After the Military

MST advocates have seen it all

Many of individuals who experienced MST see their lives deteriorate, and once no longer on active duty, providing for themselves and their families becomes even more difficult; estimates are that 60% of people who experience MST get PTSD.¹ Their pain from the sexual assault and even greater terror of having their rights stripped by the very government body that is charged with upholding and protecting them becomes overwhelming. Susan Avila-Smith, the director of VetWow, says that out of VetWow’s thousands of clients, only one is employable.

"I know a woman who lives in a trailer in her parent’s backyard and she hasn’t come outside in years. Her parents slip sandwich meat to her under the door. Another became a prostitute and drinks more than she eats. Another is so ill she has three inches of cat feces covering her entire house and she just doesn’t see it." – MST survivor advocate

But MST survivors can’t ask again for help from military and veteran support organizations because often their greatest trauma came from the military. They fear additional retribution and additional trauma.

Other reasons people with MST have trouble accessing usual veteran support include:

• PTSD, anxiety and/or depression
• Non-veteran status – often directly or indirectly a consequence of MST
• Denial of claim – the VA offers physical and mental health treatment for all those with MST who were not dishonorably discharged, but only monthly financial compensation to those that fit within certain criteria and who apply and present a successful claim, which can be near impossible for people with PTSD
• Slow claims process – VA claims may take years to complete, and many are repeatedly denied, leading to years of appeals and a sense of abandonment and re-victimization
• VA’s acknowledged under-supported care for female veterans²

These brave men and women are survivors of an internal war that continues long after they leave service.

Stories from the trenches

"A captain was raped by several enlisted men under her command, and when she reported the crime OSI officers came to her home and raped her again. They told her that that was what she ‘earned’ for reporting being raped in the first place. Her lawsuit went all the way to the United States Supreme Court where she lost the case because of the Feres Doctrine.

"A woman was kidnapped by military members and put on a plane after two women were killed and one took her life after being assaulted by MPs [Military Police]. She landed in an airport with no discharge papers, and in fact no paperwork at all.

"She married several times, filed a claim [for compensation from the VA] and was denied and stuck in the VA system. In the meantime she became so disabled she could not walk, lost her teeth and could barely function. She was not able to leave her house and waited 17 years for her claim.Two senators, several congressional members, many veteran service officers, and two attorneys later, Susan Avila-Smith [a board member of Pack Parachute Charity] was able to win the woman her claim with several years of back pay.

"A woman was homeless and became a call girl for several years, and because she needed to be 'in control' she kept tying up johns and beating them. She was unable to function and couldn’t keep her job or her home. She lost her children to others and was estranged from her family. No one could understand why she drank and did drugs, but she was trying to put multiple sexual assaults from the military out of her mind. In fact, all she needed was treatment and proper medication from the VA Medical Center.

"Most of these women and men hide from everyone. They do not want to open the mail, open the door, answer the telephone, and are afraid to sleep during the dark of the night. No one seems to be able to put the pieces together – that this is the result of MST. Finding these men and women is difficult, since they do not interact with others."

¹Source: “DSM-IV Diagnosed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans With and Without Military Sexual Trauma.” Society of General Internal Medicine. Mar. 2006. <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1513167>
²Source: “Veterans mental health may fall through cracks.” The News Tribune. 27 May 2008. <http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/373461.html>