Screenshot via Twitter/TheWTFNation
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The US Army has suspended a drill sergeant amid its investigation into an alleged assault, Insider has learned.
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In a video posted on Twitter, a service member makes a disparaging remark and walks away from what appears to be a group of recruits. A service member in a neon drill sergeant vest confronts the service member who made the remark and a physical altercation follows.
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A Fort Benning spokesman said the installation was “aware” of the “recent” incident, which is being investigated by military police and the command brigade.
The US Army has suspended a drill sergeant amid its investigation into an alleged assault, according to a spokesman from Ft. Benning in Georgia, the Army’s premier infantry school.
The incident first appeared in a video posted on Twitter by the account U.S Army WTF! Moments on Friday. In the video, a group of service members with shaved heads, an indication they are undergoing basic training, are in a room that resembles a barracks.
One service member makes a disparaging remark, “‘F—ing ho’, n—-,” and begins walking away.
A service member wearing a neon drill sergeant vest confronts the troop and there is a physical altercation between the two.
“Get back, yes, I’m from the f—— ho’,” the drill sergeant says. “You have a f—— problem?”
As the two began shoving each other, other apparent recruits separated them.
—U.S Army WTF! Moments (@TheWTFNation) February 7, 2020
Fort Benning spokesman Ben Garrett said the installation was “aware” of the “recent” incident, which is being investigated by military police and the command brigade. The drill sergeant was “suspended pending the outcome” of the investigation, Garrett added.
“The language used and behavior portrayed in the video posted to online social media platforms are not consistent with US Army Values of treating all with dignity and respect,” Garrett said in a statement to Insider.
The military’s drill sergeants and instructors are prohibited from hitting their recruits. A former Marine Corps drill instructor described the incident portrayed in the video as “very unfortunate.”
“According to the Marine Corps drill instructor’s standard operating procedure, there is a well-defined list of reasons as to why you would put hands on a recruit,” the former drill instructor said, adding that they were not allowed to respond to “verbal intimidation” or provocations from a recruit.
“You can’t endorse what the drill sergeant did,” the instructor said. “But that recruit obviously went way out of line. Traditionally, you can’t get away with talking to somebody like that. It’s not conducive to a professional military environment.”
Related: How Recruits Train Inside a Tear Gas Chamber at Boot Camp
