CNN uncovered a damning, secret investigation into sexual assault at the US Coast Guard Academy. This woman’s case triggered that probe

The young Coast Guard officer was often seen crying.

She had entered the US Coast Guard Academy with dreams of traveling the world, drawn to the agency’s missions of protecting the environment and saving lives. But her emotional displays following her academy graduation in 1998 prompted one superior officer to question whether she was suicidal. He noted his observations in her personnel file, she says, resulting in a negative evaluation that tarnished her career.

Then, in September 2014, after being denied yet another a promotion, she said couldn’t help but tell a colleague what she says had been troubling her for so long: She had been raped more than a decade earlier by an upperclassman at the academy, but leaders there had failed to investigate.

For years, as she silently struggled with the trauma of the attack, she was unable to advance in her career. Meanwhile, the man she said assaulted her saw his military career flourish.

After hearing the woman’s allegations, the colleague felt required to report them, launching what would become the US Coast Guard’s most sweeping investigation into sexual assaults at its academy. It exposed a disturbing history of rapes, assaults and other misconduct being ignored – and at times – covered up.

The damning results of the probe, dubbed Operation Fouled Anchor, were kept secret for years until CNN, which had gained access to the findings, questioned the agency about its handling of the investigation. Those questions prompted the Coast Guard to brief Congress in recent weeks. Until then, the document was “very centrally controlled,” similar to how a classified report would be treated, a congressional aide told CNN. The aide said it was evident from the recent briefing that the Coast Guard had no intention of telling anyone about the probe until it became clear CNN would report on it.

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