I served 20 years as a combat soldier and drill sergeant, with a stellar career in the regular Army. It wasn’t until I joined the Nebraska Reserves and fought against sexism, sexual harassment, and racism that my career was stalled by the “powers that be.”

Before I arrived to Nebraska in 2008, there was an ongoing investigation about a noose being hung in a black female sergeant’s office by her commander who is Caucasian. In December 2009, I filed an Equal Opportunity complaint and an IG complaint for receiving verbal abuse and racial comments by a commissioned officer and senior non-commissioned officer. In return, I experienced retaliation, reprisal, and harassment by my chain of command, which involved negative counseling statements, sub-par evaluations, and more. Another black minority and I were also ordered out of the Army reserve building in which we worked and told not to come back to the building for two months. I was told that I had to work from home and couldn’t leave my apartment unless I called in to my superiors. I also feared for my life because one of the commanders who retaliated against me followed me home one night. I continued to file complaints with the IG and my Congressman but to no avail. It took my aunt writing a letter to the Secretary of the Army to get me reassigned out of Nebraska to Las Vegas, Nevada.

In addition to being retaliated against for reporting racism and sexism, I was also retaliated against for reporting sexual harassment. I was sexually harassed by a major, who was my immediate supervisor, between 2011 and 2012. One time, the Major motioned his genitals towards me. He claimed that he was trying to tell me about a urinalysis that the unit had to do. He did this in front of a sergeant first class female soldier as well. I had him reported. Long before that, he was giving me tasks that he knew couldn’t be done in a timely manner. He also tried to erroneously write me up. I had to get a civilian and a captain involved in order for this major to leave me alone. This was going on for about three to four months. Despite all this, the major was promoted and his career salvaged. Yet, I am still being harassed and retaliated against, six years later.

After leaving active duty in 2012, IG/ called and told me that I was under investigation for missing government property in Las Vegas, even though I had a record showing that I wasn’t financially liable, which was signed by the S-4 captain and battalion sergeant first class. Yet they still investigated me. I had to work on my personal time to turn in documentation. Also during that time, I was still being harassed and then told that an alleged Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) packet was started on me.

Between 2013 and 2014, I was negatively written up on numerous occasions by another commander. They were trying to get me on minor infractions. As a troop program unit soldier supposedly going to an MEB, I wasn’t placed on orders to go to doctors, physical evaluation board liaison officers, or a medical treatment facility. However, I had to submit documentation in a timely manner, or else I would receive adverse action. This was all done on my personal time. They wanted me to do a Release of Information to get access to all of my medical information. I believe that I was never submitted for an MEB, but instead for a “show cause,” or administrative adverse actions board. I was also denied career progression by not being allowed to go to my advanced course as a warrant officer. Yet, the powers that be who have stalked me for the last six years were allowed to go to school, get promoted, etc.

In 2014, I was involved in a formal Army Regulation 15-6 investigation for a car accident that happened in August of 2010. The accident was not my fault. I provided the required police report, showing this. I even called the battalion commander to try and reason with him to do an informal investigation. However, it was to no avail. The formal AR 15-6 was still done.

Also in 2014, a second separation packet was being used against me. My e-mails and phone calls were tapped. Allegedly missing equipment was missing prior to my arrival. Yet, I received a phone call, regarding the missing equipment. After explaining that I had no command support in trying to clean up the property book, which led me to file a complaint, I was told “it wouldn’t make a difference if I told the President”. Of course this was never put in writing.

By 2015, the situations mentioned in the last paragraphs are still continuing, even though I have now reached 20 years of service. They are still trying to get access to all of my medical information, even though I already have an approved line of duty (LOD) investigation. Meanwhile, all of the people mentioned above were allowed to get promoted and move on with their career. They were not brought to justice and are still serving in greater capacities in the Army Reserves.