Women veterans told of plan to help sexual assault victims

Women veterans often feel the pain of military sexual abuse long after they have left the military, said Kelly Downing, a licensed social worker at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Helena.

A program she works in at the Department of Veterans Affairs at Fort Harrison in Helena helps women veterans cope with the trauma caused by sexual abuse, Downing said.

Downing spoke at a special luncheon honoring women veterans at the Havre Eagles Club on Saturday.

The luncheon was held because the Montana American Legion feels that women veterans are often forgotten, said Kim Kay McCarty Martin. Saturdays session in one of four planned around the state to honor veterans and provide them with information on programs that may help them.

Downing said one in four women veterans say they have been the victim of some kind of sexual assault when they were in the military, she said.

One in 100 men say they, too, were sexually assaulted.

Women are very reluctant to come forward, she said, and men are even more so. Some don’t talk about their experiences until they are out of the service.

She gave one example of a woman who was sexually assaulted while in boot camp. Frightened, she went absent without leave. When military police apprehended her, they convinced her that the solution to the problem was to return to the base and report the incident.

But when she got back, she was ordered to apologize for leaving. Eventually, she received a dishonorable discharge, and her complaints about the assault were not taken seriously, Downing said.

After being discharged, her family disowned her. She began abusing drugs and alcohol.

Now there are programs to help veterans of both genders deal with the aftermath of such incidents, she said.

She also detailed programs the Department of Veterans Affairs has to help homeless veterans.

The program concentrates on getting people into apartments of their own, then providing help with whatever problems they face, be it drugs, alcohol, mental problems, she said.

State Rep. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, the keynote speaker, said she was proud to speak before such a group of people.

“When you look around, there are a couple hundred years of service in this room,” she said.

She praised the women for their courage, bravery and work in the military.