The grieving family of a Fort Bliss soldier who was found dead in her barracks on New Year’s Eve says she was sexually assaulted.
Private First Class Asia Graham, 19, was discovered unresponsive on the base in El Paso, Texas.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
The heartbroken family of the female soldier have told WCNC Charlotte that the 19-year-old was sexually assaulted by another soldier during her stay at Fort Bliss.
Her mother, Nicole Graham, said that her daughter reported the incident to the Army but the military failed to protect her.
“She was ready to fight,” Graham’s brother, Andrew Koenigsfeld, said. “Then that got taken away.”
Koenigsfeld described his beloved sister as having a ‘heart of gold.’
“Every day, every time I talked to my sister, she always preaches, ‘Go get your goals.’ ‘What do you want to do with your life?’” he added.
US Army officials haven’t revealed how Graham died.
Graham joined the army in July 2019 as a human resource specialist. She arrived at Ford Bliss in December 2019 after finishing Advanced Individual Training in South Carolina and Basic Combat Training in Missouri.
According to KHOU11, she was assigned to I-501st Attack Battalion, 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade from Charlotte.
Her division took to Facebook and wrote: “PFC Asia Graham was a valued member of the Iron Eagle Team.
“Her loss is felt not just in our formations but across the Army. We lost a skilled human resource specialist who wanted nothing more than to serve her country and her battle buddies.”
Graham’s death came only hours after another soldier from Texas, Sgt. Jessica Mitchell, was found fatally shot inside her vehicle.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this story with your friends and family!
Replaced!