Fort Hood Honors Vanessa Guillén By Naming Gate After Her One Year After Death
It’s been one year since Spc. Vanessa Guillén was murdered at Fort Hood. The death shocked the nation and revealed an environment of sexual harassment and unexplained deaths at the military base. One year later, Fort Hood is honoring Vanessa Guillén by naming a gate after her.
It’s been one year since Spc. Vanessa Guillén was killed.
Guillén’s death devastated her family and angered the nation. Her disappearance, which went under the radar for months, sparked a campaign for answers from Fort Hood officials.
Guillén’s death sparked a movement to address sexual assault and violence against women in the military. Guillén’s attacker killed her because she threatened to report him for sexual harassment. #IAmVanessaGuillen was a trending topic as people shared their stories of sexual harassment in the military. Her family proposed legislation to make it safer for people to report this kind of harassment while in the military.
Fort Hood renamed one of their gates to honor Guillén.
Officials from the military base worked with the family to figure out a way to honor Guillén’s memory and legacy at the base. The gate leads to the 3rd Regiment, where Guillén spent her days and served her country.
“So in coordination with the family, who agreed to allow us to do this, we are going to dedicate a gate that has her name on it — that has her picture — and you can come learn just a little about Vanessa. But mostly it’s so [in] two, three, four years we haven’t forgotten what this is all about, what this moment is all about in our history,” Lt. Gen. Pat White, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said at the ceremony unveiling the gate, according to NBC News.
The family hopes that the gate serves as a reminder and inspiration.
Lupe, Guillén’s younger sister, spoke at the family’s news conference. They did not attend the ceremony because of the anniversary and the emotional toll being in that soot would take on the family. Yet, she is hopeful that the gate being named after her sister will keep her memory alive and encourage people to seek help when sexually harassed.
