Daisha
Posted on: 4/3/2024
My name is Daisha and I joined the military while I was still in high school in 2017. I went to basic during my junior year Summer and AIT during my senior year after I graduated. My situation occurred during basic training. I was sexually assaulted, and I went to my chain of command and reported it. They ignored it and simply called the other person down and issued them a warning. The person then went back to the bay to spread various malicious things about me for reporting them, and quickly the majority of the company didn’t want anything to do with me. I eventually wrote home and informed my dad, who is also in the military of what had happened, and only then was I semi taken seriously. My chain of command repeatedly ignored sexual harassment and stalking. They would attempt to prevent me from reporting issues, or attending appointments. They would allow the person, who I had a protection order against in spaces near me, and would make me move, all the while victim shaming/ blaming. A piece of me wishes I never reported them and I just went on with my life because it would have been so much easier on me, but another part of me was happy I could prevent it from happening to someone else. Since the incident I am constantly tense, especially in new environments. I am hypervigilant, easily overwhelmed, in a constant state of anxiety, and if I start over thinking I had panic attacks. When everything was happening in basic I had to fight so hard for people to just believe me and take me seriously, I had to carry around a notebook to write down everything that happened every 30 minutes. I no longer trust authority figures such as teachers and leaders and instead mostly try and handle things myself. I am very independent and it is easy for me to get lost in my own world. I went to therapy and was suggested a service dog. I could not afford one at the time plus I was a college student so I just had an ESA. I adopted a senior Maltese from the shelter and he made all the difference in my life. Since he was already a senior when I got him I only had him a few short years before losing him to heart failure, but ever since, my dogs know my emotions before anyone else.
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