{"id":40752,"date":"2020-07-10T20:32:01","date_gmt":"2020-07-10T20:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/10\/fort-hoods-command-climate-is-under-review-amid-investigation-into-killing-of-spc-vanessa-guillen\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:27:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:27:49","slug":"fort-hoods-command-climate-is-under-review-amid-investigation-into-killing-of-spc-vanessa-guillen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2020\/07\/10\/fort-hoods-command-climate-is-under-review-amid-investigation-into-killing-of-spc-vanessa-guillen\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Hood\u2019s command climate is under review amid investigation into killing of Spc. Vanessa Guillen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As FBI and Army Criminal Investigation Command authorities continue to investigate the circumstances concerning the April 22 disappearance and subsequent killing<\/a> of a young, female soldier<\/a>, big Army is taking a broader look at the community where it happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fort Hood, Texas<\/a>, will be the subject of an independent command climate review, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters Friday, to be headed up by Army Under Secretary James McPherson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe purpose of this independent review is to examine whether the command climate and culture at Fort Hood and the military community surrounding Fort Hood respects Army values \u2014 including respect, inclusiveness and workplaces free from sexual harassment and a commitment to diversity,\u201d McPherson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the course of the search for Spc. Vanessa Guillen, 20, and the subsequent response to the discovery of her remains on June 29, Twitter<\/a> and other social media platforms lit up with stories of service members about their own sexual harassment, assault and intimidation while serving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Army senior leadership heard directly from personnel serving at Hood about the need to examine the command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were concerns raised not just with sexual harassment, but other aspects as well, with regard to the greater community of Fort Hood and the surrounding community \u2014 raised by not only the Guillen family, but by the Hispanic community, and Congress as well,\u201d McPherson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fort Hood, its law enforcement entities and its leadership have become key characters in the larger investigation into Guillen\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say every soldier in the Army has disdain for [III Corps] and those units at that installation,\u201d Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston told Army Times. \u201cBut there is some animosity that\u2019s going on and that\u2019s why we do need to do the independent review.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A veteran of multiple rotations through Hood, most recently as III Corps\u2019 chief of staff, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Martin had a similar sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ll you is that every time that I served there, there was a command climate that was inclusive. There was a command climate that was fair and just,\u201d he told Army Times. \u201cI\u2019m not saying that\u2019s changed since then. What I\u2019m saying is that, given what we know now, I think we need to take a look at that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the reviews might not end with Fort Hood, McCarthy said. As part of the Army\u2019s recently announced Project Inclusion, which aims to improve the experience of women and minorities in the service, research groups are visiting multiple posts to sit down with leaders and soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf there are other places where we feel that there are climate issues, we will do independent reviews,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cIt won\u2019t end with just Fort Hood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t