Army Veteran Creates Free Trauma Care for Women After Assault

When Sergeant Cassandra Taylor retired from the Army in 2023, she carried 28 years of proud service and one devastating secret that refused to stay buried. After being sexually assaulted by a superior officer who faced no consequences, she decided her pain would fuel change for others.

Taylor founded Top Flight Defense, Inc., a Chicago nonprofit created by women veterans for all women. The organization provides free mental health services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, plus combat veterans battling PTSD.

"We focus on the overall health and mental wellness of women veterans and the women in their community," Taylor explains. Her approach treats trauma as a community issue, not just an individual struggle.

Taylor also authored "Why I Serve," weaving her story with accounts from 68 other women veterans. "Women have been serving and loving America long before America loved her, but that never stopped the heart of a warrior," she writes in the memoir.

The book has become more than a collection of stories. It's a lifeline for women who thought they were alone in their experiences.

The Ripple Effect

Navy veteran Deanna Davis found Taylor's openness transformative. "She talked about her experience, but she also talked about [how] she overcame it," Davis told WGN9.

Davis credits Taylor with helping her process her own military trauma. "It memorialized the fact that I served and it meant something," she said.

Taylor's willingness to speak publicly about what happened to her has created permission for others to do the same. Each woman who shares her story chips away at the silence that protects predators and isolates survivors.

Through Top Flight Defense, Taylor is building the support system she wishes she'd had during her darkest moments. Her work proves that sometimes the people who've been hurt the worst become the strongest advocates for change.