Thread by @InsideEdition

Earlier this year, the story of a missing soldier named Vanessa Guillén set off the #IAmVanessaGuillen movement, inspiring countless others to share their own stories of abuse and assault in the American military. @DeborahHasting8 reports. THREAD:
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1/ Private first class Vanessa Guillén vanished on an April Sunday, in broad daylight, from Fort Hood, the 3rd largest Army base in the country. Her family would later say she spoke of being sexually harassed there, and of being afraid to report it. 
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2/ Guillén’s disappearance went largely unreported in the national media until her relatives began holding press conferences, accusing officials of deliberately misleading them. National marches followed and politicians and celebrities took up her cause.
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3/ In June, Guillén's body was finally found, in pieces, buried in concrete 20 miles from Fort Hood. She had been beaten to death inside an armory on base, authorities said, and her blood was on the walls and then washed off, the family's attorney said.
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4/ Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy now says Fort Hood has the highest number of sexual assaults and harassment in the entire branch of the military, and has apologized to Guillén's family.
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5/ It is an historic admission–for as long as women have been legally admitted into the military, discrimination, harassment and assault have haunted the armed services.
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6/ The horrific details of Guillén's disappearance and murder have opened a floodgate. Women are posting photos of themselves, in uniform and using their full names, with stories of harassment, abuse, and denial when reporting what happened to them.
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7/ The I Am Vanessa Guillén Act seeks to establish an independent board to review claims of abuse and harassment, instead of the alleged victim's chain of command. 
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8/ Though not a new piece of legislation, there is cautious hope that this time may be different–that all the publicity and investigations and press conferences might finally mean the ugly secrets of harassment and abuse are seen in blinding, public light.
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9/ @DeborahHasting8 spoke with three women who were all young when they entered service, dreaming of traveling and defending their country and making a difference. Instead, they say, they encountered toxic environments that shook them to their cores.
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10/ Sadie Strong-Wolcott joined the Navy out of high school in 2012. She says she was raped after her first “liberty” outing with colleagues, despite being told throughout bootcamp “These people have your back. You have their back. They would die for you.”
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11/ In 1986, Ruth Moore, then 18 years old, had recently joined the Navy. She said the “misogyny and hazing” was almost instantaneous, and as a result she declined all offers to go out recreationally with male colleagues.
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12/ Then came an invitation from a superior officer, who said he wanted to talk about Moore’s performance. Outside where they met, she says he shoved her into the bushes "and he raped me. It was probably the most horrific thing I've ever experienced.”
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13/ In Kayla Williams’ five years in the military, she says she experienced continued sexual harassment. The first time happened while she was still in training, when a classmate asked her to bring over his homework after he missed a session.
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14/ "When I went to his house, his wife was not home. And he asked if I would have sex with him. I said, 'Absolutely not.' He stopped me and said, 'Please, please, will you at least perform oral sex on me?'''
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For @DeborahHasting8’s full In-Depth story Vanessa Guillen's Killing Gives Way to Claims of Sexual Harassment, Abuse in the Military, and Hope for Change:
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