Stories From The Front

Bronze Star-decorated combat commander Colonel Lisa Carrington Firmin outlines her own experiences with military sexual trauma (MST) and recounts the stories of 13 others: veterans as well as active duty women and men who are bravely sharing their stories of sexual assault and sexual harassment while serving in the United States military. Stories from the Front: Pain, Betrayal and Resilience on the MST Battlefield authentically captures experiences and carefully tells their stories of trauma and the resilience and empowerment they display in their lives.

After serving 30 years in the Air Force, and as its most senior-ranking Latina officer upon retirement, Colonel Carrington Firmin was horrified by the appalling murder of a fellow Latina, Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, in April 2020. Vanessa’s horrific death became the catalyst for repressed memories of the colonel’s own sexual assault during initial training and the repeated sexual harassment she endured early in her career and catapulted her on a soul-searching journey to document others’ experiences and to advocate for change within the armed services. Her poem “Into the Light,” featured in Stories from the Front, captures her feelings and recounts how she came to end her silence on the negative aspects of her military career. The colonel is proud of her service and the strong bonds she had with so many military professionals, but acknowledges that now is the time to share the full reality of all that she experienced and endured.

Stories from the Front was published by Blue Ear Books on April 22, 2022, to commemorate the second anniversary of Vanessa Guillén’s murder. A press release announcing is publication is online in PDF format here.