Martha McSally never thought about reporting her alleged rape by a superior officer while she served in the U.S. Air Force.
That’s what McSally, the U.S. senator for Arizona and the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat, told Norah O’Donnell in an interview for CBS This Morning.
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McSally, a 26-year veteran of the military, revealed the rape at a Senate hearing that looked into preventing sexual assaults in the armed services, and improving responses when they’re reported.
The senator said at the hearing that she never reported her assault because she felt confused, ashamed, and didn’t have confidence that the system would help her.
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READ MORE: Sen. Martha McSally, former U.S. fighter pilot, says she was raped by superior officer
“I stayed silent for many years, but later in my career, as the military grappled with the scandals, and their wholly inadequate responses, I felt the need to let some people know I was a survivor,” she said.
“I was horrified at how my attempt to share generally my experiences was handled. I almost separated from the Air Force at 18 years of service over my despair.
“Like many victims, I felt like the system was raping me all over again.”
McSally told O’Donnell that she also didn’t report it because “that’s the kind of environment we were in at the time.”
“I didn’t have just one occurrence, to be clear,” she said.
“The environment we were in at the time was kind of, suck it up.”
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McSally went on to say that she didn’t feel she had any options at the time.
“You’re young, you’re victimized, you feel powerless,” she said.
“I just felt like I wanted it to go away, like so many people who have been through it.”
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O’Donnell pushed McSally for more detail on her statement that she “didn’t have just one occurrence,” but the senator offered nothing more.
“This isn’t about the details of the experience I had in the military, it’s more about the voice i can be now for other women on these policies, and how it’s going to form and shape my life,” she said.
McSally wouldn’t answer when asked whether her alleged rapist is still in the military.
“This is not where my heart is,” she said.
“This is not about having scalps. I know that may be hard for people to understand, it’s not my motivation, we have due process for crimes.”
- With files from The Associated Press
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