I am one of those female vets you read about. One of them. I won't go into detail, but lets just say some bad things happened to me while I was in the service. Things that left me with PTSD.
I know that this scares people when they learn this. Like I could go bonkers or something if I get scared enough. Honestly that never happens. I do get upset, but I retreat. I write, I paint. I garden. I find productive ways to be alone with my condition to get me through this.
I am one of those older vet females, though, that didn't receive any assistance from the VA. And quite frankly, their kind of "help" I could do without. When I got out there was nothing for my kind. And when it finally arrived, they had no way of helping me with day care. And then I saw how they treated other female vets like myself and I chose to avoid that establishment.
This condition has cost me a lot. But it has also been a strange sort of blessing in disguise. It has given me great insight into the world, into sexual politics, into our culture. I started this exploration from the slimy underbelly side of things, but I promise you, you can reach a point to see the sun again. It just takes time.