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It has been over a year and seven months since Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen was reported missing.

Her disappearance and murder hit the Latino community in Houston especially hard. Many of them serve in our military and many of them have children serving. Vanessa's tragic death sparked a movement and reforms that otherwise would have been swept under the rug. As we have called for investigations and uncovered the truth behind her death, one thing is clear:

The Army failed Vanessa Guillen.

Rogelio, Vanessa's father, told me how Vanessa dreamed of joining the Army when she was 12 years old. She felt a deep sense of love for America, and the Army represented an opportunity to reach for her American Dream. The U.S. Army was her way to contribute and build a better life for herself. It was her dream; but again, the same institution she vowed to serve, failed her.

WASHINGTON — Historic reforms to how the military handles reports of crimes including sexual assault and murder are headed to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law, spurred by mistakes at Fort Hood, where Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén was killed last year by a fellow soldier.

The Houston native — whose reports of sexual harassment by a superior officer were ignored by her chain of command — went missing from the base for two months before her body was found last summer. An outside investigation later found a "deficient climate" at the post and concluded Fort Hood leadership "knew or should have known of the high risk of harm to female soldiers."