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Vermont National Guard Addresses Culture Concerns After Explosive Articles

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By: Jack Thurston for NECN, December 6, 2018

Leadership of the Vermont National Guard reiterated a commitment Thursday to take seriously issues of sexual violence, alcohol use, and gender equality.

The move follows bruising reports by an online news source that described allegations of serious culture problems within the Vermont Guard.

“We are not a perfect organization,” acknowledged Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, the commander of the Vermont National Guard. “I think there’s an opportunity in all of this to improve.”

Cray said he wants a Guard culture where members feel safe, respected, and listened to.

The pledge follows an explosive series of articles from the investigative news site VTDigger.org, including an allegation that a former Guard chaplain coerced an assistant into sex.

“It takes a lot of courage to come forward,” Anne Galloway, the editor of VTDigger.org, said of Guard members past and present whom reporter Jasper Craven spoke to for his series of articles.

Galloway said some people interviewed for the stories feared reprisal, but they wanted to publicize their concerns in an attempt to improve Guard culture.

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