Multiple Fort Hood leaders are facing consequences following the death of army soldier Vanessa Guillen.
What We Know:
- On April 22nd, 2020, Vanessa Guillen was reported missing following filing allegations of sexual assault against a military sergeant. She was last seen on the military base where she worked in Fort Hood, Texas. Her body was later discovered buried under concrete along the Leon River in Belton, Texas. Following the discovery of her remains, suspect and fellow soldier Aaron Robinson, 20, shot and killed himself as police honed in on him.
- On Tuesday, Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy said that after an internal investigation of Vanessa Guillen’s case, he was suspending 14 leaders at Fort Hood after discovering “major flaws” in leadership at the military base that allowed the sexual assault of female soldiers to continue.
- According to a report released in October from The Intercept, at least “five sergeants and two staff sergeants described a toxic leadership culture at Fort Hood that tolerates rampant drug use, sexual harassment, and misconduct on base, and in some instances, has allowed service members accused of sexual assault to remain within their ranks. […] Since January, there have been 28 deaths at Fort Hood, including five homicides and eight suicides.”
- Among those facing repercussions, Army Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, who was left in charge of the base earlier this year when Guillen was killed, has been relieved from his post. The army has yet to release a full breakdown of those who have been fired or suspended in relation to the case.
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The study also stated that “Of the 503 women we interviewed [in the investigation], we discovered 93 credible accounts of sexual assault. Of those only 59 were reported, […] we also found 217 unreported accounts of sexual harassment. Of those, only half were reported.”
This report and subsequent disciplinary actions reinforce the belief that the culture of sexual harassment and sexual assault among officials at Fort Hood has been devastating with lasting impacts.
