KILLEEN, Texas — U.S. Army veteran, Jessica Langford, sits in her Killeen home watching a video of herself testifying before the Texas Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Border Security.  

"I am a victim of military sexual trauma (MST),” explained Langford in the video. "I was raped in Afghanistan in 2009 by my commander, and when it came out that I was pregnant from the assault, the commander basically got a slap on his wrist."
After Spc. Vanessa Guillén’s disappearance from Fort Hood last year, the hashtag “I am Vanessa Guillén” began tending, heightening awareness for MST stories. 

"While they are still serving, they are coming forward with how they are being harassed, how they're being assaulted," said Langford. "And who's there to help them?"

A U.S. Army Forces Command investigation recently revealed Vanessa "informally reported she was sexually harassed on two occasions, and in both instances her supervisor failed to report the harassment, and other leaders failed to take appropriate action."

The Guillén family and advocates alike are pushing for the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act to be passed to create an independent system for reporting sexual misconduct in the military.

"It is important that we, as female soldiers, even male soldiers, come forward and testify when we have bills that are going up in legislation," explained Langford. "Every female matters, we need to make a difference and we need to stand here and we need to stand up for our younger generation of females that are still serving."

Langford said immediate legislative change is needed right now to protect our nation's heroes.

On June 12, Langford will host a Unity Walk at 10 a.m. at the Killeen Community Center for Women's Veterans Day.

She said proceeds raised from the walk will help send women veterans to Camp Shield, an organization that works to help females thrive after military service. 

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote to Vanessa Guillén. The error has been corrected. (May 4, 2021)