Social worker wants to help other veterans
Lydia Rosales-Vega was sexually assaulted while serving eight years in the Marine Corps.
“I’m planning to go back to school to get my master’s in military social work. There’s a big need in the veteran community. Especially as a female veteran with kids, it’s hard to get the help you need.
“I’ve had to deal with PTSD, but it wasn’t from war. It was from sexual assault in the military, which is what I experienced. It takes a toll on you. And when you’re battling something like that alone, it kind of sets up a barrier between you and your family.
“For a long time, it was very hard. I never told anyone until maybe two years ago when I was at a breaking point in my life. I talked to someone at the Veterans Hospital, and then I came home and I told my husband.
“People tend to want to numb that pain through things like drugs and alcohol abuse. For me, it was none of that. It was mostly just wanting to end my life. There was a point where I had so much self-hate that I even pushed my husband away. My entire life just came down on me.”
— Lydia Rosales-Vega
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