Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) said she was raped by an officer during her time in the Air Force.
McSally, a retired colonel, spoke on Wednesday during the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel dedicated to preventing sexual assault in the military, according to AZ Central. The 52-year-old, who served for more than 20 years, said she didn’t report the rape because she feared being doubted, due to flawed investigations into other sexual assaults.
“So, like you, I also am a survivor, but unlike so many brave survivors, I didn’t report being sexually assaulted,” McSally said, according to 12 News. “Like so many women and men, I didn’t trust the system at the time. I blamed myself. I was ashamed and confused. I thought I was strong but felt powerless. The perpetrators abused their position of power in profound ways. In one case I was preyed upon and raped by a superior officer.”
She said, “I stayed silent for many years, but later in my career, as the military grappled with the scandals and their wholly inadequate responses, I felt the need to let some people know I, too, was a survivor. I was horrified at how my attempt to share generally my experiences was handled. I almost separated from the Air Force at 18 years of service over my despair. Like many victims, I felt like the system was raping me all over again.”
In a hearing today, Senator Martha McSally of Arizona shared that while she was serving in the US Air Force she was raped by an Air Force Officer. @SenMcSallyAZ also added that when she shared her story she was mistreated by Air Force commanders. pic.twitter.com/xBgd5EaklI
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 6, 2019
