Serving their country in uniform has come at a tremendous cost for an untold number of women.

An analysis of 69 studies concluded that nearly one in four U.S. military women experienced sexual assault (unwanted touching, attempted rape and rape) and more than half were targets of sexual harassment. A Department of Defense (DoD) report states that 8% of females in the military experienced unwanted sexual contact (including rape) in 2021, the highest number since tracking these incidents began in 2004. Research indicates that women between 18 and 24 are particularly vulnerable.

The 2021 report found that of the 6,200 sexual-assault reports made by military personnel in fiscal year 2020, only 50 (0.8%) resulted in offender convictions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and that the overwhelming majority of women who are sexually assaulted do not report the crime.

One victim of “military sexual trauma” (MST) stated that her abuser “outranked me by several grades and had been in the military for years.” As military personnel cannot simply leave the armed forces and find another job, this abuser was “a constant figure” in her life over the next few years. After informing colleagues about her abuse she was told they knew what was happening as other servicewomen had been assaulted by him. Her colleagues did not want to get involved, stating: “‘Look, everyone knows he does this stuff. Do you want to ruin your career and OUR careers because you have an issue with it?'”

One victim told a 2013 congressional committee (Safety for Survivors Care and Treatment for Military Sexual Trauma) that “When you report a rape, you become public enemy number one. No one will talk to you. And if they do it’s to tell you, you got what you deserved. You are called names, you internalize what happened, and it feels like it’s your fault.” In approximately 25% of the MST cases the individual the victim must report the assault to — in the chain of command — is the abuser.

According to a 2004 Naval Inspector General Report on sexual assault, the likelihood that a perpetrator will be punished is almost nonexistent in small units serving in remote locations. The mantra of these units is “What goes on deployment, stays on deployment.” This report stated: “There appears to be a type of ‘loyalty code system’ operating within commands, whereby it is tacitly understood that members owe their loyalty to the Navy, the command, and to their superiors. ‘Whistle-blowing,’ or reporting unethical and/or criminal acts, effectively labels that person as an outsider. According to this code, it is permissible for males to commit criminal acts against females, as the ‘loyalty code’ will protect them and the command image.”

The Safety for Survivors committee reported that sexually abused veterans can only receive treatment if they accept a psychiatric diagnosis. Victims report that military doctors routinely ask them questions such as “How was your childhood?” and “Do you have hallucinations?” These women are often told they are suffering from personality disorders, or diagnosed with “adjustment disorders” or other psychiatric maladies.

Victims of sexual assault strongly object to this treatment that consists of “nothing but pills and pep talks.” The 2004 Naval Inspector General Report states that being sent to a psychiatrist is a heavy burden to bear in the armed forces. Military women who report sexual assaults face the same “myths” about sexual violence that civilian women do — that they are lying about or grossly exaggerating the alleged attacks.

Human Rights Watch published a study titled “Embattled: Retaliation against Sexual Assault Survivors in the US Military.” The summary paragraph states what MST survivors are likely to experience upon reporting the assault: They will be “Spat on. Deprived of food. Assailed with obscenities and insults–whore, cum dumpster, slut, faggot, wildebeest. Threatened with death by ‘friendly fire’ during deployment. Demeaned. Demoted. Disciplined. Discharged for misconduct.”

Some victims note that after reporting an assault they received an assignment change from high-level tasks such as intelligence work to menial chores, including picking up garbage. Assault victims who request a transfer often experience long delays or are told they are ineligible for reassignment. This often means they will remain in close proximity to their abuser.

It’s hardly surprising that only one in four victims reports a sexual assault to military authorities. Surveys of service members consistently find that fear of retaliation from the perpetrator, the perpetrator’s friends, or concern about their careers, as reasons for not reporting. According to a 2019 DoD report (“Sexual Assault Prevention and Response”), of those victims who stated they experienced retaliation as a result of their abuse report, 66% claimed the retaliation came from the “superior in their chain of command.” A 2014 DoD study concluded that military service members who reported sexual assaults were 12 times more likely to suffer retaliation for doing so than to see their offender (if also a service member) convicted for a sex offense.

An investigation by Human Rights Watch concluded that “Military personnel who report a sexual assault frequently find that their military career is the biggest casualty.” Interviews with 163 veterans ousted from the armed forces after reporting sexual assaults “suggest that all too often superior officers choose to expeditiously discharge sexual-assault victims rather than support their recovery and help them keep their position …”

Is the MST scourge improving or getting worse? An April 2023 article in the Military Times says it all: “Sexual assault in the military keeps rising while prosecutions fall.”

It’s a national disgrace that women who volunteer to serve their country are sexually assaulted, then all too often suffer the indignities of crass treatment by the military — an institution ostensibly committed to duty, honor and integrity.

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George J. Bryjak lives in Bloomingdale and is retired after 24 years of teaching sociology at the University of San Diego. He served in Okinawa and Vietnam with the First Marine Air Wing. This is part two of a special two-part series in honor of Women’s History Month.

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