Jachlin Williams, an Air Force veteran and Sinclair Community College student said that last year there were 3,192 cases of military sexual trauma reported. However, it is estimated that there have been more cases that have gone unreported.
Williams wants to change this.
She served in the Air Force for eight years, retiring in 1987. While she was in active duty, she was a victim of military sexual trauma (MST).
“Basically my main goal is getting awareness out that this is currently happening,” Williams said
However, it wasn’t until 2009 that she realized she needed help dealing with carrying that burden for so long.
“[In] 2009, I basically had a nervous breakdown. I lost my oldest daughter in 2007; so just kind of getting my way back to feeling like my old self, I guess you could say, before she passed,” Williams said.
Every Monday, she volunteers at the Dayton Veteran Affairs (DVA) as a support mentor and she is also working to host several movie events to raise awareness about MST around the Miami Valley.
The movie is called, “The Invisible War.”
“I think with this movie, it’s showing men and women that you’re not alone,” said Williams. “I think this will open up avenues for people to get help and healing.”
So far, the movie has been shown at The Neon in Downtown Dayton and in Yellow Springs. Williams is trying to assist in getting the movie shown at Sinclair.
At the end of the movie, there is a Q-and-A section. Williams said that she hopes to get just one person to stand up and realize that they are not alone. It is her goal.
Williams said that a lot of cases of military sexual trauma go unreported.
“A lot of the times they don’t [report it] is because of the retribution, the harassment, the degrading. You know the act of it. Any violence against each other is bad, but the point of it is when someone has taken something that personal from you—it does something to your psyche—your whole being,” she said.
According to Williams, the perpetrator is rarely prosecuted.
“The military system is totally different than the civilian system. There is no sexual registry. A lot of the time, they will plea down, they will do the core Marshall—but it wont be considered a felony, so there’s no need for them to be reported,” Williams said.
She said she is doing what she can to bring awareness to legislators, so they can pass bills and change the military judicial system.
“No one has the right to touch you if you don’t want them to. And if you say freakin’ no, that means no,” Williams said.
She is thinking of starting a support group outside of the DVA and she is hoping for more movie showings.
“I know there’s women that are going to be joining the military, and I think it would be unfair [for] me knowing what I know now not to share that information with them. Not to discourage them from joining the military, but to educate them about what’s going on,” she said.