--- title: Soldier Says Instructors Sexually Assaulted Her While In Training description: The U.S. Army has suspended several drill instructors after they allegedly sexually assaulted a female soldier going through training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. canonical: https://time.com/5952392/army-fort-sill-oklahoma-sexual-assault/ author: W.J. Hennigan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-04-03T00:33:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T09:49:52.040Z article:section: Politics og:title: Soldier Says Instructors Sexually Assaulted Her While In Training og:description: The U.S. Army has suspended several drill instructors after they allegedly sexually assaulted a female soldier going through training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. og:url: https://time.com/5952392/army-fort-sill-oklahoma-sexual-assault/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd76b99dd4e87af96/698a0338db2987034e264312/army.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: U.S. Soldiers Train In Fort Benning og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Soldier Says Instructors Sexually Assaulted Her While In Training twitter:description: The U.S. Army has suspended several drill instructors after they allegedly sexually assaulted a female soldier going through training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd76b99dd4e87af96/698a0338db2987034e264312/army.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Soldier Says Drill Instructors Sexually Assaulted Her While Enrolled In Training Course > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=6bd94819-a271-4be3-b5a0-ab83d71f21f8&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Apr 3, 2021 12:33 AM UTC  U.S. Soldiers with Delta Company line up to take part in morning team development exercises Nov. 7, 2002 in Fort Benning, Ga. Over 24,000 soldiers every year go through U.S. Army basic training at Fort Benning. U.S. Soldiers with Delta Company line up to take part in morning team development exercises Nov. 7, 2002 in Fort Benning, Ga. Over 24,000 soldiers every year go through U.S. Army basic training at Fort Benning. Barry Williams—Getty Images  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Apr 3, 2021 12:33 AM UTC The U.S. Army has suspended several drill instructors after they allegedly sexually assaulted a female soldier going through training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. On Friday, [the Intercept](https://theintercept.com/2021/04/02/female-soldier-sexual-assault-22-troops-fort-sill/) reported that the trainee alleged she was assaulted by a total of 22 service members. The military would not confirm how many soldiers are involved in the allegation but did say the incident is under investigation by agents with the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command. “At this early juncture and to protect the integrity of the investigation we cannot specify the number of suspects,” Army spokeswoman Colonel Cathy Wilkinson said in a statement. “We are committed to thoroughly investigating every allegation, which will require time to sort through all of the allegations and evidence.” Major General Ken Kamper, commander of Fort Sill, told reporters on Thursday that the instructors were pulled from their assignments and precluded from interacting with trainees. “What’s important is we’ve taken immediate action with any cadre member that has been named and possibly involved in this allegation,” he said. The woman has been provided counseling, legal assistance and medical services. Her name hasn’t been released and will remain protected throughout the process. “I personally met with this soldier,” Kamper said. “We’re proud of the courage she displayed coming forward with these allegations.” Army investigators conducted initial interviews on March 27, the same day the trainee reported the assault, then carried out follow-up interviews two days later and have interviewed Army personnel every day since. In the military, sexual relationships between trainees and drill instructors aren’t considered consensual because instructors control nearly every aspect of a trainee’s life as they transition from the civilian to military world. There has been several scandals in recent years where drill sergeants or drill instructors have been found to have sexually assaulted service members in training. The incidents are part of a larger scourge that’s become an entrenched reality for female service members in the U.S. military. Despite years of initiatives aimed at combating rape and sexual assault within the ranks, the Pentagon publishes increases in incidents every year. According to the most recent Defense Department reports, sexual assaults have risen steadily since 2006, including a 13% jump in 2018 and a 3% increase in 2019. The Pentagon has tried to provide more resources for victims and require commanders to do more to stop retaliation for reporting assaults. This issue came into the public spotlight when Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, 20, was murdered by another soldier last April. Her family alleges she was afraid of reporting sexual harassment to her superiors. Since taking over at the Pentagon in January, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has tasked military brass to work toward eliminating [sexual assault](https://time.com/5060570/military-women-sexual-assault/). In one of his first official acts, he directed a top-to-bottom review of its sexual assault policies and created an independent review commission. [The commission](https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2548632/commission-begins-90-day-look-into-sexual-assault-in-military/), made up of military veterans and experts, began a 90-day investigation this week. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5952392/army-fort-sill-oklahoma-sexual-assault/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5952392/army-fort-sill-oklahoma-sexual-assault/"},"headline":"Soldier Says Drill Instructors Sexually Assaulted Her While Enrolled In Training Course","datePublished":"2021-04-03T00:33:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T09:49:52.040Z","description":"The U.S. Army has suspended several drill instructors after they allegedly sexually assaulted a female soldier going through training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.","url":"https://time.com/5952392/army-fort-sill-oklahoma-sexual-assault/","keywords":["Military"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd76b99dd4e87af96/698a0338db2987034e264312/army.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"W.J. 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