Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
Allison Gill was just 21 years old when she joined the military. In 1995, she was a Petty Officer in the Navy, stationed at a nuclear-power training command based in Orlando. There were about 600 men. And just four women.
Gill was one of just two of those women who wasn't married, which led to a lot of attention from the male sailors. One night, while at a party with some of these guys, things got pretty ugly.
These days Gill is a stand up comic — a choice some might find surprising given what she endured in the military. She joins Take Two to tell her story of suffering with Military Sexual Trauma (MST), and how she became an advocate for women in the military and a comedian with the nonprofit Veterans of Comedy.
This piece is part of KPCC's ongoing coverage of issues affecting veterans for Veterans Day 2014. See more of our coverage at KPCC.org/vets.