >> reporter: this attorney is suing the department of defense and department of veteran affairs on behalf of edgewood veterans. what do you hope to get for them in an ideal situation? they will get nothing for themselves out of this case other than perhaps medical care. they are not going to get any money. proper notice of the substances they received the doses and health effects. many of them had never been notified of anything. they were mistreated and don't want this swept under the rug and have everyone die and never see the light of day. that's why they are doing it. >> reporter: we wanted to talk about the lawsuit with the v.a. and defense department. they declined to be interviewed on cara citing the pending litigation and gave us a statement instead. the department of ges said it has made it a priority to identify all service members exposed to the veterans. >> on the fighting frond ground action has been quiet today. >> he says most veterans have never been contacted by the v.a. the v.a. has denied almost all edgewood-related health claims. >> our government has not fulfilled their duty. they have a duty to find and recognize every person and they got a duty to give them medical treatment. >> they are hoping that we die off. you get turned on and it just goes on for years and years. and they want to wear us down. they want to use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away. >> it's worth re-emphasizing that the edgewood veterans are not asking for money specifically. and although there are many delays in a case like this in part the difficulty of tracking down old documents from so many years ago, it is likely to go to trial next year. up next, another form of injustice. veterans from iraq and afghanistan back home and living on the streets. 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[ male announcer ] fiber one. here are the headlines. president obama heads to aurora, colorado, sunday. a city still numb with shock and sadness after a one-man shooting rampage killed 12 people. one ofthem a 6-year-old girl. the white house tonight says the president will meet state officials and the families of those people killed or wounded. the man accused of shooting up that packed movie theater will be in court on monday. he is james holmes. a 24-year-old doctoral student at the university of colorado. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon says the fighting in syria is destroying the country. the opposition says 96 people were killed. another sign the regime may be crumbling. two more defecting generals arrived in turkey overnight. officials say about two dozen syrian generals have now fled to turkey. and in bulgaria, a bus bomber may have had had an accomplice. suicide bomber the man highlighted here blew up the tour bus wednesday at the burgas international airport. the driver died and more than 30 injured. official tell cnn that a second suspect is a possibility but it hasn't been confirmed. worst drought in more than 50 years is crippling farmers in the midwest. many states are reported to be in severe to exceptional drought. that region produces about 75% of the nation's corn and soy bean crop. the drought is especially hard on livestock. many ranchers have had to sell off their herd early because they can't afford the corn to feed them. keeping you informed. you're watching cnn. the most trusted name in news. for far too many americans, the street is their home. a life bad enough for anyone, but unforgivable when the struggling men and women have already risked their lives for their country. there are more than 8,000 homeless veterans living in los angeles alone. surprising when you consider there's a plot of land there, nearly 400 acres that was donated, free, just to build a home for vets. as dr. sanjay gupta discovers, tat land could have helped a vet he met in l.a. >> reporter: you're young. how old are you? >> 22, almost 23. >> reporter: almost 23. you are from this area originally? >> san fernando valley, just over the hill. >> reporter: fresh out of high school, robert risman signed up to fight for his country. what makes an 18-year-old join the army? >> i wanted to go to college and make something of myself. the army said they'd pay for it. >> reporter: like a contract, i wail serve my country but my country will serve me? >> that's kind of what i was hoping for, yeah. >> reporter: where did it begin to fall apart? it began to fall apart in iraq. you saw things you don't want to talk about. >> no. >> reporter: you probably never want to talk about? >> no. >> reporter: the war was winding down. robert's unit was busy with pa patrols. then a close friend died in a bridge collapse. >> i got back from iraq. i was having a lot of psychological issues, i guess you could say. >> reporter: post traumatic stress? >> post traumatic stress disorder. >> reporter: back home at fort carson in colorado, he started feeling like people were out to get him. a few months later, someone discovered robert's sawed off shotgun hidden in his barracks. according to army papers, robert told investigators he was suicidal and at one point, he spent a full day drinking and sat on the side of the bed with his gun in his mouth. >> i wish sometimes i died in iraq so my life would