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

How To Destroy an Airman in 60 Days

Air Force veteran Lakeydra Houston joined the Air Force to escape trauma and reclaim her life—but just 60 days after arriving at her first duty station, a trusted leader shattered her newfound self-esteem and confidence. In this raw survivor story, Lakeydra shares how military sexual trauma (MST), institutional betrayal, and a culture of silence forced her into a destructive trauma cycle. If you’ve ever wondered how fast the military can break someone, this episode is your answer.

She was starting to believe in herself again.
Then she encountered the first sergeant, the enforced silence, the laughter—
and everything she’d rebuilt began to fell apart.
Piece by piece. Trauma by trauma.

*She rebuilt herself in basic training. Her first duty station shattered her again.*

The Brutal Reality

Meet Lakeydra Houston, an Air Force veteran who joined the military seeking purpose after surviving childhood trauma. In this episode, she shares how basic training offered her confidence, but the career that followed delivered betrayal. From harassment and sexual assault by a predatory leader to numbing the pain through alcohol and enduring domestic violence, Lakeydra’s story is both harrowing and heartbreakingly familiar for many women in uniform.

Lakeydra describes her path into the military, which is a path many of us have walked. After struggling in college and coping with past trauma through volleyball, she decided to join the Air Force for a fresh start. Despite initial reluctance and the shock of September 11th, she found herself inspired by the recruiter’s promise of becoming a doctor or physical therapist—only to later discover she’d unknowingly signed an open general contract. Basic training was a culture shock, but it also gave her a sense of pride and purpose once she found her footing. Her transformation into a confident airman marked the first time she truly felt accomplished—until her assignment to Security Forces reintroduced the very violence she’d tried to escape.

The Punchline: Assaults, Silence, and Systemic Betrayal

She was reporting in, doing exactly what every new Airman does when they reach their first assignment. Lakeydra opens up about her horrifying encounter with a first sergeant who groped her suggesting she needed a “harmless” fix on her uniform. When she fled his office, a fellow airman warned her not to report him—because she had, and was being discharged for it. What’s worse: the men in Lakeydra’s unit already knew he had a reputation. They laughed about it. Lakeydra was silenced, shamed, and eventually pushed toward alcoholism as a way to cope. Surrounded by a toxic drinking culture and carrying a weapon every day, she was emotionally unraveling—and no one noticed. No one intervened.

Entering The Loop: Loss, Pregnancy, and Deployment

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!*

The spiral continued. Lakeydra entered into a volatile relationship, became pregnant, and was deployed just six weeks after giving birth. She wasn’t physically or emotionally ready. While serving in Dubai, the violence and harassment continued—this time involving officers and friends too scared or ashamed to report what happened. Eventually access to alcohol was cut off, but not before the damage was done to numerous people. When Lakeydra got a call that her husband had been shot, she didn’t want to return home.

Somehow, being overseas felt safer than being with the man she didn’t trust.

Above All Else

Lakeydra’s story quickly exposes how a toxic command climate and male-dominated culture enabled repeat offenders to thrive while silencing survivors. For many, systemic betrayal compounds personal trauma.

If you’re still wondering if your pain “counts” or if you’re the only one—this episode proves otherwise. 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.

“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

Episode Trigger Warning Index

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

1:36 Mention of CSA, drug use for coping
3:30 - 4:56 Discussion of September 11th
7:36 Mentions of loss of sister
9:07 Mentions of loss of parent from gun violence
09:49 - 10:59 Discussion of harassment/ SA, at tech school as a woman in male-dominated space
11:26 - 22:39 Detailed discussion of SA’s, childhood trauma, abuse of power, predatory leadership, male peers making light of and committing SA, trauma responses to SA, self-blame, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, pregnancy, lost lives due to lack of mental health resources, witnessing a friend take their life, SI, deployment soon after giving birth, family members that were veterans of the Vietnam War and their mental health and coping with alcohol
23:02 - 29:11 SA’s on deployment due to alcohol and abuse of power, feeling unable to report due to rank structure, feeling powerless to protect friends, domestic violence, gun violence, being stuck in a trauma cycle, lies and betrayal by spouse, alcohol abuse, financial abuse

