I had asked ChatGPT about the policy that Trump was thinking about during his first presidency. I had really hoped that it would get some more traction, but it seems after its announcement. Everyone stopped talking about it. I’m hoping that putting it here will revamp it.
In recent years, Congress has been considering retroactive benefits for veterans who suffered military sexual trauma (MST), aiming to address long-standing issues with delayed claims. These proposed changes would allow veterans to receive backdated benefits from their date of discharge instead of the claim date, recognizing that many survivors take years to report due to trauma and stigma. Though bipartisan support exists, such measures have not yet been signed into law. Representatives Salud Carbajal and Don Bacon introduced the Veteran Restitution and Justice Act to support MST survivors in receiving fair compensation, with the backing of groups like Veterans of Foreign Wars.
This is taking me some courage to speak about, It took me nearly 7 years to finally see a therapist after I was discharged from the Navy. I received the general under honorable and I helped to get my rapist kicked out of the Marines and gave courage that seven other women came forward.
I had went into the Navy with a 98 ABVAB score, I was studious and disciplined. I also grew up an army brat and always admired my father’s dedication to this country. I was given a long list of possible jobs that I could pick from feeling overwhelmed and put on the spot. Quite frankly, I flipped open the first page and randomly picked aviation maintenance administration… From that day on, I did a delayed entry program and then went off to Boot Camp in Great Lakes. From there, I showed leadership organizational skills and aced all of my test. Rate from Boot Camp I was promoted from E1 to E3. I was one of the two people going to my A school with my rank. I have always considered myself extremely competitive and an overachiever, proving my merit through my dedication. I had no idea that my rank would eventually make me a target. As an AZ I was poised to train with the marines and with two weeks shy of going to my first duty station after being in a pilot program called the ‘petty officers program’ Where you learn what it takes to move to the next rank and so on, I had received a lot of unwanted attention because of this, The harassment did not start slow slowly . My instructor would consistently call on me and make me a public spectacle by having to speak to the class where he would ask me random unrelated questions some that were personal, Whenever I was in formation, he would claim that my name tag was crooked and take that opportunity to grope my breast in front of everyone. This further caused issues at my school because my peers thought that I was doing other things to get ahead instead of just hard work .
Just two weeks shy of starting my new life, I was raped by my instructor, I was held in his office for five hours on one Friday evening repeatedly and brutally raped.
The next day after for that whole weekend, I stayed in my Barracks room, I didn’t call my family and I couldn’t tell anybody. I was only 22 years old, that Sunday I went to church and stayed after to speak to the chaplain, And I told him what happened to me. He told me that because I had two weeks left there would be nothing that could be done and he could not give any legal advice. I left more broken and embarrassed, and all the hope of someone hearing me was stifled… I was worried about losing everything that I had worked for, I blamed myself thinking that somehow I brought it on to myself…
When Monday came, I couldn’t even go back into class because my instructor would be there. I had made a claim that I was sick and I was able to stay in my room a little bit longer … One of my friends That I made during boot had noticed that something was off and made the excuse to come up to the barracks to check on me. The problem is that no males are allowed anywhere near the female barracks, And given that I was an E3 I had a target on my back from my peers as well because for some reason, there is a lot of jealousy when you out rank other people at A school where you’re supposed to learn and become further disciplined to make a career… My point is and rightfully so I do not blame them, but someone had reported Let them know there was male at my door asking for me. So I ended up getting in a little bit of trouble for that.
So while I was preparing my whites as I was facing NJP I was ironing my clothes, and the iron fell and made a small burn mark on the chair in my barracks. It was no bigger than my hand. Anyways, I Went to my NJP And was reprimanded and during that meeting, they told me I would also be facing consequences captains mast for destruction of government property. My guess is that during that time they went in to my barracks room and searched it. I don’t know other than inspection.
During that time, my instructor showed up and I could not keep my bearings and the XO realize this and I was further berated, I was then told that I would have to do six months restriction at my A school and would not be going to my first duty station, That I was no longer in the petty officers program, and that I would be busted down to an E1. Even threatened to be unrated.
After that meeting ended, my instructor pulled me aside and I can’t quite remember the words, but he basically let me know that he knew that I had spoken to someone about what happened.
That it was his recommendation that I’d be put on restriction and made to stay at that base for six months.
I ran to my barracks room called my family and they could barely understand me, but I told them that I did not want to do this anymore and I hung up. I contemplated suicide. And that is an issue that I still suffer with being 40 years old today.
I decided that night that I would just leave, I can’t describe the feeling that I felt during this horrible ordeal, but I felt very manic and unstable and broken.
I ended up taking a taxi to the bus station and brought a ticket to San Diego and I left. NBSD was going to be my first duty station.
During that time I ended up staying AWOL for about a month because my family called to let me know that I made the situation worse for myself, I knew this, and I was thinking what was the point I felt worthless.
Admittedly, I had a few attempted killing myself, but then I chickened out. I had a son at this time that I had to sign custody over temporarily to my parents before it went off to Boot Camp. He is now 19 and he is the reason why I am alive…
There’s a lot more to the story, but honestly, this is as far as I can go emotionally. Long story short I am OK most days. But I really need someone to please fight for this, fight for people like me.
Thank you for reading.