Kelsey Gumm, a 10 year veteran of the U.S. Navy, started spreading the word for a new support group she is organizing meant to give women survivors of sexual assault or harassment in the military a group of peers to help them all work through their trauma together.
Gumm started organizing the group to provide women veteran survivors in Wisconsin a place to talk with and help each other because of the rise in conversation about sexual assault and harassment in the military after the murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood.
“I think what is most important for female veterans to know is that they are not alone, and whatever happened to them, be it sexual assault or harassment, it is NOT ok,” said Gumm. “This group will be a safe place for them to come together with other women who have served and find support amongst each other.”
Women interested in joining the group can sign up through this form.
The support group hasn’t met yet, but Gumm is currently working through all the applications she received to make sure all of the applicants are veterans. Gumm said she wants to make sure the group maintains a certain level of privacy and trust amongst group members to ensure a safe environment.
Once Gumm verifies the veteran status of everyone, she will set dates and times for virtual meetings to facilitate social distancing. The group plans to initially meet once a month virtually.
She said the group will meet in-person after the pandemic problems die down and in-person meetings are less of an issue.
In-person meetings will take place at local non-profit Wisconsin Veterans Network in Milwaukee. Gumm said the group initially considered meeting at UWM because of the large veteran population, but in light of recent events, they do not feel safe hosting such a group at the university.
However, Gumm said she is working with UWM’s MAVRC to make a more inclusive group and reach out to as many women veterans as possible. She also contacted the other 12 UW System universities with information about the program.
The group is solely comprised of female veteran survivors. There will not be any official therapists or clinically trained professionals present during the meetings. Gumm said it is only meant to provide a forum for these survivors to talk about things they haven’t been able to talk about with others.
Many victims of sexual assault and harassment in the military are not eligible for treatment, mental or otherwise, from their local VA hospital for abuse they suffered in the military because many survivors never report their abuse for fear of retaliation within the military.
Just through social media posts, word of mouth and one local news interview so far dozens of survivors have already submitted forms to join Gumm’s group, but she knows there are more out there and she hopes to reach all the veteran survivors in Wisconsin who have been needing help for far too long.
There were 6,236 reports of sexual assault by U.S. service members during military service among all branches of the military in 2019, according to a report from the Department of Defense.
Gumm was trained as a peer support group leader through the Wounded Warrior Project and has three years of experience as a group leader in the Navy. This program is not associated with the Wounded Warrior Project or the Navy.
Gumm wants to grow the group from virtual meetings once a month to include in person meetings around the state to include as many survivors as possible.
“I think what is most important for female veterans to know is that they are not alone, and whatever happened to them, be it sexual assault or harassment, it is NOT ok,” said Gumm. “This group will be a safe place for them to come together with other women who have served and find support amongst each other.”