Former ADF member Kylie Reynolds told the Royal Commission she survived sexual assault and serious injury during her service

Kylie Reynolds tendered a statement to the commission and in an opening address, counsel assisting Madeleine Bridgett explained that Ms Reynolds' mental health declined to where "she could not even make decisions about what [she] wanted to drink or have for breakfast" as a result of her service.

Ms Reynolds enlisted at age 17 in the Australian Defence Force Army Ready Reserves in Brisbane in January 1993. She then completed a three-month recruit training at Kapooka, where she celebrated her 18th birthday.

Her nightmare started before the year was out. During her first posting at Enoggera Barracks, Brisbane, she was sexually assaulted.

"I had just turned 18. I was not sexually active at the that time," she wrote.

"I was ashamed that I had let this occur and was not strong enough to stop it."

She never reported the assault and was in a state of shock, she said.

"I had been warned to keep your mouth shut," she said.

"As a young soldier I had already learnt to not make waves, because if you make waves, even just to speak up for yourself, or others, you are discriminated against and your life will be hell.

"As a young female private I was the lowest of the low."

Despite her assault and the difficulties women face in the army, Ms Reynolds rose through the ranks to corporal, then sergeant, and eventually warrant officer 2.

"Ms Reynolds was excelling in her work in the army and her career prospects were bright," Ms Bridgett said, until an incident in 2006 led her mental health to plummet.

Ms Reynolds helped a friend through an episode in which they tried to take their own life, but was then "persecuted and harassed" because of her intervention, she said.

"I believe that incident .. was the start of my undoing mentally," she said.

"Over a two-month period after ... I was persecuted and harassed."

As a result, she planned to take long-service leave and then get out of the ADF, but was offered an overseas deployment instead, which she took to get away from the memory of the incident.

There she faced bombing, helicopter, plane and road travel and working 15 to 20-hour days, seven days a week, which took a toll on her "mentally and physically" when she was already in a "vulnerable state".

Ms Reynolds was eventually medically retired in 2012, left with severe back injuries. She soon began to have suicidal thoughts.

"I felt as though my world had been ripped out from under me," she said.

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The transition from ADF life was difficult. Like others, Ms Reynolds struggled with the Department of Veterans Affairs process, but credits her partner and having a service dog with keeping her safe at the time.

"It is rare I think about suicide now because I do not want others to have to grieve me," she said.

"I still can't work today, but I want to ... if given the chance I would still be in the Army today.

"It has taken me over 10 years to process what has happened to me, and I continue to do so daily."