Navy Veteran and sexual assault survivor | Sandy Duchac - S.O.S. podcast #26

In Ep. 26, I had one of my best friends on the podcast: Sandy Duchac. She spoke about her advocacy on behalf of veterans in the arena of Military Sexual Trauma, domestic violence, and so much more. She also shared her own transformative story of surviving sexual assault at the hands of a doctor contracted through the Veterans Affairs Administration.

Sandy is one of just four finalists for 2021 San Diego County Veteran of the Year for her volunteer work on behalf of her work for the peer-to-peer military sexual assault support group and nonprofit Veterans Sisters.

Sandy not only helps run Veteran Sisters, but she also helps care for the herd of horses at Pegasus Rising Project and assists in the facilitation of Equine Assisted Therapy for current and former military with PTSD, TBI, and MST.

Sandy first became involved with Pegasus Rising Project when she sought equine-assisted therapy for her own significant PTSD issues.  After going through the four-week therapy program and volunteering as a caretaker for the herd for four months, she began facilitating equine-assisted therapy amidst the pandemic for other Veterans and active-duty military.  In the last year, she has assisted more than one hundred men and women with PTSD, TBI and MST find healing through the herd of Polish Arabian horses.

In her role as Vice President for Veteran Sisters, Sandy’s unique background which includes print and television journalism and years spent as a television producer for Paramount Studios, coupled with her active-duty Naval service; makes her a fierce and dedicated advocate for the unique needs of Veterans and is a spokesperson for the non-profit organization.  In the last year, through her advocacy, San Diego County Probation made a small procedure change that improved accountability, thereby reducing instances of Veterans being needlessly triggered.  Her at a homeless transitional housing program in Oceanside, Calif. improved security for both the residents and the staff by increasing transparency and accountability. 

Sandy Duchac leads Veteran Sisters advocacy efforts.  Through her servant-leadership, Veteran Sisters has helped to bring a wider awareness of MST and effect meaningful changes. We are working to #StopMST before it starts by engaging with lawmakers to ensure service members who commit sexual violen

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