Hegseth turns his back on military sexual trauma survivors
His message is clear: rape is tolerated, survivors are silenced, predators are protected
From Katie Chorbak, President, 50501 Veterans
A Message to Veterans, Families, and Fellow Americans
It’s been a while since I posted, but after Pete Hegseth’s comments last week, I feel compelled to speak out. As a veteran, survivor of military sexual assault, and generational service member, I cannot stay silent.
What Was Said – and Why It’s Dangerous
Hegseth declared there will be “no more anonymous complaints” and “no more repeat complaints” of sexual assault.
Here’s what that means:
• Survivors assaulted multiple times by different perpetrators would be limited to one report.
• Survivors would lose the right to anonymous or closed reports, exposing them to retaliation.
And retaliation kills.
• Vanessa Guillén was murdered after reporting harassment.
• LaVena Johnson was found dead under suspicious circumstances, ruled a suicide.
• Carrie Goodwin and countless others faced violence or death after coming forward.
The Scope of the Crisis
The Department of Defense’s 2023 report shows:
• 8.4% of active-duty women and 1.5% of active-duty men experienced unwanted sexual contact in the last year.
• That’s over 36,000 service members in a single year.
• Less than one-third report their assault.
The RAND Corporation confirms: “Male service members make up the majority of victims, though they are much less likely than women to report.”
This is not just a women’s issue. It’s systemic.
A Culture That Protects Predators
• Most perpetrators are men, disproportionately white men in positions of power.
• The military already has leaders accused of sexual assault from the Secretary of Defense down to senior commanders.
• High-ranking offenders routinely retire with full benefits, even after convictions.
• Survivors face re-traumatizing processes at the VA and little chance at justice.
This is not prevention. This is protection for predators.
Why Families Must Pay Attention
If your son or daughter is considering joining, know this:
• To the institution, they are not your child. They are a number. A set of boots to fill a mission.
• The Pentagon spends over $500 million every year on sexual assault prevention, but cases continue to rise.
• Protections won in 2020 have been rolled back. Survivors are more vulnerable now than before.
• When I lobbied as a Republican in 2020, I was told by Republican organizations: “Rape is not in our wheelhouse.” That was the truth then. It is still the truth now.
The Bigger Picture
Veterans live in a socialist system: free housing, healthcare, food, education. But we’re sent to fight and die in wars for capitalist interests—Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam. Wars that served corporations and politicians, not the American people.
Now, inside our own ranks, the message is clear: rape is tolerated, survivors are silenced, and predators are protected.
Bottom Line
This is not a military I can recommend my children join. This is not a culture any parent should send their son or daughter into without knowing the risks.
“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
If we accept this, we accept that rape, harassment, and violence are the cost of service. And that is unacceptable.
In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that sexual assault in the military is considered an “occupational hazard of military service.” In Feres v. United States (1950) and reaffirmed in later cases, the Court barred service members from suing the government for rape, assault, or medical malpractice. The ruling stated:
“The relationship of the Government to members of its Armed Forces is distinctively federal in character. Injuries that arise out of or are in the course of activity incident to service are the responsibility of the government, not a matter for civilian courts.”
That legal doctrine means rape, even when committed by fellow service members, is treated as “incident to service.” In other words, the Court has said that sexual assault is not a crime the military is accountable for in civilian courts it is simply a hazard of the job.
That should terrify every parent, every veteran, and every American who believes service members deserve protection, not betrayal.
If you or someone you know is a sexual trauma survivor, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) provides a National Sexual Assault Hotline in English and Spanish at 800.656.HOPE (4673); on the web at www.online.rainn.org; or on the web at www.rainn.org/es for Spanish.
One of the Six Demands of 50501 Veterans is to ensure VA support, healthcare and counseling for military sexual trauma (MST) survivors. You can read more in this Substack post:
It is not hard when you have already turned your back on your country !!
P Hegseth just opened the doors for predators to join in the services. Thank you for sharing this.