Podcast Guests Rachelle Smith Podcast Guests Rachelle Smith

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.

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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.

Episode Trigger Warnings and Timestamps

  • 00:14–00:31: On-screen details of MST markers

  • 01:26–01:33: Panic attacks, dissociation

  • 11:25–14:22: Physical toll of trauma, regret, difficulty being emotionally present

Resources From This Episode:

This episode contains a few references to news articles and books that are listed below:

  1. MSTy’s MST Crime Map: https://mstmap.com/

  2. MST News & Info: https://www.facebook.com/MST.Information

  3. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

  4. The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

  5. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Alan Singer

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Join the Conversation & Amplify Survivors

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.

Support and Community:

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Podcast Guests Rachelle Smith Podcast Guests Rachelle Smith

If Victims Were Afraid Then, Predators Should Worry Now (MSTy’s Story | Part 2)

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.

How MSTy designed a new tool that helps survivors track abuse, expose patterns, and take back their power — one marker at a time.

Survivors can take their power back with this map — and that includes you.


Accountability Through Reported Patterns of Predatory Behavior

MSTy didn’t set out to become the creator of an innovative and accurate way to hold the perpetrators of Military Sexual Trauma accountable. Like many survivors, she was  mostly trying to get through the aftermath of her encounters with avoidance and unhealthy coping until she found education and therapy. Survivors can especially understand wanting to only seek peace after having their lives disturbed so violently and abruptly, often without support for many years until that became unbearable as well.

In learning about complex PTSD and dissociation as a coping skill, she understood that silence and pretending her traumatic events hadn’t happened wouldn’t make the events magically disappear. It didn’t make it easier, because her trauma appeared in her life in other ways when she least expected or wanted it to.

In Part 2, MSTy shares what happened after her assaults — the disorientation, the dissociation, and the dark spiral that followed. But this time, she’s guiding listeners along her path to healing and discovering a brilliant method to help more survivors speak up. She’s sharing her way, possibly your way, of fighting back against this toxic cultural issue in our military.

MSTy introduces a powerful data driven crime map, born from her own story: a digital map that plots MST incidents across the world — Every marker represents a survivor. Every marker is a story that someone felt they had to keep quiet. Until now.

Finally Understanding She Wasn’t Alone

After MSTy’s terrifying and confusing assaults and harassment, she began documenting what happened — first in her diary, then in her mind, and eventually in a way that others could connect with too.

She speaks about living in a fog of dissociation, turning to alcohol, and losing trust in everything and everyone around her — including herself. But slowly, over time, something shifted.  She courageously chose to go back to serving, in the Air Force after September 11th. This new direction with better peers, more opportunities to be the servicemember she knew she could be, and to be able to guide younger Airmen was a source of peace and redemption. A second chance. And upon retiring from both military and civilian work, she turned her focus to healing from MST. The more she learned about MST, the more she realized how common this was — and how often it was expertly covered up, completely ignored, or viciously downplayed.

That’s when the idea for the MST Map found its way.

Using Patterns to Isolate Predators

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The MST Map isn’t just about stories — it’s about patterns. As MSTy began collecting survivor submissions, she saw its potential. Imagine if we could isolate the similarities: the same bases, the same patterns. Different people. Different years. But the same violence.

Consider this. As an example, let’s say a certain recruiter was stationed in an area for 4 years and there are numerous cases of MST reported on the map in that specific time period, and the person was described the same way by all victims… by process of elimination, this map makes it possible to finally validate a victim’s pain.

She and Rachelle discuss how documenting these stories can visually give survivors a sense of power and justice. Most markers are anonymous, while others contain comments of what happened in more detail. But all of them say the same thing: This is real. And it’s everywhere. 

The more markers, the better the opportunity to zero in on the people that caused so much pain but managed to slip by, protected by their leadership often to the serious detriment to the lives destroyed in their wake.

Demonstrating the Magnitude of MST

MSTy opens up about how watching the shock toward and spread of Vanessa Guillén’s story pushed her into action. She talks about the exhaustion of fighting the VA disability claim system while still wrestling your own shame. The pain of being invalidated online. The rage of watching predators get promoted or thriving while survivors are barely staying alive each day.

And the hope that something like the map might finally turn anecdote into evidence. Patterns into pain. Well-kept secrets into cleansing truth.

“This map isn’t just data. It’s how we get change, accountability.” - MSTy

Every marker is a defining moment that someone chose to speak up.

