Moving forward into hope: Airman shares personal story of sexual assault

  • Published
  • By Krista Starker
  • Hilltop Times Correspondent
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  There were tears of sadness, hope and love as an Airman accounted her personal experience with sexual assault.

A large group, including commanders, victim advocates and community agencies, gathered at a luncheon on April 18 to heighten awareness of sexual assault and the effects it has on the victim as well as those around them. The luncheon was the capstone event for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Guest speaker Senior Airman Eve Wolfe addressed the crowd with a detailed story of her experience of sexual assault and how she has come to cope and heal. She and her sister were raised in an atmosphere of abuse. Wolfe enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at 18 years old and was given orders to the United Kingdom in 2012. On April 7, 2012, after a night of drinking and dancing at a club, a drug was slipped into her drink causing her to become disoriented. She was then raped and abandoned in an alley by a man she had met at the club.

In the aftermath of the abuse, she completed a rape kit and took leave to visit her sister here in Utah. It was her arrival to Utah that brought her in touch with Janaee Stone, Team Hill Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, and all the help that the program has to offer. Shortly after, Wolfe changed her permanent duty station to Hill AFB to continue her healing process.

While her abuser was never brought to justice due to lack of evidence, Wolfe has not let this affect her and continues to improve every day.

"Janaee told me this great example once. She handed me a brown paper bag and told me to look and see how flat and smooth the bag is. She then told me to crumple the bag up, and then asked me to re-flatten the bag. And as hard as you try, the paper bag will never go back to its original smooth form. This is how I am after this, it changes who you are and I will never be the same, but I love who I am and I am no longer a victim anymore," said Wolfe.

Col. Kathryn Kolbe, 75th Air Base Wing commander, then spoke applauding Wolfe for her courage to speak about her experience and address the issue of sexual abuse.

"You are a courageous young lady. You are not a victim, you are a victim advocate," said Kolbe.

Kolbe also thanked Stone for her continued efforts to help those affected by abuse and for her dedication to go above and beyond to help them.

Wolfe expressed the importance of asking for help if you have been a victim of abuse, because no one should have to go through something like this alone.

"You need guidance, because you can start to go into a downward spiral like I did. The SARC program and Janaee have brought me back to life," said Wolfe. "It's very important to remember that there is still hope."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the SARC hotline at (801) 777-1985 or visit the office in the Airman and Family Readiness Center.