have meant something, you know? >> reporter: forced to quit the army, robert ended up homeless. >> i went through some pretty bad times when i first got out. i was doing a lot of methamphetamines, my drug of choice. i was smoking a lot of dope and i was getting in with some rough crowds. >> reporter: many of those rough crowds were made up of people just like robert, returning veterans. as many as 1 in 3 soldiers returning from iraq or afghanistan suffers from traumatic brain injury, severe depression, substance abuse, or ptsd. >> i was dealing with other people that weren't so nice. >> reporter: is that weird for you to hear? >> yeah. that's really uncomfortable, actually. >> reporter: what happens when you hear a noise like that? >> it startles me a little bit. i know it's a truck. >> reporter: you see it everywhere you look. ex-soldiers like robert are desperate for steady care and for stable housing. so i was stunned about a piece of property in los angeles set side for this purpose, veterans for long term housing, literally across the street from the v.a. hospital. the story here actually dates back all the way to the 1880s. back then, the government wanted to create facilities for aging veterans of the civil war. so former senator john p. jones and his friend, a glamorous heiress, decided to donate all this land. back then, it was mostly ranch land. but today, just a few miles from the pacific ocean, it is some of the most valuable real estate in all of north america. >> it was solely an act of good will, an act of trying to take care of the veterans they had from the spanish american war and the civil war. >> reporter: carolina barry is descended from the heiress who made this gift and she is a part of a lawsuit against the v.a. filed by the american civil liberties union. the original deed include a condition that the land be used to establish and maintain a branch of a national home for disabled vets and a permanent home for thousands is exactly what it was. >> they had their post office. they had a trolley system that went all the way downtown to the beach. everything was provided for them. they had a special uniform. it was a marvelous place to live. and the grounds were gorgeous. i mean, they were just gorgeous. >> reporter: mark rosenbalm is the lead attorney for the aclu. >> at one point, this campus housed as many as 4,000 veterans. but beginning with the vietnam war era, the vets were kicked out, they were literally kicked out. >> reporter: around 200 veterans live on the property today, but none of them in permanent housing. alongside them, empty buildings, a public golf course, variety of public businesses-like a theater and bus depot. >> this land has been utilized for enterprise rent-a-car, for marriott hotels. they know what this land's about. for ucla baseball. >> reporter: with veterans sleeping on l.a. streets, i decided to head to the v.a. to see why this land isn't used for their housing. >> people said, look, that property is not being used for that purpose. >> reporter: is that a legitimate beef? 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[ male announcer ] at 0% apr for 60 months, no one needs to know how easy it was to get your new volkswagen. that's the power of german engineering. we've been investigating a story in los angeles where there are more than 8,000 veterans without a home. really surprising when you consider there's land there specifically set aside to house homeless vets. so why isn't that happening? dr. sanjay gupta went to l.a. to find out. >> reporter: i wanted answers, for men like robert risman. he's a 22-year-old former soldier, and now a recovering drug addict. he was diagnosed with ptsd. he's in transitional housing with no idea what comes next. he's just trying to get back on his feet. >> i had to steal food at one point because i had too much pride to ask anyone. i still have that kind of pride. >> reporter: for vets like robert, the aclu filed suit to try and force the v.a. to build housing on 400 acres of land that it was given back in 1888. at first, we called the head of the v.a. they said, look, we can't comment on pending litigation. we called the department of justice, whose lawyers are handling the case and said they can't talk about it either. finally, the v.a. called us back and said their chief of staff wants to sit down and talk with me to tell us what they are doing to help homeless vets. >> we have added 700 emergency housing and transitional housing beds, they have mental health programs an transitional programs. >> reporter: they also have something else known as a rent vouchers. >> which enable us to put veterans in permanent housing. >> reporter: in los angeles, each voucher, just for veterans, is worth more than $1,100 a month. this year, dr. norman says the los angeles v.a. has given out 2,000. of course, that's 2,000 vouchers for more than 8,000 homeless veterans. doing the math, there's not enough of these vouchers, obviously. if they all called you the day after this airs. >> well, it would be shocking. it would be wonderful. we will figure out a way to give them emergency and transitional housing. >> reporter: if they're hearing you right now, what would be their next step? >> the easiest thing is to show up. >> reporter: