Women In Camoflauge: Consequences of Military Sexual Trauma
Women join the military for different reasons. Some join for the simple fact of being able to serve their country, while others join in hopes of building a family that they never had at home. Some join to better their future, and some join because they have the desire to make something of themselves. Regardless of why these women join the military, when they enlist, they are then expected to rely upon their chain of command for support and protection. Many chain of commands do not come through with their obligation to protect these women. Instead, many commands turn their heads and ignore what is going on within their company. Women in the military who report sexual assault sometimes …show more content…
The soldier enlisted into the military because her mother was sick (para 1.) At 19 years old, her mother passed away and a few months later, she was sent away to Korea. After a few short months of being there, she was raped. Dealing with the death of her mother and being raped, she went over the edge and tried killing herself by overdosing on Percocet (para 1.) When she arrived at the hospital, she received the worst news. She was pregnant with her offender’s child. She told her female sergeant about the rape, and the sergeant told her to keep quiet, that no one would believe her, and that she needed to have an abortion (para 2.) She then found out that abortion was illegal in Korea, so she kept the child (para 2.) Her child is now 13 years old and the mother is still stuggling, even more so, to provide for this child, and to deal with the effects of what happened to her. (para 3.) “It’s hard enough seeing your attackers face every day, but even harder losing your life and having no help. They did DNA and it was his. He pays a few dollars a month but he still gets to live his life. The military refuses to acknowledge my assault. I suppose if it didn’t happen this child must be a ghost. I struggle every day to pay bills, to eat, to care for this child, I have no car, I’m a prisoner serving time. I need help. I was only 19yrs …show more content…
The purpose of this article is to give information on the psychological and physical consequences that may come with being sexually assaulted. The information does not just rely on military women, but civilian women as well. As stated in the article, “An estimated 5%-27% of women are sexually assaulted in their lives, but as patients typically do not spontaneously disclose this fact to clinicians unless asked, this history can go unrecognized” (Para 1.) These percentages only include the women who have actually spoken up about what happened to them. It then goes on to state “23% report that they were sexually assaulted during the time they served in the military. This proportion is substantial when compared with a lifetime prevalence of 5%-27%.” As you continue reading the article, it is shocking to see the medical problems some of these women have obtained even after the trauma they experienced. According to the article, “A growing body of evidence indicates that physical symptoms such as pelvic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, back pain, and headaches are seen with higher frequency among women with histories of sexual assault as well” (Para 2). The article takes certain characteristics into play for the
Women join the military for different reasons. Some join for the simple fact of being able to serve their country, while others join in hopes of building a family that they never had at home. Some join to better their future, and some join because they have the desire to make something of themselves. Regardless of why these women join the military, when they enlist, they are then expected to rely upon their chain of command for support and protection. Many chain of commands do not come through with their obligation to protect these women. Instead, many commands turn their heads and ignore what is going on within their company. Women in the military who report sexual assault sometimes …show more content…
The soldier enlisted into the military because her mother was sick (para 1.) At 19 years old, her mother passed away and a few months later, she was sent away to Korea. After a few short months of being there, she was raped. Dealing with the death of her mother and being raped, she went over the edge and tried killing herself by overdosing on Percocet (para 1.) When she arrived at the hospital, she received the worst news. She was pregnant with her offender’s child. She told her female sergeant about the rape, and the sergeant told her to keep quiet, that no one would believe her, and that she needed to have an abortion (para 2.) She then found out that abortion was illegal in Korea, so she kept the child (para 2.) Her child is now 13 years old and the mother is still stuggling, even more so, to provide for this child, and to deal with the effects of what happened to her. (para 3.) “It’s hard enough seeing your attackers face every day, but even harder losing your life and having no help. They did DNA and it was his. He pays a few dollars a month but he still gets to live his life. The military refuses to acknowledge my assault. I suppose if it didn’t happen this child must be a ghost. I struggle every day to pay bills, to eat, to care for this child, I have no car, I’m a prisoner serving time. I need help. I was only 19yrs …show more content…
The purpose of this article is to give information on the psychological and physical consequences that may come with being sexually assaulted. The information does not just rely on military women, but civilian women as well. As stated in the article, “An estimated 5%-27% of women are sexually assaulted in their lives, but as patients typically do not spontaneously disclose this fact to clinicians unless asked, this history can go unrecognized” (Para 1.) These percentages only include the women who have actually spoken up about what happened to them. It then goes on to state “23% report that they were sexually assaulted during the time they served in the military. This proportion is substantial when compared with a lifetime prevalence of 5%-27%.” As you continue reading the article, it is shocking to see the medical problems some of these women have obtained even after the trauma they experienced. According to the article, “A growing body of evidence indicates that physical symptoms such as pelvic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, back pain, and headaches are seen with higher frequency among women with histories of sexual assault as well” (Para 2). The article takes certain characteristics into play for the