By the end of the episode, MSTy reflects on what it means to keep going — to build something for others even when the process hurts. She and Rachelle talk about accountability, prevention, and the fact that every survivor who shares their story makes it a little harder for systems to pretend they don’t know.

This isn’t just a tool. This is a reason for perpetrators to finally begin to feel the same fear that every survivor has felt daily since their lives were changed forever.

Links From This Episode:

This episode contains a few references to news articles and books that are listed below:

  1. MSTy’s website: https://mstmap.com/

  2. Marine Who Published Memoir About Alleged Sexual Abuse of Underage Recruit Faces Court-Martial by Drew F. Lawrence | Military.com 

  3. 'A Betrayal': How a Decorated Army Officer Fell from Grace in a University ROTC Sex Scandal by  Steve Beynon | Military.com


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Episode Trigger Warning Index

This episode contains references to the following topics. Please use this guide to skip if needed:

  • 12:54 -  Mention of Vanessa Guillén 

  • 13:06 - Mentions of dissociation/mental health struggle 

  • 13:22 - Compensation and Pay Exam 

  • 13:45 - Mentions of Complex PTSD/mental health struggle

  • 15:10 - Explanation of MST Map Website 

  • 15:31 - All types of SA named 

  • 15:50 - Mention of MST victims of recruiters 

  • 16:22 - Marine Corps recruiter predator news article  

  • 16:41 - Army ROTC LT COL predator news article discussed 

  • 17:16 - 17: 45 - Unreported cases of MST 

  • 17:49 - 18:29 - Markers displayed on the map of incidents 

  • 20:02 - 22:08 Trolls invalidating MST on social media 

  • 22:24 - 22:36 - Feelings of shame, isolation, and paranoia 

  • 23:11 - 24:47 - Describes how MST occurs around the world and in different situations illustrated by map markers can identify perpetrators over time

Takeaways from This Conversation

  • Creating a map for MST allows survivors to share their stories anonymously and still establish patterns of predatory behavior.

  • Personal healing often involves confronting past traumas.

  • Predators often look for naive, trusting individuals with weak boundaries.

  • Dissociation can be a coping mechanism for trauma survivors.

  • Data mapping can help identify patterns of abuse and accountability.

  • Survivors often feel isolated for years due to shame and stigma.

  • Accountability is crucial for creating change in the military.

Reflection Journal Prompt

What would accountability look like if survivors led the conversation?

Spend a few minutes after listening to reflect or journal. What did you feel during this episode? What are you still thinking about? What systems need to change — and what part could you play in that change?


Join the Conversation & Amplify Survivors

Want to talk through your experience? Or support someone else in theirs?

Join our private Facebook group: The Advocates of MST

Don’t forget. This conversation matters. And MSTy showed immense courage by telling her story. Please help us make sure her voice travels further: Leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts helps elevate the visibility of the show for more survivors suffering in isolation and pain. A simple review can change another person’s life forever.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Need Support?

Although this podcast is a great resource, it does not and should not replace care from a medical professional. If you’re in crisis or need someone to talk to:
Call the Veterans Crisis Line — 988, then press 1
Or go to the nearest emergency room.

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

The final part in MSTy’s three part series goes live Tuesday April 15, 2025.

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Rachelle Smith Rachelle Smith

BIG VOICE MST | Podcast News Update - March 14

Stay informed on MST-related news, survivor stories, and resources. This week's updates cover new legislation, global MST stories, and recovery from PTSD.

Howdy Madvocates,

A quick reminder that the final part of Brian’s episode is streaming now wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. I highly recommend to watch or listen if you are struggling while trying to advocate for yourself in health care or trying to get your discharge changed, because this episode has the lessons that Brian has learned from fighting for justice for two decades and what his healthy coping strategies are, . If you have trouble with falling asleep because of anxiety or PTSD, this is the episode for you.

Now on to The BIG VOICE.

Let’s get into the latest Military Sexual Trauma-related news, new MST legislation that affects the MST community, and resources designed to support survivors and advocates like you. I urge practicing self-care while browsing some of these stories, there are trigger warnings for content that may be upsetting. There are also positive stories of recovery and MST survivor resources as well, I didn’t want this to be “doom and gloom’ as if change is not possible.

Change is possible, especially if we stay informed and stay vigilant.

As you know, this problem is not a rare occurrence—there’s a global MST crisis that demands accountability, justice, and care for survivors. The stories from around the world showcase this problem, but it’s a small snowflake on an otherwise huge iceberg of pain, shame, and anger this issue causes. And it’s never one person affected by an assault or harassment. Entire communities feel the ripple effects of this issue, even if they don’t realize it.

