A new documentary “I am Vanessa Guillen” about the murder of a Mexican-American soldier, provides an  internal insight into the tenacious struggle that her family has embarked on to bring about changes in the military justice system in the United States.

Christy Wegener, director of the documentary “I am Vanessa Guillen” available on Netflix starting this month, told NBC News that “this is not a traditional crime documentary by any means. It has a bigger mission. We focused on the fact that this family was going through one of the hardest periods of their life, and they turned it into a movement to help the greater good”.

Vanessa Guillen disappeared from the Fort Hood military base in Texas on April 22, 2020. Lawyers and family members quickly organized demonstrations outside the base and launched a campaign with the hashtag #FindVanessaGuillen.

A few months later and calls to #FindVanessaGuillen turned into demands for #JusticeForVanessaGuillen after her dismembered remains were found near the base. A soldier at the base shot and killed himself when police moved in to arrest him in connection with Guillen’s disappearance and death, according to authorities”, NBC has reported.

Fort Hood has some of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army, and Vanessa had previously warned relatives and colleagues that she had been sexually harassed.  After the army's investigation, after her death, this information was confirmed, which led numerous military personnel to share their experiences with sexual assault and harassment on social media using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen.

“The documentary starts with the Guillens facing an unclear path to justice for the slain soldier, in part because the military justice system relies on commanders exercising discretion in deciding whether an offense should be charged and how the offenders should be punished — a structure that the family and their advocates felt contributed to delivering few answers and do little to hold anyone accountable”, according to NBC.

Vanessa's family decided that to get some justice they should convince Congress to introduce a new law with Vanessa's name so that those guilty of her death would be held accountable.

According to NBC, “The movement helped trigger some changes. It resulted in the removal of 14 Fort Hood leaders from their positions and prompted several military policy reforms, including revisions to the Army’s sexual harassment and prevention program and to the ‘missing soldier’ protocols, among other changes”.

“Key parts of the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act became law in December 2021, including criminalizing sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, improving how certain officials respond to sex-related offenses through independent investigations, and removing the decision to prosecute sexual misconduct cases from service members’ chains of command”.

Vanessa's case resonated particularly in Latino communities across the country, as they became the fastest-growing minority population in the military, according to the Pew Research Center.

“The Guillens sued the U.S. Department of Defense in August seeking $35 million in damages for Vanessa's wrongful death. The department now has three months left to respond, either by reaching a settlement or taking the case to a jury trial”, according to NBC.