Whereas the nation erupted in fireworks final week to have a good time America’s independence, one household spent the week resulting in the vacati
Whereas the nation erupted in fireworks final week to have a good time America’s independence, one household spent the week resulting in the vacation driving between Houston and Washington to demand justice for his or her daughter and sister, a Fort Hood soldier who had been lacking for months.
The soldier, Specialist Vanessa Guillen, 20, was final seen on April 22 at Fort Hood, in central Texas. On Friday, the specialist’s older sister, Marya Guillen, received a name from the Military, confirming what the household already suspected: Bones, hair and different stays that had been discovered on the finish of June had been her sister’s.
“There’s not a lot that may clarify what we’re feeling,” stated Ms. Guillen, who turned 22 the day of the decision. “I really feel an empty presence in my chest. And for my mother, it’s arduous to simply accept. However she is aware of that heaven has an angel.”
The Military’s name got here greater than two months after Specialist Guillen disappeared, and after her household’s push for an investigation into her disappearance, and her accusations of sexual harassment, caught the eye of lawmakers and a presidential candidate.
Ms. Guillen didn’t wish to inform her mom the information about her sister’s stays till they had been again residence in Houston. However she stated her mom couldn’t shake a intestine feeling that one thing was mistaken, displaying indicators of a panic assault in Washington, the place an ambulance needed to be known as.
Now, her mom, Gloria Guillen, 42, and the remainder of the household is leaning on their Catholic religion and hope for change within the navy.
“It’s horrible,” her mom stated in Spanish final month. “It’s maddening. As her mom, I can’t sleep.”
The household spent the weekend praying for Specialist Guillen, and a priest visited their residence. An space of the home was put aside in her reminiscence, adorned with images, flowers and medals celebrating her honors, soccer tournaments and marathons.
Religion was a cornerstone in Specialist Guillen’s life. Her memorial is surrounded by figures of angels and the Virgin Mary, whom Specialist Guillen wore on a gold necklace that she by no means took off.
“On the finish of the day, God does issues a sure method, and if he wanted a superb soldier with him, Vanessa was the one,” Mayra Guillen stated. “That’s the best way we see it.”
A federal criticism filed Thursday alleges that one other soldier — who fatally shot himself with a pistol because the police approached him — killed Specialist Guillen after which hid her physique in a big field. The soldier’s girlfriend is accused of serving to him dismember and burn Specialist Guillen’s stays.
Partial stays had been discovered on June 30 close to the Leon River in Bell County, Texas. The household confirmed on Sunday evening that they belonged to the specialist.
“I do really feel that, at this level, it was sort of like God’s present to me that we had been capable of finding her regardless of the circumstances,” Ms. Guillen stated. “Individuals can go lacking for years, and having no solutions is way worse than having the reply.”
Specialist Guillen had dreamed of being within the navy since childhood, her kin stated. Solely a decade in the past, she was enjoying along with her brother’s toy pistol and telling her mom she needed to defend her homeland.
Her mom expressed her hesitations, however Mayra Guillen supported all of her little sister’s ambitions. Sooner or later, when Specialist Guillen was 18, she advised her household she had enlisted within the Military. Her mom cried, however Specialist Guillen tried to reassure her in Spanish, “No doubt, mami, it’s the legislation of life.”
Ms. Guillen was the one one who might fly to the ceremony when her sister accomplished coaching. She remembers being misplaced on the sector, turning round and seeing Specialist Guillen run towards her in tears. They spent the day collectively, and Specialist Guillen advised her sister how she aspired to get a spot stationed in Germany.
She stated she was able to serve, a willingness to assist that prolonged amongst her 5 siblings in small, each day exchanges. Mayra Guillen would assist her sister prepare for dates along with her boyfriend, serving to her select outfits and placed on make-up.
Specialist Guillen was an athlete, No. 20 on her soccer group and a member of the observe and cross-country groups. She loved lifting weights and virtually all the time selected a salad at eating places, Ms. Guillen stated. However at her final meal along with her sister, with household at their residence, they’d Whataburger.
The seek for Specialist Guillen unfolded within the public eye, catching the eye of celebrities, members of Congress and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
The household’s lawyer, Natalie Khawam, stated she was drafting a invoice in Specialist Guillen’s title that seeks to create an unbiased company for members of the navy to report sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Ms. Guillen stated that, because the oldest of the siblings, she had taken on the duty to take care of them, and was spearheading the method to get solutions in her sister’s disappearance.
She stated she needed the federal authorities to make significant modifications for navy members who’ve skilled sexual harassment or sexual assault and have no idea the place to show.
“I simply hope none of that is in useless,” she stated.