Page 770 - Total War on PTSD

room and the NCO stood at the door. I bent down to let my puppy out when he charged into my room. He grabbed me and started forcing himself on me. As I was standing there frozen, in shock, I looked over my shoulder and saw that my pistol was on the opposite side of the room. I cannot recall the timing but my battle showed up at the door and yelled for the guy to get off of me. I was unable to speak and comprehend what had just happened. My battle buddy called my husband and I was able to finally speak and recount what had just happened. My husband called the cops from Alabama and reported the situation. The only way I can remember from the time that I talked to my husband to the next morning, I have to read the police report. I’ve read it twice since then and I still get the same feelings that I did then. In the end, the NCO went to jail. His Master Sergeant showed up at my hotel room that night and presented a police badge. He stated that he was the senior NCO to the assaulter and wanted to get my story. I told him what I was able to remember. Later that night, I found out that his actions were illegal. The assaulter’s unit superiors accused me of lying and trying to end his marriage...even though I was married as well. I was scared and never reported anything further than the city law enforcement.
In 2013, we were given the warning order for deployment to Afghanistan. I had the option to request to opt out due to being enrolled in ROTC but I decided my country and unit needed me more than the college. I also thought that I would become an even better leader with a combat deployment tour as part of my experience. With nervousness and excitement, I was soon on the bus to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for pre-deployment. I left behind my family and, most importantly, my daughter to do my part in an active war-zone. While at Camp Shelby, I was the only female in the history of the 489th Engineer Battalion to receive the rank of Corporal and also to receive the Additional Skill Identifier as a 1K (Master Gunner for Electronic Warfare).
770 of 1042