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Bebeto Matthews / AP
Su Zhen Chen, mother of Danny Chen, wipes away tears as she listens during a press conference on Thursday in New York.
Asian-American advocates and the family of a Chinese-American Army private believed to have committed suicide in Afghanistan after alleged hazing by his fellow soldiers called Thursday for the eight soldiers charged in his death to be tried in the United States "to see that justice can be served."
They made the demand during a meeting with Army officials on Wednesday at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn to learn more about the Oct. 3 death of Pvt. Danny Chen, 19, in the Panjwa'i district of Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. He was found dead at a guard tower with his rifle lying next to him in what the Army calls an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."
The family on Thursday said investigators found that Chen was forced to perform excessive exercises, ordered to crawl through gravel with a heavy pack on and subjected to racial slurs.
The Army announced in late December that it had charged eight of his fellow soldiers in his death. Five of them were charged with involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide, apparently the first time such charges have been brought in this type of case, said experts on hazing and on the military legal system said.
An Article 32 hearing, which would determine whether there was enough evidence for a courts-martial, was to begin Friday in Afghanistan -- a fact the family only learned Wednesday, said Elizabeth OuYang, New York branch president of OCA, a national civil rights organization serving Asian Pacific Americans.
Defense attorneys asked for a delay, Ouyang said, and the family and community had decided to release the new details about what happened to Chen as part of an effort to move the legal proceedings to the United States.
U.S. Army via AP
Pvt. Danny Chen.
Frank Gee, a family friend and translator for the Chens, had noted on Wednesday that there was some new information in the briefing but it was "sensitive material" and there were concerns about jeopardizing the case. On Thursday, however, he said that the advocates and family had shared most everything they learned at the Army meeting.
“We feel … very strongly that these trials must happen in the United States not in Afghanistan. This case has wide concern," said
OuYang, who attended the meeting with the Army. "We must have access to these proceedings. We must be able to see that justice can be served. What happened to Danny could happen to any one of us because of the color of our skin and the shape of our eyes."
"More importantly, the family ... has been through absolute hell the last two months. To give them some measure of closure, they must have the right to be able to face those who are found guilty to ask them why did they do this to their son.”
Chen's father, Yan Tao Chen, a 49-year-old cook, said through a translator that he wanted the trials to be held in the United States, noting that he and his wife -- Su Zhen Chen, also 49 -- would worry about how many they could realistically attend if the proceedings were held in Afghanistan.
Also, he added, "the name, Afghanistan, reminds the family of the tragedy, so again, we want to avoid that as much as we possibly can."
OuYang said the Army officials at Fort Hamilton told them they did not have the authority to move the proceedings and would take it to their superiors.
Wednesday's meeting with the Army revealed the extent of the alleged abuse, Ouyang said.
According to investigators from the Regional Command-South, OuYang said, almost immediately after he arrived in mid-August, Chen, the only Chinese-American in his platoon, was required to do exercises that within a few days crossed over to alleged abuse. Some of it was inflicted by one soldier and some by a group of them.
OuYang said investigators found that Chen was:
-- Subjected to an excessive number of exercises: push-ups, situps, flusher kicks, runs and sprints carrying sand bags.
-- Made to crawl with all his equipment across gravel.
-- Placed in a simulated sitting position while soldiers used their knees to strike his leg.
-- Had rocks thrown at him to simulate incoming artillery rounds.
-- Subjected to racial slurs, such as gook, dragon lady and chink.
-- Made to perform push-ups with mouthfuls of water that he wasn’t able to spit out or swallow.
-- Required to perform excessive work details and guard duty.
-- Within two to three weeks of his death, soldiers were asked to put up a new tent. He was ordered to wear a green hard hat and give directions to other soldiers in Chinese on how to set up the tent, OuYang said.
On Sept. 27, about a week before his death, Chen was assaulted by a sergeant, OuYang said, citing investigators. The sergeant allegedly dragged him out of his bed over 50 meters of gravel to the shower trailer and told him, "You broke the hot water pump." Chen had bruises and cuts on his back, OuYang said, quoting investigators.
"Investigators found evidence that the platoon sergeant and the platoon leader -- the top two leaders of this platoon -- were aware of the Sept. 27 attack and chose not to report it," OuYang said.
"Had they reported it, Danny may still be alive today," she later added. She said that those two were among the eight charged (one also was charged with making a false official statement).
