Mel's Story: Surviving Military Sexual Assault
G. Trudeau
Jan 2024 · Andrews Mcmeel+ORM
Ebook
96
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
The Pulitzer Prize–winning Doonesbury cartoonist tells the story of one soldier and sexual assault survivor with humanity and humor.
"An estimated 19,000 rapes and sexual assaults took place in the military last year. Every one of them represents a monstrous crime made much worse by the sense of betrayal that accompanied it. That so few victims—just one in seven—report these crimes underscores the utter lack of trust that pervades military culture." —Retired Gen. Loree Sutton and Garry Trudeau, in a Washington Post OpEd, June 29, 2013
The first time B.D. encounters command-rape survivor Melissa Wheeler in the waiting room at the VA Center, he has no idea what to make of the scowling former chopper mechanic. But in the months that follow, witnessing Mel's pain and her healing process helps him with his own, and B.D. ends up a staunch and encouraging ally.
With the help of VA counselors Cora and Elias, Wheeler is able to reframe her experience and move forward to the point where she re-ups and re-deploys, though the trauma and betrayal continue to haunt her. She and fellow helicopter mechanic Roz masterfully keep a squadron of birds airborne downrange, and in the new post-DADT world, the now-out Roz and her now-superior ("That's SERGEANT bitch to you!") help wind down US ops in Afghanistan. Returning stateside, Mel's final obstacle is her father's cluelessness—and a widespread reluctance to hear the truth of her story.
As always, Garry Trudeau manages to find humor and humanity in even a tale of suffering, and sheds serious light on one of the most pressing and undermining problems in our military today.
"An estimated 19,000 rapes and sexual assaults took place in the military last year. Every one of them represents a monstrous crime made much worse by the sense of betrayal that accompanied it. That so few victims—just one in seven—report these crimes underscores the utter lack of trust that pervades military culture." —Retired Gen. Loree Sutton and Garry Trudeau, in a Washington Post OpEd, June 29, 2013
The first time B.D. encounters command-rape survivor Melissa Wheeler in the waiting room at the VA Center, he has no idea what to make of the scowling former chopper mechanic. But in the months that follow, witnessing Mel's pain and her healing process helps him with his own, and B.D. ends up a staunch and encouraging ally.
With the help of VA counselors Cora and Elias, Wheeler is able to reframe her experience and move forward to the point where she re-ups and re-deploys, though the trauma and betrayal continue to haunt her. She and fellow helicopter mechanic Roz masterfully keep a squadron of birds airborne downrange, and in the new post-DADT world, the now-out Roz and her now-superior ("That's SERGEANT bitch to you!") help wind down US ops in Afghanistan. Returning stateside, Mel's final obstacle is her father's cluelessness—and a widespread reluctance to hear the truth of her story.
As always, Garry Trudeau manages to find humor and humanity in even a tale of suffering, and sheds serious light on one of the most pressing and undermining problems in our military today.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