Whether you’re here to stay informed, take action, or find resources for yourself or a loved one, this is your space to connect, learn, and advocate for change. Need support? Come find our group on Facebook: The Advocates of MST. We’re here to listen, share, uplift, and create an environment of acceptance without gender restrictions.

If you or someone you know is struggling with MST-related PTSD, depression, or suicidal thoughts, please know that help is available. The Veterans Crisis Line is open 24/7—dial 988 and press 1 for confidential support.


New Jersey bill looks to give easier access to mental health drugs

WPIX-TV (U.S. MST related-legislation)
By Jim Vasil

TRENTON, N.J. (PIX11) — When Krystal Cordero came home from an operation enduring freedom, PTSD followed her along with Military Sexual Trauma, or MST.

“They truly don’t set you up for the violence that you see, the aftermath, the feeling of loneliness, the feeling when you transition out that you no longer have somebody to really talk to,” said Cordero, an Army veteran of Totowa. “I unfortunately had an officer who tried to take advantage of me. He did not succeed but nonetheless, I had to suffer the assault.”

For years after coming home, she endured what many veterans have experienced: having to jump through hoops to get the prescription meds to treat their condition — hoops like step therapy or needing prior authorization.

“It’s almost like you’re dangling a treat in front of them and you’re saying, ‘almost there,’ but not there yet,” said Cordero. “We’re tired of chasing things. We need to be heard.”

Next week in Trenton, lawmakers will discuss a bill that will make it easier for patients with serious mental illnesses like PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and others to get the medicine they need – by requiring prescription drug coverage without prior authorization, or step therapy, a method of having patients try a less expensive drug first.

Read the article here: https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new-jersey/new-jersey-bill-looks-to-give-easier-access-to-mental-health-drugs/


Impending Legislation Senate Veterans Affairs Committee

Veterans of Foreign Wars (U.S. MST -related legislation)
Statement by Pat Murray

Draft legislation, Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act

The VFW supports this legislation, particularly its overarching theme of enhanced training for claim processors and reviewers that emphasizes accuracy, completeness, and improved communications throughout the disability claims process. This aspect of the bill is especially compelling by seeking to increase the proficiency of claims processors in recognizing nuanced non-military sources of evidence, eliciting vital information without retraumatizing the survivor, and in correctly processing claims involving military sexual trauma (MST). The annual focused reviews should validate (or refute) the effectiveness of the training. Emphasizing their importance, these reviews will continue until claim processors for MST-related claims achieve a 95 percent accuracy rate for five consecutive years. Additionally, the VFW concurs with VA’s aggressive outreach campaign pertaining to various facets of MST reporting and claim adjudication. However, we doubt VA’s ability to achieve its laudable goal of providing MST claims information to disenrolled service academy students from the last 80 years unless Congress substantially resources VA for this purpose. Lastly, the VFW concurs with VA’s updated definition of MST that includes trauma involving online or other technological communications

See the draft legislation here: https://www.vfw.org/advocacy/national-legislative-service/congressional-testimony/2025/3/pending-legislation-svac


Defence Force sexual assault prevention team's future uncertain

Radio New Zealand (New Zealand MST News)
By Rachel Helyer Donaldson

The Defence Force insists it remains committed to preventing harmful sexual behaviour in its ranks, despite putting its entire Sexual Assault Prevention Response Advisor (SAPRA) team on notice.

It is understood that the team, who were brought in as part of an action plan to eliminate inappropriate sexual behaviour, were told last week that they could be made redundant, following a consultation period.

An NZDF spokesperson confirmed the Defence Force would be starting a consultation process with staff and unions on "proposals for change across its civilian workforce" from Thursday, 20 March.

Read the article here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/544938/defence-force-sexual-assault-prevention-team-s-future-uncertain


Trump, Hollywood, and How We Fail Latinas in the Military

LatinaMedia.co
By Denise Zubizarreta (U.S. MST News)

Military Sexual Trauma news stories MST legislation MST survivor resources global MST crisis for pinterest boards

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As a Navy veteran, I know firsthand what it’s like to serve in a system that doesn’t always see you, protect you, or uplift you. I’ve seen how Latinas in the military have to work twice as hard to get half the recognition. So when I saw that Trump fired Admiral Linda Fagan, the first woman to ever lead a branch of the U.S. military, I knew exactly what that meant.

This wasn’t just a political move. This was a message. And if we don’t take that message seriously, we’re in trouble.

