Senator Martha McSally, a Republican from Arizona and former U.S. Air Force colonel, revealed during a Senate hearing that she was raped by a superior officer while serving in the military.
The first female U.S. fighter pilot to fly in combat described feeling ashamed and distrustful of the system when the assault occurred, leading her to remain silent for years. She spoke publicly about the experience during a March 2019 hearing on sexual assault in the military, where she also criticized the armed forces' handling of such cases.
McSally, who served 26 years in the Air Force before retiring in 2010, noted that reports of sexual assaults across the military rose nearly 10% in 2017. She described her decision to come forward as a response to the military's
