[T]he head of the Vermont National Guard disputed Tuesday media reports that Guard leadership had tolerated a culture of alcohol use and sexual harassment, telling lawmakers he was in “complete disagreement” with a series he called “hurtful” to the organization.
Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, the outgoing adjutant general, defended the Guard in a statement before outlining a report required annually by lawmakers on reported incidents of sexual assault and harassment. This is the sixth year the report has been given.
Cray’s push-back before a House and Senate committee were similar to statements he made last year after publication of a seven-part VTDigger series, “The Flying Fraternity,” which described misconduct, including allegations of sexual assault and harassment, within the Guard.
Cray told lawmakers: “Comments like ‘the Guard is stuck in the 1950s’ or that ‘the leadership is in denial’ are hurtful to our organization. Our current analysis and efforts to continuously improve our organization are data driven and evidence based. They do not support the accusations and the dedicated men and women of the Vermont National Guard take exception to those accusations.”
Lawmakers did not question Cray after his short statement. Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, the chair of the House committee that took Cray’s testimony, said afterward he planned to ask the adjutant general back before the committee to discuss the allegations in the series later in the legislative session. He said the committee needed background first, including today’s report.
Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham, said she was not sure she’d ask Cray to testify about the allegations in the series.
Meanwhile, Martha Rainville, former adjutant general of the Vermont Guard, endorsed Tuesday one of the three candidates in the race to replace Cray, who chose not to seek another two-year term. Rainville said she endorsed Col. Greg Knight in part because of the concerns raised in the series. Knight, she said, could get the Guard “back on track.”
Others in the running are Retired Brig. Gen. David Baczewski and retired Lt. Col. David Graham.
Vermont is the only state where the Legislature selects the adjutant general, the state’s top uniformed military official and leader of the 3,500-member Vermont National Guard. In all other states, the governor selects the adjutant general. The election is scheduled for next month.
In the legislative report, the Guard said eight sexual assaults were reported to the Guard in the last year, two that reportedly occurred in the past 12 months, the other six in prior years. One incident involved a male victim, in a case where the alleged assault happened in 1981; the other seven victims were female.
Details were limited and the cases largely confidential. The Guard reported that in the two 2018 cases, the victims were female civilians. In one of those cases, according to the report, the accused was found guilty in civilian court and military action was pending; in the other, it said civilian court action was pending and military action would follow.
Rep. Diana Gonzalez, a Winooski Progressive, told Guard officials she found the report a “disappointment” because it contained no historical data. When Cray suggested she and lawmakers amend what they want in the report, Gonzalez said she’d ask for more information repeatedly and thought given the recent media scrutiny that “it would be different this year.”
Sen. Alison Clarkson said that in addition to a year-to-year comparison, the number of cases reported in units across the country would be helpful too, she said.
According to Capt. Scott Detweiler, the Guard’s sexual assault response coordinator, there are typically two or three sexual assaults reported to the Vermont Guard each year that involve a Guard member either as victim or perpetrator. Sexual assault cases are referred to local law enforcement, as well as being subject to military punishment, Detweiler said.
Last year, the Guard reported receiving reports of two sexual assaults in the 2017 calendar year and reports of four more sexual assaults that occurred in previous years.
Guard officials stressed the efforts they have made to help victims come forward and programs they’ve put in place to try to prevent sexual harassment and assault.
Guard officials also reported to lawmakers on efforts to recruit more women, who they said have historically been underrepresented in the Guard. Having a diverse military, the report said, was important for readiness.
“If we are to maintain a diverse pipeline, the work we do to retain women and minorities is our investment in readiness,” the report said.
