What is Military Sexual Trauma?

Military Sexual Trauma is sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment experienced during military service. The Department of Veterans Affairs defines MST as any sexual activity against a service member’s will during duty hours or off duty.

Does the VA provide disability benefits for MST?

Yes. Veterans who experience Military Sexual Trauma can file a VA disability claim. The VA accepts nontraditional evidence and supports MST-related PTSD, depression, and anxiety claims.

How does Rachelle Smith help MST survivors?

Rachelle Smith provides the VA Disability Toolkit and the Contact Your Lawmaker Toolkit to support Military Sexual Trauma survivors navigating the VA and Congress. She leads The Advocates of MST, a private Facebook support group, publishes guided journals for trauma recovery, licenses the Event Journals program, speaks publicly on MST and institutional failure, and is launching The War Room for coordinated survivor advocacy.

Can I file a VA claim for Military Sexual Trauma?

Yes. You can submit a VA claim for MST without direct documentation if you provide credible supporting evidence. This includes personal statements, medical records, or witness letters.

Where can I get help filing an MST claim?

Use the free VA Disability Toolkit. It helps survivors document trauma, track VA responses, and organize every detail for a stronger claim.

Rachelle Smith 4/29/25 Rachelle Smith 4/29/25

Military Sexual Trauma at Her First Duty Station: Lakeydra Houston (Part 1)

U.S. Air Force veteran Lakeydra Houston shares her story of Military Sexual Trauma at her first duty station, coping with alcohol, and mental health struggles.

U.S. Air Force veteran Lakeydra Houston shares her story of Military Sexual Trauma at her first duty station, where harassment escalated into assault. She explains how alcohol became a way to cope, how mental health struggles were ignored, and why survivor support is urgently needed.

Lakeydra Houston, U.S. Air Force veteran, discussing Military Sexual Trauma at her first duty station and mental health struggles on The Silenced Voices of MST with Rachelle Smith. — *U.S. Air Force veteran Lakeydra Houston shares her story of Military Sexual Trauma at her first duty station on The Silenced Voices of MST with Rachelle Smith.*

Intro

U.S. Air Force veteran Lakeydra Houston shares how Military Sexual Trauma shaped her earliest years in service. After completing training and arriving at her first duty station, she faced harassment that escalated into assault. With few resources and no support, she turned to alcohol to cope. Her story reveals how retaliation, silence, and a lack of mental health care left survivors unprotected in the Air Force.

This is Part 1 of Lakeydra’s story. Read Part 2 here: www.silencedvoicesmst.com/blog/military-sexual-trauma-lakeydra-houston-part2

Episode Summary

She was reporting in, doing exactly what every new Airman does when they arrive at their first assignment. Lakeydra Houston recalls being groped by a first sergeant under the pretense of fixing her uniform. When she fled, another airman warned her not to report him because she had tried and was being discharged for it.

The men in her unit already knew the sergeant’s reputation. They laughed about it. Lakeydra was silenced, shamed, and pushed toward alcohol as her only way to cope. Surrounded by a toxic drinking culture and carrying a weapon every day, she unraveled emotionally while no one noticed and no one intervened.

The spiral deepened as Lakeydra entered a volatile relationship, became pregnant, and was deployed just six weeks after giving birth. She was neither physically nor emotionally ready. While serving in Dubai, harassment and violence continued. Some perpetrators were officers. Others were peers too scared or ashamed to report. Alcohol fueled the cycle until it was finally cut off, but by then the damage had spread. When Lakeydra received a call that her husband had been shot, she felt safer remaining overseas than returning home to a man she could not trust.

Pin for Episode 36 of The Silenced Voices of MST featuring Lakeydra Houston sharing her experience of Military Sexual Trauma — *Pin this story to help amplify Lakeydra’s voice and story for survivors!*

Her story exposes how toxic command climates and male-dominated cultures allow repeat offenders to thrive while silencing survivors. Systemic betrayal compounds personal trauma, trapping service members in a loop of silence, retaliation, and self-destruction.

“Going to the military was my way to start over and feel like I had a purpose in life.”
- Lakeydra

Click here to explore more survivor stories

If you’re still wondering if your pain “counts” or if you’re the only one, you’re not. Lakeydra hopes her courage helps other survivors understand they’re not alone, and that they can get out of the loop that they’re stuck in with support and help from advocates, trustworthy leadership, and mental health treatment and services.