On the day of his death, Chen reported to the guard tower for duty but was sent back to his trailer to get his helmet and more water.
"Then he was made to crawl with all his equipment approximately 100 meters over gravel to begin his guard shift while some of the suspects threw rocks at him," OuYang said. "At 11:13 a.m. that morning, a shot was heard in the guard tower."
Investigators learned that the suspects believed Chen was not "trained enough and subjected him to doing these exercises. But ... it quickly crossed over to abuse," OuYang said, noting that Chen had successfully completed basic and advanced training before his deployment.
When asked why Chen would be sent to Afghanistan if he was unfit, OuYang said one of the Army officials told the family "that he was fit, but he may not have been as fit as others."
Chen's parents, immigrants from southern China, were briefed on the investigation status of court-martial proceedings by representatives from the Criminal Investigation Command, or CID, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner's Office and Regional Command-South, among others.
The eight soldiers have been assigned to a different forward operating base in Afghanistan, removed from active duty and placed under increased supervision of senior non-commissioned officers, Sgt. 1st Class Alan G. Davis, an Army spokesman, said in an email.
There were no other known suicides at Combat Outpost Palace, where Chen was stationed, before his death, and the regional command has no other cases of charges relating to suicides. The outpost came under 16 attacks, but no soldiers died as a result, Davis said.
Army spokesmen in Afghanistan did not imediately respond to an email sent late Thursday regarding the Article 32 hearings and allegations about the platoon leaders. But a Pentagon-based Army spokesman, George Wright, noted in an e-mail that "the Army maintains world-wide jurisdiction over soldiers and may convene courts-martial from wherever the Army operates, which may include deployed environments."
Brendan McDermid / Reuters file
Soldiers carry the casket of U.S. Army Private Danny Chen from a funeral home for his funeral procession in New York on Oct. 13.
The CID said Tuesday that it investigated all deaths as if they were homicides and the inquiry into Chen's death was not complete. CID agents were deployed on the investigation within minutes of his death, said Chris Grey, chief of public affairs at USA Criminal Investigation Division.
“I know they (the Army spokesmen in Afghanistan) used the words 'apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,' but our case is still ongoing," Grey said. "Seeing the nature of what’s going on with the soldiers being charged, etc., it did cause a little bit of confusion, but I can guarantee that our investigation is ongoing."
In a book from a memorial service held for Chen on Oct. 6 in Afghanistan, one soldier described him like any member new to the unit -- timid and shy, while another recalled him as cheerful, laughing at all jokes, and reading his "ranger hand book and learning the different movement formations." Yet another recalled that he was a needed replacement.
"From what I heard about him Danny never complained and always kept a smile on his face," wrote Cpt. Allred in a tribute to Chen. "He was a determined member of the team who sought to find his place among the battle hardened platoon living in a relatively austere environment."
Chen last spoke to his parents Sept. 27, asking his mom for a care package. Su Zhen asked him how the other soldiers were treating him, and he responded it was nothing that she should be concerned about, "the normal stuff." She said he hadn't mentioned any problems and had never spoken of any trouble with his fellow GIs.
But a cousin, Banny Chen, 18, said that Chen had complained in a Feb. 27 letter sent while he was at basic training in Georgia that he had been picked on because of his ethnicity.
"It's going to be difficult to pass the time, knowing that we don't have a son," Su Zhen said last week. "It's going to be heartache" every time "a thought about Danny comes up."
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One can only hope that this family finds answers and justice in the untimely and questionable death of their son while defending the Constitution of the United States. I agree, those charged should be brought back to the mainland for justice.
The guy wasn't qualified to be a soldier in a combat zone, if he can't handle the pressure. Shouldn't we have as much concern for the soldiers who very well could not have been responsible for the death?Afterall, the dead man killed himself, and he alone is the trigger man. One could say the dead man was negligent in taking measures to take care of himself.
Dasvet yeah, he should have cut their throats while they were sleeping, the end of his problems, right?
The investigation, as the article states, is still ongoing. It remains to be seen whether he was qualified for combat zone duty or not.....his commanders stateside must have thought so, or they would not have sent him into battle. My point is that any trial/tribunal of those charged needs to be handled stateside where the family can be present for such proceedings.
This comment was from the investigators. The list of charges is astounding, and I wonder how many of those soldiers in his platoon could have withstood that kind of treatment repeated daily.
