CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The murder of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen became a rallying cry for service members who have experienced sexual harassment and assault while serving the country. 

What You Need To Know

  • A year after the death of Vanessa Guillen, a bill named in her honor is being reintroduced

  • The bill would change the way sexual assault is handled in the military

  • A Charlotte mom says she understands the pain of military sexual assault, she lost her daughter last year because of it

  • Now Ashley Graham is fighting for her daughter, Pfc. Asia Graham, and other people impacted by military sexual assault

The 20-year-old dissappeared from Fort Hood in Houston last year after telling her family she'd been sexually harassed. Now, a year after her death, lawmakers are re-introducing the "I am Vanessa Guillen Act of 2020" to change how the military addresses sexual assault.

A local mom encourages others to support the bill as she fights for justice for her own daughter, Pfc. Asia Graham.

Nicole Graham says she holds onto the only things left of her daughter. 

"I just fall in [her closet] and cry. I just stand in it and smell it," Graham said 

Asia Graham enlisted in the Army right after high school at 18 and would write to her mom regularly about her life at Fort Bliss in Texas, but the tone of her letters changed.  

"It got darker. It got very dark and very emotional," Nicole Graham said. 

She says her daughter never told her directly she was raped by a fellow soldier. She found out from Asia's sibling. 

Nicole Graham says her daughter reported what she called the "incident" to her military commanders, but timely help did not come. 

"He did not put the paperwork in. It was supposed to go get help. He just signed the paperwork and kept it," Graham said. 

She said Asia Graham started self-medicating to ease the pain. Then last year on New Year's Eve, an accidental overdose cut her life short. 

"That's not how I gave y'all my daughter. She was healthy and fun and great. They didn't give her the help," Nicole Graham said.

Asia Graham's story garnered national attention and military moms started sharing their children's stories with Nicole Graham, including Vanessa Guillen's mom, who is pushing for a bill to change how the military handles sexual assault.

"Vanessa, I talked to her mom once, Stacy Burnham, Debbie, her daughter Madison. So many moms that lost their daughters in the home front," Nicole Graham said. 

Now, Graham is joining the fight, encouraging people to support the "I am Vanessa Guillen Act of 2020," which will create an independent system to handle and prosecute sexual assault cases. 

"It should be handled by outside sources, not the military sources, because I think the military can sometimes be biased," Graham said.  

She knows she can't get her daughter back, but she's holding onto hope for justice. 

Spectrum News 1 reached out to Fort Bliss public affairs for comment on Asia Graham's case.

In a statement from Fort Bliss in response to the "I am Vanessa Guillen Act of 2020," a spokesman said, “Fort Bliss is dedicated to the safety and security of all its soldiers, civilians, and family members and ensures Army policy regarding sexual harassment/assault and prevention thereof is incorporated at the lowest leadership levels.”