The wounds sustained by soldiers are both physical and psychological. Women are now more likely to experience combat than previously and thus suffer wounds from both battlefield engagement and the moral injuries of misogyny, miliary sexual trauma, and transgressions of their assumptions about right and wrong and personal goodness (Litz et al., 2009). 

MISNS’ founder and CEO Dr. Daniel Roberts has done research that reveals the life-changing effects of moral injury in servicewomen. These women often experience depression, anxiety, withdrawal, and self-destructive behaviors because of the institutional betrayal they have experienced. As Dr. Roberts has stated, a female’s experience of the military is different from that of their male counterparts. In the gendered organization that is today’s military, “women are often minimized, ignored, and harassed” (Roberts, 2020).

Addressing this dire situation is a key project of MISNS’s five-year strategic plan named ATHENA (Archive of Testimonies, Histories, Experiences, Narratives, and Accounts) Nexus. At the heart of ATHENA Nexus will be the powerful testimonies and narratives of our courageous and strong female veterans (Roberts, 2024). Alongside eliciting oral histories and artistic expressions, engagement in collaborative initiatives will enlist mental health professionals, researchers, and policymakers in vital partnerships to dramatically change and improve the lived experiences of morally injured female veterans.

Connection and community-building are two of the desired outcomes of this ATHENA Nexus project. Through documentation of these brave women’s stories, MISNS can identify their needs, reduce their feelings of isolation, and support their connection with trauma-informed services.

Telling her story in a safe place can begin the healing process of a female soldier (O’Hara, 2023). She can realize that she is not alone in her suffering, and that incidents she has kept secret need to be revealed. Often this incident was rape by a fellow soldier. Although he was probably unpunished, and it happened years ago, the servicewoman herself still feels the deep wound just as if it had happened yesterday (Roberts, 2024). 

Narrative therapy is one modality of healing. Telling one’s story helps humans to make sense of our experiences (Clarke, May 5, 2023). Narrative therapists help people give meaning to the events that happen in their lives. Exploring them and considering alternative stories can help female soldiers and veterans become experts on their own lives and approach their past problems and traumas in different ways that express their goals and values. Dr. Roberts uses this technique as a chaplain as he reminds them that they never expected such a betrayal to occur. In their moments of vulnerability, individuals they trusted as friends attacked and assaulted them. The guilt should rest with the attackers, not with the survivors themselves (MISNS, 2024). Reframing their stories can give these female veterans new hope for a brighter future. This ATHENA Nexus project can help fulfill the vision of MISNS: to create a world where servicewomen and their families are empowered, supported, and healed from moral injury (Roberts, September 3, 2024).

MISNS is signing up organizations as partners, seeking funding from grantors, sponsors, and donors, and recruiting women veterans to participate in a pilot program. 

Interested individuals can contact Dr. Roberts at droberts@chaplainconsultants.com.

Learn more about Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. and sign up for our newsletter at: https://misns.org.

Get to know our team: https://misns.org/about-us/

Donate to our cause: https://misns.org/donation/ 

Susan Sganga is the Media Specialist for Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. and is a public health specialist located in North Carolina. She can be reached at 704-254-1548 or susanpsganga@gmail.com.

Sources

Clarke, Jodi, and Gans, Steven. (May 5, 2023). How narrative therapy works. Very Well Mind. https://verywellmind.com/narrative-therapy-4172956.

Litz, Robert, et al, (2009), quoted in Koenig, Harold G. and Al Zaben, Faten. (July 10, 2021). Moral injury: an increasingly recognized and widespread syndrome. Journal of Religion and Health.

O’Hara, Christiane. (June 8, 2023). Panel presenter, MISNS Conference.  

Roberts, Daniel. (Fall 2020). Initiatives in military moral injury research and education. Combat Stress. The American Institute of Stress.

Roberts, Daniel. (September 3, 2024). 5 Year Strategic Plan for Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. As of September 3, 2025. Email to staff.

Roberts, Daniel. (2024). Old memories, fresh wounds: military sexual trauma. MISNS website. https://misns.org/old-memories-fresh-wounds.

Volunteers of America Northern Rockies. Moral Injury Support Services. Photo.