Dasvet you sound just as racist as the guys that hazed and abused this young soldier to the point he felt he had to end his life. I, and anyone else that has been in the military knows that Chen never would have passed basic or advanced training unless he was fit and ready for duty. Period. Case closed... move your racist comments elsewhere. Even IF somehow the military utterly screwed up and sent an untrained soldier to the front lines it is against militarily law to strike another soldier - especially one serving under your command. So, clearly the soldiers that abused him broke the law and could not possibly be excused as helping the Army weed out a weakling... preposterous and obviously an excuse to vent racist views.
If this preliminary information proves to be accurate it seems clear these soldiers deserve all the time in the Brig coming to them. This I think is the price we pay for having an evangelical-based military in which only white Christians are considered worthy to serve our great country.
Those charged should face justice in the manner prescribed by the UCMJ. Public opinion should not dictate where or how it is done.
Dasvet's right! He should have taken his abuse like a man and then been grateful for it! He should have been HAPPY to be subjected to racism on top of being in combat!
I mean, as a minority he's expected to do everything a white person is and also to take racism in stride, that's his DUTY.
/sarcasm
"...if he can't handle the pressure."
He was the new kid with seven months on - they were seven NCOs and a lieutenant; his superiors. His own people deserted him.
I wonder how prevalent this racial hazing occurs to personnel serving within the U.S. military, justified by group-perpetuated distortions and lies, and by absolutely ambiguous and false premises that the soldier, sailor, airmen or marine, is in need of more, "training" to "toughen them up," -- of which the ultimate goal is to break the person down to nothing for the sick amusement of others, and to force their targeted victims out of the service, or to have them forfeit their very lives, and again, for the Social Darwinist amusement of his tormenters and accusers.
If I was in uniform and in a theater of war, I would not want these sadists to serve with me in combat. The only reason why they would watch your back is to paint a bulls-eye on it so to speak, or to maliciously let you handle a deadly situation, alone. Who need enemies when you have these guys. Fortunately, I think that they don't represent the overwhelming majority of our men and women in uniform that serve our country with integrity, duty, and honor.
Proof the Military still attracts plenty of non-Civilized, dysfunctional, alpha-Monkey Bigots!
Let's hope his Tormentors get a good taste of what he was subjected to when they arrive at the Big House.
I've been in the Air National Guard for 41 years.I've been overseas many times, been in combat zones twice( may have to go again) & I can tell you this young man had no business in a combat zone, IF things were as bad as the family claims( which I seriously doubt) I think in the end we'll all discover the families JUSTICE is spelled MONEY!!
Bullsh*t! As a retired SFC and 1st SGT, that behavior is unacceptable...period. Those in command responsibility are to be held responsible according to the UCMJ, the trial should be held in the states; the family has a right to see and comment. It's the lamebrain, old military thought that "it's the individual,not the system..." that permeates racist feelings subdued only by military code of conduct and the UCMJ.
41 years and apparently still wet behind the ears. About time to a friggin clue.
D. Pittman - what does an airman, and an NG airman at that, have to say about "combat"?
It couldn't possibly get more REMF than that, and yet you have the temerity to utter an opinion about a frontline grunt's readiness? What could you possibly know about it, O' Audie Murphy of the vaunted Air National Guard?
Even if he wasn't ready, the fault would've been with the Army for sending him where it did without adequate training. The remedy for that from any chain of command worth its salt would've been to provide the necessary training, not turn him into the company clown and subject all kinds of abuse from racial to physical.
And on what could you possibly base your suspicion that the family's claims are not credible? For what it's worth, those are the claims of the CID, not the family. What - God came down from the heavens and imparted to you some special knowledge letting you that this is all false, and that, far from grieving parents distraught over the death of their only son (who probably saw more combat in his couple months defending the US than you did in all your 41 years in the Air NG), these are just gold diggers?
Dude - the only possible basis you could have for those despicable opinions, in the absolute absence of any factual basis for them, is that you yourself are most likely the kind of creature that would've gotten its sick kicks out of hazing a Pfc. Chen.
As a vet, I do understand the wartime 'culture' of expecting one's platoon members and combat team to be hard and ready for combat. Clearly the concept being that one's own life hinges directly and intimately on the actions (and inactions) of one's team--and those viewed as 'slacking' or 'ate-up' only endangers everyone else.
