Drill sergeants suspended after sexual assault claims

‘Multiple’ drill sergeants have been suspended after sexual assault allegations on Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia. 

A female trainee at Fort Benning accused a drill sergeant of sexual assault.

After the accusation, other allegations that trainees were victims of sexual assault and other sexual misconduct surfaced. 

The 96 graduating soldiers of the US Army’s Rangers School in August 2015. There is no suggestion anyone pictured in this photo has been accused of or is a victim of the allegations 

Fort Benning spokesman Ben Garrett said that the complaint led to investigators uncovering more allegations of ‘sexual misconduct’ between drill sergeants and trainees, according to a Fort Benning news release.

No one had been charged in the case as of Wednesday.

Garrett said ‘there are multiple drill sergeants involved in the investigation’ and that they are not releasing the number of suspensions because ‘that is still part of an ongoing investigation’.

After one female trainee came forth about the sexual assault, other allegations followed. There is no suggestion anyone pictured in this photo has been accused of or is a victim of the allegations

After one female trainee came forth about the sexual assault, other allegations followed. There is no suggestion anyone pictured in this photo has been accused of or is a victim of the allegations

The base is also not releasing the number of trainees involved and Garrett was unsure if all were female. 

In May, the Pentagon reported there were 6,172 reports of sexual assault filed across all military service branches in 2016, compared to 6,083 the previous year.

Located on the Georgia-Alabama state line, Fort Benning is a post that conducts soldiers’ basic training and is home to the Army’s infantry school, armor school and the Army Ranger school.

Soldiers board a plane to Afghanistan from the US transit center in July 2010. There is no suggestion anyone pictured in this photo has been accused of or is a victim of the allegations

Soldiers board a plane to Afghanistan from the US transit center in July 2010. There is no suggestion anyone pictured in this photo has been accused of or is a victim of the allegations

More than 11,000 soldiers are stationed full-time at Fort Benning, plus a weekly average of roughly 17,000 trainees.

Fort Benning started integrating women into its training programs for combat positions for the first time in May, according to the New York Times. 

The Army base has offered counseling, legal and medical services to all trainees involved in the case, according to the base’s news release. 

Fort Benning started integrating women into its training programs for combat positions for the first time in May. There is no suggestion anyone pictured in this photo has been accused of or is a victim of the allegations

Fort Benning started integrating women into its training programs for combat positions for the first time in May. There is no suggestion anyone pictured in this photo has been accused of or is a victim of the allegations

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