Amy Quinn loved serving in the US navy but after she reported a series of sexual assaults, she was forced out of the military at 22 with claims she had a personality disorder.
The mental health ruling by her superiors, which her current psychiatrist says is unfounded, ruined her hope of a second career in the police and has haunted her ever since.
“The military career I was passionate about was over and I was suddenly labeled a bad apple,” she said.
Thousands of US service members have found themselves drummed out of the armed forces like Quinn after they reported being sexually harassed or raped, only to have their records blighted by derogatory discharge papers, according to a new investigation.
“Nothing has been done to redress the wrongs done to those who were unfairly discharged,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) declares in a report released on Thursday.
The campaign group’s investigation used official documentation and interviews with victims – men and women – whose lives were devastated by the circumstances in which they were forced out of service.
TVNL Comment: Blame the victim. Not a new tactic, but even more devastating to those drummed out of the service.
