Guillén’s death sparks military justice change
It has been over a year and seven months since Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén was reported missing.
Her disappearance and murder hit the Latino community in Houston especially hard. Many of them serve in our military and many of them have children serving. Vanessa’s tragic death sparked a movement and reforms that otherwise would have been swept under the rug. As we have called for investigations and uncovered the truth behind her death, one thing is clear: The Army failed Vanessa Guillén. Rogelio, Vanessa’s father, told me how Vanessa dreamed of joining the Army when she was 12 years old. She felt a deep sense of love for America, and the Army represented an opportunity to reach for her American Dream. The U.S. Army was her way to contribute and build a better life for herself. It was her dream; but again, the same institution she vowed to serve, failed her.
Before her disappearance, Vanessa confided in her family that she felt unsafe and was being sexually harassed at Fort Hood and feared retaliation from her superiors that kept her from filing a report. That was the culture at Fort Hood. A culture that on April 22, 2020, led to her disappearance.
When the Guillén family reached out to my office in May 2020, we immediately started the congressional inquiry process. We brought attention to her case and rallied colleagues in Congress to convince the military authorities to take it seriously. I thank Congresswoman Jackie Speier, the chair of the Military Personnel Subcommittee and a fighter in the long battle against sexual harassment and assault, for acting swiftly and elevating Vanessa’s case in Congress.
Tragically, on June 30, 2020, she was found dead only a few miles from Fort Hood. Vanessa did not deserve to die the way she did. No one does.
Even the Army’s investigation report on what happened to Vanessa admits that there was a toxic environment and a culture of control. We have a moral obligation to honor her memory by changing the culture of sexual assault and harassment in the military with the landmark reforms included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022.
I urge the Senate pass the bill. The legislation would remove commanders from the decision-making process during the prosecution of crimes like sexual assault, rape and murder. Instead, a new and independent Office of the Special Trial Counsel would be created to handle the prosecution of these and other crimes. The bill would also for the first time criminalize sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and require harassment claims to be investigated by an independent party outside the chain of command. The 2022 NDAA also establishes resources for victims of sexual harassment and assault and enforces accountability by requiring the armed forces to report data related to these crimes.
This bill is a first step in the fight for getting justice for Vanessa. For over a year and a half, we have been fighting hard to call attention to her case, to get investigators to treat it seriously, and to build the reform package that will prevent future tragedy. We have worked closely with the Guillen family, with the White House and with the Department of Defense to forge a reform package that will be truly transformative.
It has not been an easy path, nor is this the final step. But the progress we have made by passing these invaluable changes to the system is nothing short of extraordinary. The fact is that the NDAA contains the most significant reforms to the Uniform Code of Military Justice in over fifty years to finally answer the calls of so many survivors who have bravely come forward to share their stories.
Every time I think about Vanessa, I see her face in my sisters, nieces, cousins and other many young women in my district. I remember Vanessa when I drive by Chavez High School, when I visit her mural at Taqueria del Sol, near her home, and when I get countless messages with her picture and murals from all over the world. What happened to Vanessa is personal for me, for thousands of Houstonians and millions of Latinos in our country. This is why my fight has focused on making sure these reforms protect our soldiers from harm while they serve our nation.
This is how we get justice for Vanessa Guillén. Garcia represents the 29th District in the U.S. House of Representatives and was one of the first two Latinas elected to represent Texas in Congress.