show up at the front door? >> show up at the front door. we have a variety of numbers. i'm afraid to give you my secretary's number but i will. if you have any questions in los angeles, it's 310-368-3284. >> reporter: i did wonder how many of the homeless vets are in fact seeing this. how many could even find a phone. there's been a lot made of this property that's just about a block away from here around 400 acres designed for veterans, it was to provide housing for veterans and people have said, look, that property is not being used for that purpose. what of that? i mean, is that a legitimate beef? >> well, i'm speaking for the agency and you know that's under litigation right now so i can't even comment on that. >> reporter: the v.a. will say that we are going to end homelessness by 2015. >> they've been saying that for decades. but the most interesting thing is that the lawyer for the v.a. walked into a federal courtroom and said, we think this case should be thrown out of court. we don't think there's a basis for the v.a. to have to provide housing. >> reporter: this is the lawyers on the v.a. side. they're the ones raising the flag saying, look, we're not sure this is possible as a starting point. >> again, i can't comment on the litigation. i wish i could but i can't. >> reporter: you think it's possible? >> i think we have the resources with the community to end homelessness for veterans in los angeles, that, we do. >> reporter: robert risman, who is not part of the lawsuit says he hopes it gets resolved before his housing placement runs out and he's back out on the street. you want a new life? >> i want to get a degree and i want to graduate from college. i want to get a good paying job, buy a house, you know, the right things. >> in march, the federal judge said he would let the lawsuit go forward and says the government does have a responsibility to provide housing for vets. the government is appealing th decision. as for robert, we understand he's still doing well, still in the same transitional housing. he continues to take college classes. it looks like he's putting his life back together. coming up, kyra phillips' exclusive investigation into allegations of rape at the nation's most prestigious anything like that academies. t. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. 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[ male announcer ] the citi thankyou visa card. redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. rewarding you, every step of the way. i'm brianna keilar. here are the headlines. president obama heads to aurora, colorado, sunday. a city still numb with shock and sadness after a one-man shooting rampage killed 12 people. one of them, a 6-year-old girl. the white house tonight says the president will meet state officials and the families of those people killed or wounded. the man accused of shooting up that packed movie theater will be in court on monday. he is james holmes, a 24-year-old doctoral student at the university of colorado. with the focus on the colorado movie massacre, relentless gun violence in chicago is going almost unscienced. the past 24 hours, 12 people have been shot. three have died. police are blaming a gang fight for the latest killing. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon says the fighting in syria is destroying the country. the opposition says 30 were killed on saturday. another sign the regime may be crumbling two more defecting generals arrived in turkey overnight. officials say about two dozen syrian generals have fled to turkey. the midwest produces about 75% of the nation's corn and soy bean crop. the drought is especially hard on livestock. many ranchers have been focused to sell off their herd early because they can't afford to feed them corn. cnn, the most trusted name in news. the secretary of defense, leon panetta, recently announced new aggressive policies to combat sexual assault in the military. zero tolerance is the message from the pentagon's top commander. but ground zero for battling the growing problem may start at the nation's most prestigious military academies. reports of sexual assaults at the academies rose by nearly 60% in the fast year. and out of the 65 cases reported, only one resulted in court-martial. that's why two young women say they're coming forward in a lawsuit they allege they were raped in their very first year at the academies. they speak exclusively to kyra phillips. >> reporter: westpoint, they naval academy, air force academy, prestigious military institutions tasked with training future military officers ethically, spiritually and morally. but for these high school honor students, their experience would be far different. >> i remember him turning off the lights and me asking, what are you doing? >> in the middle of the night,i did come to and he was on top of me. >> reporter: carly marquette and annie kensior say they were raped, raped by follow classmate they trusted and ignored, they say, by a chain of command that promised their parents they'd be protected? >> nobody, not a single person, not one, was looking out for her best interest. >> come on, carly! >> reporter: carly marquette was not your typical teenage girl. that's her, cage fighting at 18. an