McSally says she was raped in military, ‘horrified’ by force’s response
By Andrew HowardCronkite News
cronkitenews.azpbs.org WASHINGTON – Sen. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, revealed Wednesday that she was raped by a superior officer while in the Air Force but was too “ashamed and confused” to report it at the time. McSally, at a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on sexual assault in the military, praised the victims who came to testify but said she did not come forward immediately to report her rape because she “didn’t trust the system at the time” to handle it. When she did try to share it years later, she said, she was “horrified” at the way her attempts to “generally share my experience were handled” by the Air Force. “Like many victims, I felt the system was raping me all over again,” McSally said, pausing briefly to collect herself while reading from a prepared statement. “But I didn’t quit,” she said. “I decided to stay and continue to serve and fight and lead, to be a voice from within the ranks for women and then in the House and now the Senate.”
In a statement from the Air Force, Capt. Carrie Volpe said the actions McSally described “violate every part of what it means to be an Airman.” “We are appalled and deeply sorry for what Sen. McSally experienced and we stand behind her and all victims of sexual assault,” Volpe’s statement said. “We are steadfast in our commitment to eliminate this reprehensible behavior and breach of trust in our ranks.” The remarks came during a subcommittee hearing on sexual assault in the armed services, a problem that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, said “is still pervasive” after years of trying to deal with the problem. “The military is not attacking the problem with any of the focus or intensity that it would with any other problem,” said Gillibrand, who added that there is a “very alarming rate of retaliation by those in command against victims of sexual assault.” Gillibrand preferred solution would take investigation of sexual assault claims out of the military chain of command and turn them over to independent investigators.I am in awe of the bravery shown today by the survivors who testified before the Senate & by my colleague, @SenMcSallyAZ. I agree the military has utterly failed at handling sexual assault through the Uniform Code of Military Justice process &I will push for meaningful reforms. https://t.co/o4Z1tROIFP
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) March 7, 2019
Senate Committee on Armed Services Notice
Military Services’ Prevention of and Response to Sexual Assault
(March 6, 2019)
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