Military Rape Survivor Shares Lessons Learned from Pain and Trauma
USMC Veteran Athena Ives shares her story of resilience and hope on The David Johnson Show
Athena Ives, author of “Thank You for Raping Me” is the latest guest on “The David Johnson Show”
I say I was forged in trauma. You have to admit what happened to you, so you have to be vulnerable. You have to talk about it. If you cover it up, it's just going OK, you're not going to get over it.”
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES, June 11, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Military rape survivor Athena Ives brings a female survivor perspective to the latest episode of “The David Johnson Show”, a national voice that talks about points of interest within the post 9/11 military and veteran culture.— Athena Ives, USMC Veteran
USMC Veteran Athena Ives shares her story of going from trauma to survival to victory in the latest episode of “The David Johnson Show”. Athena recounts her story of being a child rape victim to serving in the U.S. Marines as a combat engineer and FST member with CLB-1, 1st MLG in Fallujah. In her 2018 book “Thank You for Raping Me” she speaks out against the physical and sexual assault she suffered in the military.
“I say I was forged in trauma,” Ives relates in the video. “Trauma definitely made me who I am today. But then you start to realize, "Get the hell over it. Stop. If you don't face this, you..." You have to admit what happened to you, so you have to be vulnerable. You have to talk about it. If you cover it up, it's just going to be like, "OK, you're not going to get over it," but you have to admit it. As soon as I admitted it and I realized, I was like, "I have been through a lot. And you know what? I will be damned if I'm going to go out of this world and not get what I deserve because I did not go through this hell to just end up here." I started fighting back and I was like, "Screw you. I am not giving up. I deserve so much better than this."
Ives is right about that. She has a master’s degree in forensics and is currently studying for a PhD in forensic psychology. Her book is touching raw nerves not only in the military world, but also across female groups, child sex trafficking groups and others. She describes herself as a Warrior today, and that inspiration will carry her through the coming years. Learn more about Athena at https://athenaives.com/.
“Dude, if I can get through the war and Fallujah as a female, I can do everything I did,” Ives relates. “I survived absolute hell there, and I did more than most of the guys in my unit did. I saw things that men would kill themselves over, and I'm OK with because I've been through worse.”
Click here to watch this heart-wrenching episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/0Rlg5FoVs14
BACKGROUND
The David Johnson Show is an online video show giving a voice to military veterans and military fans in the post 9/11-era.
Premiering in April 2020 at https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com, “The David Johnson Show” is an episode-driven showcase for the American military and veteran subculture. Each show episode showcases a different guest with a different story.
“The David Johnson Show” features military veterans growing into successful civilian lives, as well as entrepreneurs who can help those in the military and veteran communities. Each episode is available for streaming on your preferred device.
“The David Johnson Show” is produced by Promotion Board Media, and is the first of several new online video shows planned for the military and veteran community. These shows will be professionally produced, present great information and offer a wide range of related content.
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