Sign this Open Letter to Demand an Investigation into Fort Hood

March 28, 2023

Dear Senator Cruz and Senator Cornyn:

Yet another Latina soldier has become victim to the harmful and unsafe environment at Fort Hood. On March 13th, 2023, 20-year-old Pvt. Ana Basaldua Ruiz was found dead in her quarters at Fort Hood, Texas. Family members of Pvt. Basaldua reported that she had confided in them that she was being sexually harassed on base, including by one of her superiors.

According to an analysis conducted by the RAND Corporation, women at Fort Hood have a higher risk of being sexually assaulted than the average woman enlisted in the Army. Since the 2020 murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillén, it appears that this remains a pervasive issue at Fort Hood. Our community is outraged that this cycle of sexual harassment continues to put our soldiers at risk.

The problems at Fort Hood don’t stop at sexual harassment. At the time of Vanessa Guillén’s murder, several other deaths and disappearances at the base were being investigated. This includes the disappearance of Sgt. Elder Fernandes, whose body was found more than a week later, hanging from a tree about 28 miles from Fort Hood. His family says that he was bullied and hazed by fellow soldiers after reporting the sexual harassment he experienced at the hands of a superior.

We refuse to let Pvt. Ana Basaldua Ruiz’s death be ignored. We’ve called on our audience to take action in the fight for justice for Vanessa Guillén, shared her story on The Pulso Podcast and amplified her family’s fight to pass the Vanessa Guillen Act of 2021. We will continue advocating for our gente at Fort Hood. 

We demand ACTION to prevent further victimization of Fort Hood soldiers. We cannot allow more Latinas’ voices to be silenced as they bravely serve our country. We DEMAND a proper, independent investigation into the leadership structure at Fort Hood and the culture that enables rampant sexual harassment.

Signed,