That being said, there comes a point where taking it on to personally 'correct' the lack of training that soldier was supposed to have received--or 'hardening' them with remedial "training" of this nature--begins to border on criminal. Who gets to make that call? Who gets to decide what the proper remedy for the situation is? Clearly everything stayed at the lowest possible levels of responsibility (the platoon level) and never escalated to a higher command level to address the perceived need to improve Chen's soldier skills--until he took his own life. Then by virtue of the situation everyone is now involved.
This sort of dichotomy of culture was dramatised well in "A Few Good Men"--the notion that even in wartime that the value of human life and dignity is lost out of a military subcultural need for hard/fit/strong/ready/reliable soldiers. Everyone understands the need for the latter when in the hardship of the wartime theatre, but the former (and any notion of basic human compassion) gets lost and subverted way too easily.
If the man couldn't handle his own feelings so badly that he killed himself, I sure would not want to depend on his actions when facing the enemy. Maybe the Army should have recognized he was unfit for a battlefield situation, and either trained him well enough to handle wartime situations, or place him in some other non-life threatening job. Should the accused soldiers be required to have a shrink's degree to serve in a combat zone?
No, Dasvet, they don't need degrees in psychology. What they do need is basic human decency toward their fellow soldiers and to follow the processes clearly outlined in the regulations if there are questions as to an individual soldier's fitness for duty.
A bunch of morons can damage the high moral values of the USArmy. The guy was subjected to methodical racial harassment, period.
Who is qualified to say that he couldn't handle his own feelings? This is the classic case of bullying, to the point that the victim felt there was no way to escape it. When placed in the position of constant torture or torment, suicide may very well seem to be a viable option. Not a good one by any means, but definitely a means of escape.
This was the result of a bunch of bullies tormenting a guy for their own perverse reasons. Serving in a combat zone does not excuse the behavior of the bullies. Bullies like these accused appear to be, often met with a bullet during a firefight, or else they ended up being fragged, when I spent my time in the bush. Only ignorance and arrogance, along with bigotry and hatred of someone "different" would be reason to bully someone who has a gun. That he took his own life instead of theirs, shows that he was still the better man than his bullies.
RIP Danny Chen and thank you for your service. May your death bring some badly needed change to peoples attitudes of hatred and ignorance.
41 years hasn't done diddly for your insensitive and ignorant opinions. YOU do not belong in any branch of the Armed Forces. You're a racist, officious pig. Period. Retire now and do the military a favor. I bet you still call female officers "little lady."
I expect the type of treatment he received to have been dished out by sergeants in boot camp, not by his fellow soldiers once deployed in a combat zone. The latter thoroughly changes the dynamic.
And what would some of you be saying if he had turned the other way and shot the Eight bullies. You would be calling this young man a villin, a killer, a terrorist.... These Eight punks drove him to his wits end, and that is unfortunately the way he chose to end the torture. These Eight deserve to be charged to the letter and extent of the law and it needs to be done back in the United States.
'd.pittmann', 41 years of service to our country and in all of that time you have not evolved along with the military and have remained clueless about the meaning of honor, justice and equality. Just what did you think the United States of America represented when you took your oath?
Thank you for your service, of course. But your mindset is not productive nor advantageous to the US Military services. Retire. Hang it up.
If the man couldn't handle his own feelings so badly that he killed himself, I sure would not want to depend on his actions when facing the enemy
Who needs enemies trying to kill you when your own guys are abusing you?
"...the Air National Guard for 41 years."
GTFO
d.pittman, it's totally uncalled for to suggest money is the motive for the parents' wish that the case be tried in the mainland. They want to be present at the proceedings, like any parent would, for justice and for closure. For God's sake, this is their only son. How would you feel if it was your son. I can say something venomous, but I really don't want to stoop to your level, I'll just say you are despicable.
3 deleted, lourdesmanos extrapolation-trolling all 'military people' and suggesting employers discriminate against them. Really off-topic. Write your own article.
....
TF-1561528, read the first rule on the site.
This is about the user's comment...
This is about the user. Avoid that. You're suspended for a day for violating #1 of the Code of Honor. Repeatedly.
Tyler, just back from banishment and want to comment on your 2 points. The one on attacking the user – yeah, I agree it was, but then if you read all the comments on this thread (and others, for that matter), a pretty high % fit right into that category and maybe more, so why was mine singled out? But if you chose to exercise your prerogative on that one infraction, I have no problems with that.
As for the first, concerning "the user's comments", that one baffles me. My "uncalled for….." was a characterization of the user's comment which prefaces and underlines the basis of my argument, and was not over-the-top in my opinion. So how else can one critique on someone else's comments, which the code of Honour permits?
