Army Officials Disqualified From Sexual Assault Counseling and Recruiting Posts for 'Trust'-Related Issues

Almost 600 soldiers from the United States Army were recently disqualified from various positions due to their "trust"-related shortcomings.

According to an unidentified Army official who spoke with CNN, 588 members of the force who were serving as sexual assault counselors, drill sergeants and recruiters have been removed from their posts.

The disqualifications came after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pushed the Army to conduct an in-house probe last August, CNN reported.

Troops were removed from their positions after some were discovered carrying out "infractions ranging from sexual assault to child abuse, to drunken driving."

The news surfaced on the very same day that the Senate Armed Services subcommittee came together for a conference on sexual abuse in the Army.

Victims of sexual assault spoke during the hearing, CNN reported, detailing their experiences and the resentment they faced from other members of the military.

Some, including retired Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremiah Arbogast, said they had issues getting help from mental health counselors.

"Even years later the constant stigmatization, personal attacks, ostracism and PTSD was never ending," Arbogast said. "Choosing death was my way of taking responsibility for my circumstances."

Arbogast's aggressor was removed from the Marine Corps, but didn't go to jail for the crimes. The former Cpl. survived a suicide attempt, CNN reported.

A push to change the way military officials handle sexual assault in the military is being led by Subcommittee Chairwoman Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Gillibrand said one of the most important aspects of the proposal urges to remove some of the decision making from the chain of command.

"If you listen to the survivors of sexual trauma and sexual assaults, they will tell you want needs to be done is the decision making has to be taken out of the chain of command in order to create transparency and accountability and have that decision maker be objective," Gillibrand told CNN.