The U.S. military has never been an easy place for women, especially Latinas. We’ve been here since World War II, shoved into support roles, denied leadership opportunities, and left out of the history books. The military loves to use our labor – but when it comes to promotions, recognition, or safety? We’re an afterthought.

We know the stats: Latinas are overrepresented in lower ranks and underrepresented in leadership. We’re more likely to face sexual harassment and discrimination (unfortunately, they removed the study on the DOD website delineating this!). We’re less likely to be promoted compared to our white male counterparts. And now? With federal DEI programs being gutted, the little progress we’ve made is about to disappear.

Read the article here: https://latinamedia.co/latinas-in-the-military/



One veteran’s path to healing from trauma

Department of Veterans Affairs - Audacy (U.S. MST News)

Army veteran Candace Decker describes herself as “being in a very dark place” before she connected with Pacific Islands VA.

She had experienced military sexual trauma while she was active duty and even after she left the Army, she continued to have night terrors and other issues.

At first, she didn’t think VA had programs that she would find helpful.
“I connected with the iVET Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Program first. They helped me to connect with other programs that could get me help that I needed,” she said.

When Decker first connected with the VA, she had terrible problems with her digestive tract from eating things that she didn’t realize were causing inflammation and from taking pills for pain. With the help of VA doctors, she was able to change her diet. She was also able to discover triggers for her headaches.

Read the article: https://www.audacy.com/connectingvets/get-help/mental-health/one-veterans-path-to-healing-from-trauma


PGA Tour player Billy Horschel visits with Panama City Beach veteran and service dog

PanamaCity News Herald (U.S. MST News)
By DeonTay Smith

On Wednesday, eight-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel surprised a Panama City Beach Air Force veteran, Joey Pate, and his K9s For Warriors service dog, Roscoe, at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Horschel and the Horschel Family Foundation are helping K9s For Warriors raise awareness of veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma.

According to a press release, the Horschel Family Foundation sponsored Roscoe’s service dog training in 2024, and the pair graduated from K9s For Warriors in November.

On average, 20 veterans a day take their own lives. K9s for Warriors is determined to end veteran suicide by providing trained service dogs to veterans.

Pate and Roscoe have been paired for nearly five months.

Read the article here: https://www.newsherald.com/story/news/local/2025/03/13/panama-city-beach-florida-veteran-helped-by-pga-tours-billy-horschel/82372724007/


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Sen. Moran Urges GAO to Investigate Ways to Support VA Employees Responsible for Processing Military Sexual Trauma Claims

U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs (U.S. MST-related legislation)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs – called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate how the Department of Veterans Affairs can better train and support employees responsible for processing disability compensation claims for veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST).

To improve the timeliness of processing MST claims, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) initially created specialized teams of employees in each VBA regional office. However, in 2022, VA consolidated all MST claims processing to the regional office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while dedicating “surge sites” at other regional offices, as needed, to meet increased workload demands for MST claims.

Recent committee oversight has identified concerns regarding insufficient training and a lack of support for the VBA employees in San Juan and the surge sites – many of whom are veterans themselves – responsible for processing MST claims.
Read the press release: https://www.veterans.senate.gov/2025/3/sen-moran-urges-gao-to-investigate-ways-to-support-va-employees-responsible-for-processing-military-sexual-trauma-claims


Keep Marching Forward: The ongoing battle for women veterans

The Big Smoke (Australia MST News)
By Llani “LJ” Kennealy

Last Saturday was International Women’s Day—a day which consistently reminds us that progress is not inevitable. It is fought for, step by step, voice by voice.

The theme for 2025, Keep Marching Forward, especially resonated deeply for women veterans, who continue to push for equity, respect, and systemic change in the wake of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

The commission has exposed long-standing cultural and structural barriers that have disproportionately affected women in service. Now, more than ever, we must ensure that this results in meaningful reform, not just rhetoric. The fight for women veterans’ rights is ongoing, and it is one for which we must continue to march forward in unison.

The findings of the Royal Commission have once again exposed deeply-rooted issues, including gender-based discrimination, alarming levels of sexual trauma, and lack of career progression. These systemic challenges (including holding to account perpetrators of unacceptable behaviour) have contributed to poor mental health outcomes for many women in Defence.

Read the article here: https://thebigsmoke.com.au/2025/03/14/keep-marching-forward-the-ongoing-battle-for-women-veterans/


More sexual abuse complaints filed against Coast Guard, service now faces $290M in claims

Stars & Stripes (U.S. MST News)
By Gary Warner

🔔 (trigger warning, graphic details of assaults in article)🔔

Seven more former U.S. Coast Guard cadets filed claims that they were victims of sexual abuse at the service’s academy, the latest round of complaints tied to the Fouled Anchor scandal.

