US senator Martha McSally has revealed how she was raped by a senior officer while in the Air force.
Senator McSally, who was the then first female US fighter pilot to fly in combat, said he did not report the rape as she was ashamed and confused.
Ms McSally told the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on Wednesday: “I stayed silent for many years.But later in my career, as the military grappled with the scandals, and their wholly inadequate responses, I felt the need to let some people know, I too was a survivor.
In addition she said, “I was horrified at how my attempt to share generally my experiences was handled.
“I almost separated from the Air Force at 18 years of service over my despair. Like many victims, I felt like the system was raping me all over again.”
Ms McSally served 26 years in the US Air Force, rising to the rank of colonel, before retiring in 2010.
She was then elected for two terms in the US House of Representatives before winning her Senate seat last year.
It is not the first time Ms McSally has spoken about being a survivor of sexual abuse.
Last year, while running for the Senate, she told the Wall Street Journal her high school athletic coach had pressured her into having sex with him when she was 17.
She has previously said she was sexually harassed while in the military.