Takeaways from Part 1

Lakeydra joined the Air Force to start over after trauma that occurred in childhood..
Basic training was a significant challenge for her, but ultimately led to a newfound sense of accomplishment and confidence in herself..
She faced harassment and assault during her service immediately and was warned to not speak up by another victim, while her male peers laughed about the perpetrator and his reputation for being “nasty”.
Coping with alcohol, and hiding in partying with everyone else became a way to numb her pain.
Mental health was not openly discussed in the military when she served.
Deployment and alcohol’s availability brought new gender-based challenges and experiences.
Support from leadership made a difference in her journey.
Seeking help and connecting with others is instrumental in traumatic situations.
Lakeydra's story emphasizes the need for mental health awareness in the military.

Reflection Journal Prompt

Have you ever felt like you were caught in a trauma loop or cycle?

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 Lakeydra’s two part series goes live Tuesday May 7, 2025.

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

The Best Advice I Can Give About 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.

How MSTy found peace in learning and embracing the positive relationships in her life after MST — her words of wisdom and advice for you.

In the final part of her story, MSTy’s insights about how trauma shaped her daily life over time—and how choosing joy every day, gratitude for close relationships and love, and continuously being inspired by books serve as inspiration for listeners and viewers.

Accountability Through Reported Patterns of Predatory Behavior

Parts 1 and 2 of MSTy’s story grimly reminded us of the harshest realities of MST. The pain and confusion of being in a new environment after being traumatized by people who seemed trustworthy and the harassment that followed. Sadly, that part was identical to every story shared on the podcast. Through the pain and beginning to heal, MSTy was able to create a digital crime map of MST, to begin the arduous process of unmasking hidden predators throughout our military’s history. She found a way for survivors to process and give a name and space to their pain even if they weren’t able to speak it aloud.

In Part 3 of her story, MSTy shares the quieter, more reflective side of surviving military sexual trauma: the everyday and long-term battles of healing, the ways she found comfort, and the choices she continues to make—every single day—to stay grounded and whole.

I don’t know who needs to hear this but…

We dive into the things most survivors don’t always talk about out loud: the long-term physical toll of trauma, how hard it is to “just be present” for the people you love, and the guilt that comes with realizing how much of your life has been lived in survival mode. MSTy talks about the books, the dogs, the positive memes—yes, even the ones that start with “I don’t know who needs to hear this…”—that kept her going when there weren’t any other tools.

This part of her story is not about the worst of what happened. It’s about the slow, stubborn, defiant act of healing anyway.

The People Who Stayed

As she reflects on the decades she spent “winging it” before finding solace and education in therapy, books, and online communities, MSTy describes how her life improved because of the people who helped her see herself differently: a best friend in the military, a civilian coworker who never got tired of listening, and a husband who tells her, “I ain’t scared,” every time she worries she’s too much.

In the face of a culture that told her to be silent, their love was a was a mirror and a soft place to reaffirm herself when times got difficult to manage.

Make Time for Healing Today

This episode closes with the kind of wisdom you can only get from someone who’s lived through the long haul of unresolved trauma. MSTy shares the physical effects—tight muscles, inflammation, cognitive struggles—and the regret of waiting so long to start healing and how it impacted her relationships and bonds with her children.

Whether you’re just beginning or decades into this journey, her voice reminds us that healing can start at any moment—and you don’t have to be alone when it does.

“Make time for it today.” - MSTy

Click here to explore more survivor stories

MSTy’s final chapter isn’t about how the story ends—it’s about how survivors live through the in-between. She’s not here to be inspirational or dramatic. She’s here to be real. Her honesty about everyday coping tools and the physical price of trauma is a gift, especially for those who are just now starting to name their pain.

She wants listeners to know: you are not broken. And you’re not too late.