all-star rugby player, championship swimmer, an honor student, carly could have gone to college anywhere. what was it about westpoint that drew you to that academy? >> just knowing you kind of have your future set, having that structure and discipline, at the same time, having people look at you like, wow, you're doing something great for our country. >> reporter: her sister was a mid-shipman at the naval academy. her father, a marine. to carly, they were heroes, everything she wanted to be. do you think westpoint let you down? >> yeah. i wanted to be there. it was my dream. >> reporter: a dream that was shattered her first year, when an upper classman showed up at her door to talk girl troubles. >> i kind of felt a little cool that an upper classman wanted to be friends with me and was seeking my advice. >> reporter: after sharing a drink, carly says he convinced her to come to his room. since she was an upper classman, she trusted him. >> i remember just getting more and more intoxicated. my judgment really started to become impaired. i remember him turning off the lights and me asking, "what are you doing?" and then he proceeded to rape me. >> reporter: carly says she woke up disoriented, in physical pain and afraid to come forward. >> i was scared it was going to ruin my career. i was scared if i said anything, that there would constantly be a target on my back. i reached out to people and they weren't there. i just didn't want to leave my room. he was right across the hall. >> reporter: you still had to work under him, take out his trash. >> yes. >> why? >> it was part of our duties. >> chain of command? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: chain of command. military ranks where senior students have authority over the one immediately below. so every day, carly had to face the man she says raped her. but weeks later, carly finally found the courage to come forward. she filed a report and requested an investigation. >> the reason i ended up telling someone is because i didn't want that to happen to anyone else. >> annie kenserio describes herself as a girly who never imagined joining the military. an honor student and one of the best high school soccer players in the country, she was heavily recruited by top ivy league schools, but the naval academy was the most convincing. >> all their graduates that graduated from the soccer team went on to become pilots and marine officers. it sounded like those women are so powerful and so well respected. i wanted to be that woman. >> reporter: annie's goal was to fly f-18s. but it wasn't long after arriving, she realized that wasn't going to happen. >> i could tell there was definitely a bias towards the women. i mean, you're a female entering into a fraternity, a giant frat. >> reporter: annie says there were no derogatory names for the men, but for the woman, they were called dubs. what does dub mean? >> dub, a dump ugly bitch. >> reporter: were you ever called a dub? >> every girl was called a dub. >> reporter: it was definitely a different culture and annie felt out of place. so when she got invited to go to an off-campus party, she was in. >> i was, okay, cool, college, i can finally live the college life for one night. >> reporter: but annie says she had way too much to drink. so when a fellow mid-shipman offered her a place to crash, she accepted. >> i said, okay, i trust you, you're an upper class. because that's what they teach you, is to trust your upper class. >> reporter: tell me what happened once he took you back to the room? >> i laid down and went to sleep. at one part in the middle of the night, i did come to and he was on top of me. i remember saying, no. but then i just passed back out again. >> reporter: annie was afraid to come forward. why were you scared? >> i didn't want to be the girl that got the athlete kicked out because we had been told stories about how that had happened in the past. and i didn't want to be that next story. >> reporter: for two years, annie battled depression and thoughts of suicide. she had a secret she couldn't keep anymore. and finally called her father. >> she said, i was raped. i couldn't breathe. >> reporter: still ahead, the battle to change the system. how do you get it through these men's heads, if they rape, they will pace the price? 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no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. in a recently filed lawsuit, allegations of rape at westpoint and the naval academy. two young women say they risked their careers to come forward and request an investigation. they wanted the men they say raped them to be prosecuted. one year later, they're still waiting. kyra phillips continues their -- our investigation. >> reporter: when carly marquette came forward to say she was raped at westpoint, the she believed her case would be investigated. >> i remember the investigators meeting with my parents and they promised my parents that if he wasn't going to jail, they could at least get him kicked out of west point with the evidence they had. >> reporter: but he's still there? >> but he's still there. >> reporter: annie says she, too, believed her allegations of rape would be investigated. >> i was like, great, they're going to get him. good. >> reporter: