FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — Every year since 2019, the U.S. Army has seen fewer women enlist. There was a slight increase this past year, but numbers overall still haven't recovered, adding to the general decline in recruitment.
There's two factors at play, the COVID-19 pandemic and fears of sexual harassment. However, one focus is how potential recruits perceive the Army after Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen's story came to light.
"As of 2020 until now, there have been a number of stories shared. Some receive justice, some don't," Mayra Guillen, Vanessa's sister, said. "That's what is keeping a lot of our loved ones from going into the military."
According to an Army presentation by the Defense Advisory Committee on Women, the U.S. Army noticed a drop in women enlisting since 2019, down 31% since the pandemic.
It's also around the same time that Specialist Vanessa Guillen was sexually harassed and murdered on post at Fort Cavazos, formally known as Fort Hood.
It was a year Mayra Guillen will never forget.
"When you hear that a young women got murdered and how it happened, it broke people's hearts," Guillen said. "There are mothers and fathers out there who won't let their children re-enlist because something bad is going to happen and it shouldn't be like that."
According to the presentation, of women ages 16 to 28, 64% of respondents believed they would be sexually harassed, and 61% feel they would be sexually assaulted in the Army.
Myles Caggins, a retired Colonel and former Fort Cavazos spokesman, says a solution is needed that starts with the community.
"The Army has to let the parents, teachers, coaches, principals, guidance counselors, rabbis and ministers know that their daughters will be safe and have a vibrant and thriving career in the U.S. Army."
Mayra Guillen has now become an advocate for change. She spends time talking to the women who serve this country and says she feels better days are ahead.
"It makes me proud to see that there are female service members out there that are doing really good," Guillen said. "That could've been my sister or anybody. I feel like because of the fear that there is, that shouldn't keep our future generation from serving. There has to be a solution and I feel like working together is the best way to get our recruiting numbers back up."
The Army has worked to change policy in hopes of preventing these problems in the future, and Caggins feels it needs to continue with a few more steps.
"Changing the culture of how leaders and soldiers interact, creating new reporting systems for sexual harassment and assault, publicizing the punishments given to those who are convicted of sexual harassment or assault," Caggins said.
For Mayra Guillen, change starts with a voice and a community all coming together.
"Getting people to know that 'Yes this happened to Vanessa, but there's always a right for a wrong'. We're trying to show that there is positive change after, there is hope and just bring that trust back all over again," Guillen said.
Guillen herself has been asked to speak on military bases as a way to start change, and she feels it is a step in the right direction.
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