Airman First Class Natasha Aposhian was shot and killed at the beginning of June in an on-base dormitory at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, allegedly by another airman with whom she had briefly been in a relationship. Aposhian’s family is still awaiting answers from the Air Force’s investigation.
The recent investigation into the murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood in Texas has ignited a “reckoning” in the military -- Aposhian’s family is just the most recent to come forward with stories of the military disregarding the safety of service members.
The murder of Vanessa Guillen is now a 'reckoning moment' for the military
Aposhian was killed on June 1. Her family came forward two days later explaining they believed Aposhian was killed in an incident of domestic violence. She had briefly been in a relationship with Airman First Class Julian Carlos Torres but told her friends and family that she was concerned he may act violently after she ended the relationship.
Grand Forks airman killed as the result of domestic violence, parents say
Torres allegedly shot Aposhian on June 1. He then shot himself.
"We’re torn apart by the loss of our daughter to a senseless act of domestic violence," Brian Murray and Megan Aposhian, Natasha’s parents, wrote in a statement on June 3. "Natasha had recently joined the Air Force and was just starting to embark on a career serving her country. It’s a tragedy she won’t get to fulfill her hopes and dreams. We ask that you pray for her, our family and the countless victims of these crimes.”
Now, weeks later, the Air Force has offered no additional information to Aposhian’s family.
Aposhian’s mother Megan told Stars and Stripes that the national media attention on Guillen’s disappearance has been unsettlingly eye-opening -- she had no knowledge of the issues of military sexual harassment and domestic violence in the military.
“We want the same reforms that Vanesa Guillen’s family is asking for. The military has a major issue with domestic violence and sexual violence,” Murray told Stars & Stripes. “There should be places where they feel safe to go to. I think that was part of the problem with my daughter as well.”
More than 90 members of Congress have now called for an investigation into what exactly happened at Fort Hood that led to Guillen's killing, and some of those calls for action have requested a larger, all-encompassing review into the military’s handling of domestic violence and sexual harassment.
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing in early July, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said there has been "a lot of progress" made to end sexual harassment and assault in the military over the past 10 years, but admitted there is more work left to do.
"We need to get to zero tolerance of sexual harassment and sexual assault and we need to make sure that everybody in our ranks knows where they can go to for help, where they can find help," he said. "That is my commitment."
--
Reach @ECBHowe.
Want to get more connected to the stories and resources Connecting Vets has to offer? Click here to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