but carly and annie say their alleged perpetrators were never punished. so now they've filed a lawsuit, naming former secretary of defense robert gates, the former superintendents of westpoint and the naval academy. secretary of the navy, ray maybis, and secretary of the army, john mccue. they claim there was not limited support from commanders and academies were up nearly 60%. of the 65% investigated last year, onlyne resulted in a court-martial. >> i ache for those former cadet mid-shipmen who have had their lives torn up. it shouldn't be that way. >> reporter: congresswoman jackie spear has gone to the house floor 19 times. >> we need to overhaul this system. >> reporter: demanding congress and the military change the way sexual assaults are prosecuted. >> you report everything through your chain of command and go to my commander and say, i've been raped. my commander can say to me, i'm not going to pursue this. or take an aspirin and go to bed. as long as it's going to be in the chain of command, there's always going to be a conflict. >> reporter: her bill, "the stop act" would take away investigations from the chain of command and turn them over to an impartial council of military and civilian experts. >>. you're not going to have your assailant prosecuted, why would you want to come forward because you're basically setting yourself up to lose your career in the military. >> she says for years her calls for action have gone uninvestigated until leon panetta took office. >> we got to frame to commanders to understand when these complaints are brought, they have to do their damnedest to make sure these people are brought to justice and the only way we can prevent this in the future is show people can't get away with it. >> reporter: how do you get it through these men's heads, if they rape, they will pay the price. >> this place operates by command authority and it has to begin at the top, and the message has to go down to the bottom. >> reporter: still, panetta will not take investigations away from the chain of command, but he is changing the rules, announcing new initiatives just one week after our interview. >> what i will do is change the way these cases are handled in the military. >> reporter: here's what panetta is doing differently. he created a special victims unit to investigate sexual assaults. now, instead of slowly making their way up the chain of command, all cases will begin at the level of colonel. >> everybody has to do due diligence. commanders, like i said, have bosses. if that commander is not doing their job, you relieve their butts of command. >> reporter: major mary jay h hertog heads the office. >> you have to look at it seriously. i want our victims to come forward. >> reporter: the changes in policy come too late for kelly marquette and annie kensior. their military careers are over. >> it hurts me to hear that. because we betrayed their trust and we didn't take care of them and we need to do a much better job. >> reporter: according to the lawsuit, as a result of the rape, carly became depressed and suicidal, unable to handle the stress of seeing her alleged perpetrator everyday. carly resigned from westpoint. >> it was like i felt like a blemish. >> reporter: because they knew you reported the rape? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: annie says she, too, became suicidal. she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and, according to her lawsuit, was then forced to leave the academy. it hurts the message that we're trying to get out there. >> reporter: because of privacy issues, panetta couldn't comment specifically on carly and annie's cases, but he does make clear that blaming the victim needs to stop. personality disorder, academic separation. >> i think that's part of the syndrome we're dealing with which is that once a decision is made that somehow this prosecution is not going to move forward, then you basically turn on the victim who brought that complaint and try to do everything possible to make sure that that victim doesn't hang around. or really diminish them by somehow accusing them of having psychological problems. that syndrome is what we have to break out of. >> reporter: for carly and annie, if coming forward helps with that mission, they want to be a part of the battle. >> i know, with at least one person coming forward, there will be others that want to come forward and say something. >> because then they might get their perpetrators put behind bars, which is where they should be. >> westpoint and the naval academy say they couldn't comment on carly and annie's allegations because of privacy issues. both women have requested copies of their case files. to learn more about why the men they say raped them are still in the military. that's it for this edition of "cnn presents." i'm drew griffin. we leave you now with a preview of the next "cnn presents." this is my life. this is what i do. i feel like i'm so close, like i can feel it in my bones. i want it so bad. >> it's 100% serious for us. >> we get to test ourself now against the whole world. >> this is the last great domain of men. >> it's a goal. >> a big goal? >> yeah. it's huge. >> i want to win. i want a gold medal. boxing is being in the hispanic culture.