Homicide cases are frequent, why are there scandals in this US military base?
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The investigation report released by the U.S. military admits that there are violent incidents that condone murder, sexual assault and sexual harassment at Fort Hood military base.
From the perspective of the outside world, years of foreign wars have caused the US military to pay too much attention to combat readiness but neglect the management of mental and mental health. As a result, many US soldiers are under very heavy psychological pressure and cannot be vented.
After continuing to expose scandals of murder, sexual assault, and shooting, on December 8, local time, the U.S. Department of War announced the dismissal or suspension of 14 officers and soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.
According to the Associated Press and other media reports, three senior commanders were fired and two commanders were suspended.
In the investigation report released by the US military, it was admitted that the base’s related sexual assault prevention system had serious defects, and the base even formed a hostile atmosphere of acquiescence to sexual assault and sexual harassment.
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Some media found that in the past year, at least 25 soldiers from Fort Hood military base had died by suicide, murder or accident.
The base public affairs office stated that since 2016, the base has reported 163 deaths, of which 73 were convicted of suicide.
Fort Hood military base is named after the Southern Army general John Bell Hood during the American Civil War. It is one of the largest military bases of the US military.
According to data from a US website, there are more than 40,000 personnel at the Fort Hood base.
The two bases with similar numbers, the Fort Stewart base in Georgia and the Ford Campbell base in Kentucky, had 13 and 15 deaths respectively this year.
In early August, US Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy apologized to a female soldier who was sexually assaulted and murdered and her family at a press conference in Fort Hood.
McCarthy stated that the Fort Hood base has become "the place with the most cases of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and murder in the entire U.S. Army," and then he assigned an independent investigation team to the Fort Hood base to conduct investigations.
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In this widely reported case, the 20-year-old base army sergeant Vanessa Gillen disappeared on April 22 this year, and the remains were not found until June 30.
Although her disappearance was very suspicious, the base initially insisted that she was "abandoning duty without authorization."
Under multiple doubts, the Gillen incident was finally treated as a murder case even after it attracted the attention of the US Congress.
The investigation found that Gillen was killed by another American soldier after being sexually assaulted on the base. The murderer committed suicide before being arrested.
Gillen’s death shocked the United States. It not only drew attention to the issue of sexual harassment within the U.S. military, but also raised questions about Fort Hood’s shocking death toll, and eventually led to the establishment of an independent investigation committee by the U.S. Department of War.
According to a press release issued by the US military, the Independent Investigation Commission conducted more than 2,500 surveys of US soldiers and civilians. The interviewees included 503 female soldiers from the US 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Cavalry Regiment.
Foreign media reported that the investigation finally formed a 136-page report, listing 9 conclusions and 70 recommendations.
Those involved in the investigation said they found 93 credible sexual assaults, but only 59 of them have been reported.
The investigation revealed that there were incidents of condoning violence including murder, sexual assault and sexual harassment at Fort Hood military base.
Investigators even referred to this as a "toxic culture" involving sexual assault and other violence.
US Secretary of the Army McCarthy subsequently stated that the independent team’s assessment can draw conclusions, including major deficiencies in response to sexual assault and harassment, directly related to leadership errors.
During the investigation, soldiers at the base continued to die of accidents, homicides, or suicides.
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The reason why the Fort Hood military base attracts attention is also related to the worst shooting incident in the history of the United States.
In November 2009, the US Army psychiatrist Nidal Hassan opened fire at Fort Hood base, resulting in 13 deaths and 31 injuries. It is considered the “most serious attack” the US Army has encountered on the homeland during peacetime.
After the shooting, the US military tightened security measures for military bases nationwide and introduced a series of new regulations.
Despite this, nearly five years later, on April 2, 2014, a US soldier who had served in Iraq once again made a shooting at Fort Hood base, causing 4 deaths and 16 injuries.
According to foreign media reports, after the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, many American soldiers were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Data released by the US Department of Defense in 2008 show that since 2003, at least 40,000 US soldiers have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and nearly 14,000 cases have been diagnosed in 2007 alone.
Some commentators said that many years of foreign wars have made the US military pay too much attention to combat readiness, but neglected the management of soldiers' mental and mental health. As a result, many US soldiers are under very heavy psychological pressure and cannot be vented.
This time, after the U.S. military released an independent investigation report and dismissed or suspended 14 officers and soldiers, Vanessa Gillen’s family expressed their desire to see those who hurt her go to prison.
The family not only wanted to bring justice to Gillen, but also wanted to promote a comprehensive reform of the US military.
They called on more people to support the "I am Vanessa Gillen" bill, which will allow active military personnel to file sexual harassment allegations through an independent channel.
Zhao Xiaozhan