Episode Trigger Warnings and Timestamps

01:36: Childhood sexual assault and drug use for coping
03:30–04:56: Discussion of September 11
07:36: Loss of sister
09:07: Loss of parent to gun violence
09:49–10:59: Harassment and sexual assault in technical school
11:26–22:39: Multiple assaults, childhood trauma, predatory leadership, peer complicity, self-blame, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, pregnancy, suicide, deployment after childbirth, family trauma cycles
23:02–29:11: Assaults on deployment tied to alcohol and abuse of power, reporting barriers due to rank, domestic violence, financial abuse, betrayal by spouse, ongoing trauma

Resources from This Episode

Free VA Disability Toolkit: https://www.silencedvoicesmst.com/disability-toolkit
Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadvocatesofmst

Join our mailing list to learn about upcoming episodes, new resources, and daily support.

Listen to the Full Conversation

Leave a Review

If this episode was meaningful to you, please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Reviews help more people discover stories of Military Sexual Trauma and join the movement for change.

Next Episode

Click here to read and watch Part 2 of Lakeydra’s story, where she discusses Military Sexual Trauma in Korea, the role of alcohol culture, trafficking inside the ranks, and her advocacy for survivors.

Support and Community

Veterans Crisis line: Dial 988, the press 1
DoD Safe Helpline: https://www.sapr.mil/dod-safe-helpline

About the Guest

Lakeydra Houston is a U.S. Air Force veteran, survivor of Military Sexual Trauma, and advocate for reform. She found the organization KeyFit and also works with The Pink Berets to support survivors and promote systemic change.

Internal Links

You are not alone. We believe you. You matter.

Rachelle Smith 4/13/25 Rachelle Smith 4/13/25

The Best Advice I Can Give For Surviving MST (MSTy’s Story | Part 3)

MSTy, an anonymous Marine Corps veteran, shares the second stage of struggles with mental health, learning about MST, and developing a tool to help survivors come forward and establish patterns of predatory behavior. This episode demonstrates the power of only one person saying, “No more!” and rallying more to stand with them against military sexual trauma and the military’s diligence in sweeping cases under the rug. Read the full story and access helpful resources.

MSTy shares her story of Military Sexual Trauma in the U.S. Air Force, reflecting on years of survival without support, the physical and emotional costs of unresolved trauma, and the role of books, pets, and community in her healing.

US Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force veteran MSTy on The Silenced Voices of MST with Rachelle Smith, reflecting on coping with Military Sexual Trauma through books, pets, gratitude, and community. — MSTy discusses Military Sexual Trauma, the health impacts of living in survival mode, and long-term healing on The Silenced Voices of MST with Rachelle Smith.

Books, Pets, and Daily Coping Tools

MSTy describes the long silence she endured before finding support. In those years, she turned to books as her lifeline, reading self-help, spiritual texts, and classics like Man’s Search for Meaning to find guidance. She explains how pugs became another coping tool, providing comfort, routine, and companionship. These simple daily practices gave her stability when nothing else was available.

She also reflects on how positive affirmations, gratitude, and even social media memes carried real weight. Short reminders like “you are enough” or “what happened to you is not who you are” gave her perspective in moments when she felt overwhelmed. She emphasizes how easy it is to dismiss small acts of encouragement, but for survivors they can become anchors in the darkest times.

Beyond coping, MSTy talks about building community. Through her MST Crime Map, she gave survivors a way to mark their experiences anonymously and establish patterns of predatory behavior across military history. She also created pages like MST News and Info and Misty Days on Facebook and Instagram to curate resources, share daily reflections, and remind survivors they are not alone.

After finding out the long-term cost of unaddressed trauma, MSTy offers caution to survivors. She discusses chronic muscle tightness, inflammation, and memory issues that worsened over time. She regrets how dissociation and survival mode prevented her from being fully present with her children when they were young. Looking back, she warns that waiting decades to begin healing comes at a heavy price.

“Make time for it today.” - — MSTy

The People Who Stayed

Still, MSTy highlights the people who stayed. A best friend in the military, a civilian coworker, and her husband all saw her worth even when she doubted it. Her husband’s reassurance, “I ain’t scared,” became a defining reminder that she could be loved without fear or judgment.

Click here to explore more survivor stories

MSTy’s story shows how coping strategies, community, and small acts of daily healing can sustain survivors.

If you are unsure if you are ready to seek help, remember MSTy’s message of urgency for prioritizing emotional wellness before the physical and emotional toll becomes irreversible.