Since the military has diversity issues, they should not assign new recruits who have never been exposed to diversity to be in the same units with other ethnicities. There are places in this country where a small town white person will think a miiddle eastern person is Chinese. Sounds like a gang mentality prevailed in this situation---hazing can be a front for racism. Chen was an American.
Um no. That's not acceptable.
If these soldiers were properly trained there's be no need to worry about "diversity". When I was in boot camp there was all this talk early on of the brothers sticking together, and the rednecks sticking together, and all that nonsense. When it was made painfully obvious that the Drill Instructors seemed to hate us all equally all that "race" stuff stopped.
Your reply gave insight to my comment. It would be great if all men in a unit would consider themselves "green". The number of soldiers/officers accused of this, makes the unit sound like a prison gang, not soldiers who have been trained!
I wasn't in the Army, but this seems to be a sign of a leadership failure. Racism still occurs in the Marine Corps, but in my experience it was a non-issue.
Some military branches;namely the Army, have lowered their recruiting standards to allow criminal elements and the mentally unstable to enlist exacerbated by the recent recession. Many of these enlisted ''soldiers'' in all probability, would have wound up in prison or an insane asylum. Look no further than the CONVICTED Army PFC Steven Green of Iraq infamy (found guilty of unspeakable atrocities against Iraqi civilians inc. a 14 y.o. Iraqi girl). Or the so-called ''kill team'' of the rogue 5th Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan whose members went on ''safari'' in a Stryker to kill and maim unarmed civilians allegedly inc. small children. These so-called ''soldiers'' were all found guilty of war crimes inc. premeditated murder, and many received long prison terms in addition to dishonorable discharges. These criminally insane individuals who used the fog of war as a smokescreen to murder and maim foreign citizens in their own country illustrates the caliber of recruits who unfortunately ,are NOT always ''weeded'' out and tarnish the image of the U.S. Armed Forces as a whole.
Forgetting your Helment for Guard duty is a big clue to the mindset of this young man. Either a "Beetle Baily" or has been harrassed to the point of no return......which it seems happened.
But, the main thing here is the improper titles the press is using. There is no such thing as Asian-Americans, Chinese-Americans.....you are either Chinese or American. This young Soldier was an American, plain and simple. He took the oath, wore the uniform, served as an American Soldier and deserves the honors and rights of an American. We don't need double titles, and the first one is given up when you become an American Citizen. Where does all this twin culture crap come from anyway? You can't serve two masters!
Old and Fed Up, you are absolutely correct! I don't claim to be a European-American, a Welsh-American, a Scottish-American, a German-American, A Native American Indian-American, or a Dutch-American. We are ALL American citizens, or waiting to become such! We need to drop those ridiculous titles where we attempt to force others to recognize and pay homage to some special identity. YES, this applies to ALL cultural groups! Get with the program!
It's easy enough to call oneself an American, when no one asks you if you speak English. I only wish I can be considered an American without being asked where I am from. The problem is European descented Americans and even African descented Americans are considered Americans and everyone else can be treated as a foreigner. So when more people like "Old and Fed Up!" think like you then maybe we can drop the hyphenated American. I'm tired of people asking me if I am Chinese (I am of Korean descent). I am tired of people asking me where I am from and I tell them "Philly" but they ask me again. So the reason why I am a Korean-American is because other Americans think that is the most important thing to ask before they find out anything else about me.
Not to derail this thread here, [Not Looked..], I don't go out asking every person who remotely looks foreign where they are from. If they choose to volunteer that information more than the better. Old and Fed up is right about the Hypenated names.
As for Chen, if his fellow "brothers-in-arms" and I use that label very sarcastically had any real issues with his training, there are procedures in place to address this that usually involve taking it up the chain of command. As was cited by others, the fact that this was kept platoon level, is a clear case of hazing and abuse that frankly makes me ashamed of being an American at times.
So called land of the free. I cannot understand the mindset of those who pick on others for difference. In my place, the only thing that matters to me in a "work" environment is plain and simple, Can you do the job? If not, then I'll find someone else. Your beliefs, gender, orientation, heritage mean nothing to me besides a conversation topic if you choose to talk about it.
Old and Fed up, I agree with you 300%. There are no race issues in the US of A. Never were, and never will be, yeah.
Dathias, in case you haven't noticed, your kind of decency is not the norm.
