. >> in 2019, retired master sergeant erica johnson told air force leaders she was being physically and sexually assaulted by someone she was in an intimate relationship with. >> domestic violence is this unspoken bad word, bad phrase. nobody wants to talk about it. >> cbs news spoke with nearly 40 survivors who, like erica, reported abuse to the military. >> and i think in the military specifically, it's even more of this forgotten crisis because there is this veil of a uniform. >> according to department of defense policy, commanders are required to tell victims about resources, send reports to law enforcement for investigation, and ensure military offenders are held accountable. >>> does the military provide enough support to domestic violence survivors? >> no. >> no. >> after erica reported she had been raped and beaten, the air force's office of special investigations looked into her claims. >>> how did they handle your case? >> initially it seemed like they were taking me seriously. he checked his military weapon out and threatened me with it. and then as things went on, they just