US Senator Martha McSally, the first female pilot in the Air Force to serve in the war, is said to have been sexually abused by a higher-ranking officer. Later, when she started talking to her superiors, she felt like „the system would rape me again and again.“
The 52-year-old Republican, a member of the Senate for Arizona, served for 26 years in the US Air Force. She shared her distressing experience yesterday at a Senate hearing. Topic there was the handling of the military with sexual abuse – in addition to McSally also other victims of sexual violence during the army service to speak.
Shame and confusion
McSally said she did not publicize her rape earlier because she did not trust the system, was ashamed and confused. She was impressed and grateful that other victims had spoken out to end the systematic abuse of the military.
After a prepared statement, she talked about her pride in the military and her service to the country and her deep conflict because she suffered abuse. She referred to „perpetrators“ who had sexually assaulted her, indicating that she had been abused more than once.
