The Bible in Second Samuel 13 describes the rape of King David’s daughter Tamar by her paternal half-brother Amnon. Her defilement is strangely covered up by David because Amnon is the heir apparent, and David wants Amnon to succeed him as king of Israel and Judah.
Fast forwarding to modern times, rape and sexual assault in the military are rampant. Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by their fellow soldiers than to be killed in combat (Ellison, 2012).

Is there a connection between Tamar’s tragic situation in ancient Israel and the current prevalence of sexual assault against females by male soldiers in the U.S. military ranks? Both involve covering up the sexual assault. Both involve moral injury and life-changing results for
the victims. Both involve brothers assaulting their sisters, yet are women not part of the military family united in defending their country?

After raping Tamar, Amnon hated her and threw her out of his house. She then tore her robes and put ashes on her head as she fled, crying from despair. From the privilege of living in the palace as a king’s daughter, Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of another brother, Absalom. Her father King David was very angry at Amnon but did nothing to address the situation. Perhaps his own sins, especially his experience of taking Bathsheba, wife of his soldier Uriah the Hittite, whom he later had killed, colored his response to this egregious act by his son Amnon.

In the United States today the first female combat pilot in the United States Air Force, Colonel Martha McSally, reported that she was raped by a superior officer – someone who should have seen her as a sister-in-arms. Distrusting the system, she did not report this action, and blamed herself, feeling ashamed and confused. Although she had previously felt that she was a strong woman in her military role, she subsequently felt weak and powerless (Beech, 2019).

Many years later McSally revealed her rape during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on sexual assault in the military. At this time serving as a senator representing Arizona, McSally advocated strongly that commanders “must not be removed from the decision-making responsibility of preventing, detecting, and prosecuting military sexual assault” (Kime, 2019).

McSally reiterated that sentiment in an exchange with one of the committee witnesses. “I don’t want commanders to be off the hook: I need them to be more responsible for solving this issue,” McSally said.

Justice for victims of Military Sexual Assault is rare. The reality is that military unit commanders prosecute fewer than 20% of accused rapists. They seem to be following the pattern set by King David. In a command climate where fellow soldiers know that sexual assault is underreported and seldom punished, there is understandably a crisis of confidence in female servicewomen. Many times, these women are blamed for the incident, or their reports are dismissed. The U.S. military often involuntarily discharges women who report being sexually assaulted (Kheel, 2019).

To address this abysmal status quo, the DoD has established the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Research Agenda FY 21-25. This initiative prioritizes evaluating approaches to mitigate the processes of shame, stigma, and institutional betrayal experienced by victims. (Department of Defense, 2025) The researchers recognize the role of leadership and command climate and acknowledge that feelings of shame and stigma are linked to increased rates of PTSD, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Betrayal by the military service branch in which they signed up to protect and defend our nation has caused the victims moral injury. These women never expected this betrayal (Roberts, 2022). Assisting our women in recovery is the primary mission of Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, the pioneering advocacy group for morally injured female soldiers and veterans.

Director and founder Dr. Daniel Roberts envisions a future where servicewomen receive the support they deserve, and where moral injury is effectively recognized and addressed. He hopes for a military culture that promotes respect, equality, and inclusivity, ensuring the well-being of all its members. Now retired from the U.S. Army, Dr. Roberts continues his tireless work, advocating for policy changes, conducting research, and providing counseling to help servicewomen heal and reclaim their lives (Roberts, 2024).

Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen – MISNS – exists to serve our female veterans who fought bravely on behalf of their country and suffered moral injury as a result (MISNS, 2025). An ally in this cause is the Wounded Warrior Project, which has created the Women Warriors Initiative to empower female veterans.

The MISNS ATHENA Nexus program seeks narratives that help women to identify their specific needs and to offer support services. 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.
Help Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. provide the support it needs to women veterans by donating to our cause at: https://misns.org/donation or send a check or money order to Moral Injury Support Network, 136 Sunset Drive, Robbins, NC 27325.

Everyamount helps and we are so grateful for your loving support.

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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
Beech, Eric. (March 6, 2019). U.S. senator and combat veteran McSally says she was raped by a superior officer. Reuters. https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/1398531

Charles Stanley Life Principles Bible (2020). Second Samuel 13:1-22. Connecting vets. (March 6, 2019). Senator Martha McSally reveals she was raped by a superior officer while she was in the Air Force. Audacy. https://www.audacy.com/connectingvets/articles/senator-martha-mcsally-reveals-she-was-raped-superior-officer-air-force-congressional

Department of Defense. (2025). Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Research Agenda FY 21-25. https://www.sapr.mil/?q=search/node/fy21-25

Ellison, Jesse. (March 6, 2012). The Daily Beast. Panetta, Gates, Rumsfeld face new suit over U.S. military rape ‘epidemic.’ https://www.thedailybeast.com/panetta-gates-rumsfeld-face-new-suit-over-us-military-rape-epidemic/

hks.harvard.edu. Harvard Kennedy School. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/politics/fighter-congresswoman-martha-mcsally-mpp-1990-defiant. Photograph

Kheel, Rebecca. (May 19, 2019). Sexual assault victims wrongfully discharged from military. The Hill. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/280551-report-military-discharged-thousands-of-sexual-assault-victims-for-personality/

Kime, Patricia. (March 6, 2019). Sen. Martha McSally Says She Was Raped by Officer While in Air Force. Military.com. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/03/06/sen-martha-mcsally-says-she-was-raped-officer-whil e-air-force.html

Roberts, Daniel. (2021-2025). MISNS. http://www.misns.org

Women Warriors Initiative. (2025). Wounded Warrior Project. https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/women-warriors-initiative