Female soldiers are now sharing their heartbreaking and unforgettable stories of how they were sexually harassed and assaulted while on duty.
20-year-old Vanessa Guillen, who was last seen at the Fort Hood Army Base in Texas on April 22, has been missing for two months. The Private First-Class disappeared after telling her family she was sexually harassed by a sergeant.
Volunteers searching for the missing soldier found items and human remains believed to be linked to Guillen.
During the search, veterans and soldiers are sharing their own heartbreaking stories.
One woman enlisted in the Navy wrote on Twitter, “In my almost 4 years in the navy, I’ve been sexually assaulted 1 time and sexually harassed about 6 times… we very time I spoke up to anyone that was higher then me they helped so much.
“I was blessed. Not all females are.. #IAMVANESSAGUILLEN.”
A veteran Coast Guard member shared, “My name is Morgan and #IAMVANESSAGUILLEN I was 18.
It was at my first duty station.He was 45.
“It’s just because you’re fresh meat.” “It will stop eventually.” “You’ll get a dishonorable discharge if you snitch,” Your voice will not be silenced. #FindVanessaGuillen.”
Another former Coast Guard wrote, “In 2006 I was brutally raped by a member of the United States Coast Guard. I was locked up in a closet for reporting the rape.
“I was blamed, shamed, and eventually lost my career. Help find #VanessaGuillen and prosecute all involved in this cover-up.”
According to Protect Our Defenders, a total of 20,500 service members were raped or sexually assaulted in 2018, and over 75 percent of the victims did not report the crime as they fear the process would not be fair or they would be ignored.
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Replaced!