The Coast Guard now faces $290 million in claims from the sexual assault scandal at its academy in New London, Conn. The administrative complaints were filed Thursday under the Federal Tort Claims Act, the first legal step in initiating a civil lawsuit against the federal government.

The new filings bring the total to 29 cadets and prospective cadets who have filed complaints, according to Christine Dunn, an attorney with the Washington, D.C., law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, which is representing the cadets.

The legal complaints follow a year of scrutiny for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy that began with the revelation that the service concealed a report that found academy officials had routinely mishandled reports of sexual assault among cadets. The report, known as Operation Fouled Anchor, was the result of a six-year internal review of 102 reports of sexual assault and harassment cases at the academy between 1990 and 2006.


Read the article here: https://www.stripes.com/branches/coast_guard/2025-03-13/coast-guard-sexual-assault-fouled-anchor-17131851.html


Army women reveal abuse as former minister admits 'colossal failure'

SkyNews (U.K. MST News)
By Becky Johnson, social affairs correspondent, Rebecca Spencer, specialist producer

Warning: This article contains material some readers may find distressing

Jane* served in the British Army for almost 20 years. It was a career she loved and excelled in, rising through the ranks. But then, she says, it ended when a colleague r*ped her.

She breaks down as she recalls the night out, almost six years ago.

Jane reported the attack to the Royal Military Police but days later was called into a meeting with officers in her chain of command and accused of flirting with men and drinking too much. Later, she discovered messages they had exchanged calling her a whore.

The military police investigated, but the case never made it to court martial, where military trials are heard - she was told there was an unrealistic chance of conviction.

Her case formed part of a legal process to try to force the previous government to transfer rape investigations in the armed forces to civilian courts, but the change was voted down in parliament.

Now, a high-profile former defence minister, and veteran, who failed to back the move has admitted he got it wrong.

Read the article here: https://news.sky.com/story/army-women-reveal-abuse-as-former-minister-admits-colossal-failure-13325673


Fort Cavazos warrant officer charged with sexual assault of a child, domestic abuse

Killeen Daily Herald (U.S. MST News)
By Brent Johnson

🔔 (trigger warning, graphic details in article’s
description of charge sheet and victims’ injuries)🔔

A soldier assigned to Fort Cavazos was arraigned in a post courtroom last week on charges of physically abusing his wife and children, sexually assaulting a child, disobeying a lawful order by a superior officer and obstruction of justice.

Warrant Officer 1 Jonathan Mateo, an officer with 1st Cavalry Division, is accused of a string of offenses against family members dating back to mid-2018, according to a redacted charge sheet released by the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. The alleged incidents took place both at Fort Cavazos and Fort Huachaca, a small Army post in southern Arizona.

Read the article here: https://kdhnews.com/military/fort-cavazos-warrant-officer-charged-with-sexual-assault-of-a-child-domestic-abuse/article_4d68253a-0071-11f0-ad76-8f5124c7dbd0.html


Rachelle’s Take: Personally, I’m elated to see the legislation out there to improve the quailty of life for veterans who have been through so much turmoil trying to navigate lief after MST. There is hope and beauty in knowing that many of us are out here, fighting and advocating for complete strangers, because we are bonded by service and the pain caused by it.

How can we advocate for these changes together?
Leave a comment below with your ideas!

Yes, these stories are difficult to read, but MST survivors know that it’s even more painful to live in then re-live for the rest of our lives. MST is a crisis that affects service members and veterans across the globe, and the best way to demand change is by refusing to stay silent and call for accountability. Too many have been forced to endure their pain in isolation and shame.

Survivors deserve justice, accountability, and relentless support—not just in the United States, but worldwide.

Also, before we go, I wanted to share that we have a new playlist on YouTube! It’s called “The MSTea” because I’ll be spilling the tea with breakdowns of previous high visibility MST scandals, analysis of current legislation and yes, even politics, because they affect us. If you’re not subscribed to our YouTube channel, click here. Why I’m excited about this: As a Public Affairs officer, I never got to be snarky or sarcastic and point out the obvious hypocrisy of many actions taken that were supposedly supposed to support our military or veteran community. Now, the gloves are off.

If you’re in a mental and emotional space to share your story, I encourage you to take action. Speak up, share, and support the fight for change.

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