I do agree with your assessment here, Old & Fed Up, but as an interesting note the US military does actually allow foreign nationals (with Green Cards, i.e. non-US-citizens) to serve as enlisteds.
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/f/noncitizen.htm
When I served, I was shocked to find that out. That for sure doesn't change my view of those soldiers who do serve our country who aren't citizens--in terms of performance/duty/loyalty--and that isn't the case here for Chen. But it isn't actually correct to say that every single US soldier/marine/airman/seaman is also a US citizen.
A former military perspective on the list:
-- Subjected to an excessive number of exercises: push-ups, situps, flusher kicks, runs and sprints carrying sand bags.
Been there, done that. This isn't really all that abnormal.
-- Made to crawl with all his equipment across gravel.
A little questionable but not necessarily outside the pale. I've done this too.
-- Placed in a simulated sitting position while soldiers used their knees to strike his leg.
Uh uh. Wrong. The simulated sitting position, ok. The striking is a clear violation.
-- Had rocks thrown at him to simulate incoming artillery rounds.
Completely unacceptable. If they really wanted to train him there are simulator devices made for exactly this purpose.
-- Subjected to racial slurs, such as gook, dragon lady and chink.
Totally wrong. You can call someone an 8-up sack of crap, etc. but even that's highly unusual outside of a Basic Training environment. -- or to quote my old Army Drill Seargent, "We're only one color here, GREEN! I hear anything but GREEN, I will make your life so bad you will WISH you were in HELL! Clear?!"
-- Made to perform push-ups with mouthfuls of water that he wasn’t able to spit out or swallow.
Unacceptable. That isn't exercise, punishment, or simple hazing. It's putting the soldiers health and ability to function at risk.
-- Required to perform excessive work details and guard duty.
Normal for punishment details, but it sounds like there was nothing to punish him for, and action of that sort is supposed to be documented in counseling statements or an Article 15 if carried out. Also, if they were back-to-back guard duty shifts on a regular basis, this in a combat zone is endangering lives and the mission and unacceptable on that basis as well..
-- Within two to three weeks of his death, soldiers were asked to put up a new tent. He was ordered to wear a green hard hat and give directions to other soldiers in Chinese on how to set up the tent, OuYang said.
This isn't necessarily abnormal if the goal was to have his fellow soldiers learn Chinese, but if that were the case I'd expect to see blocks of instruction arranged and a more experienced soldier detailed to help him plan them. Given the context I rather doubt this was anything but hazing.
And finally, the quote from the article below isn't hazing, it's assaulting a fellow soldier and should have been treated as such.
On Sept. 27, about a week before his death, Chen was assaulted by a sergeant, OuYang said, citing investigators. The sergeant allegedly dragged him out of his bed over 50 meters of gravel to the shower trailer and told him, "You broke the hot water pump." Chen had bruises and cuts on his back, OuYang said, quoting investigators.
lourdesmanos, I think you are very judgemental and biased on your assessment of military personnel. First off, I respect those who do go into the miliary. I admit our military does not do a good job of de-militarizing staff back to civilian life and does not handle mental issues very well. That is the fault of our politicians. HOWEVER, I have worked with former military folks for 40+ years and have never had an issue working with Vietnam or Afghanistan vets or any other vets. I have friends who do have some disabilities due to military service in active combant, but all these folks have been outstanding people. I have tended to prefer to work with former military personnel due to the fact that have much more incredible management and project skills than the normal private sector personnel. I honor all of those who do serve our country and feel for those who suffer mental or emotional trauma due to their service. As far as STDs and child abuse, I doubt your facts are correct and that they are any higher than the private sector. Spouse abuse may be higher, but otherwise, I do not see 99% of the military personnel as being much different from private sector, except the military personnel have better education and skill sets in most instances. Today, I work with four fomer military personnel and they are awesome! But, please do not malign those who have suffered due to military duty and our military personnel!There are a few former military personnel who lack good social skills, education, and have mental disorders, just like the rest of the private sector, but this does not make the entire military a problem!
Sounds like a carry over from their H/S days and a tragic action not in keeping with their (the accused ) scope of assigned duties.
Back in the 70's while taking basic training at Fort Ord, the drill instructor voiced out loudly with a megaphone that we were all of one color....green. My platoon which consisted of Blacks, Whites, Asians, Mexicans and so forth experienced not one racial incident during 8 weeks of basic training simply because we thought of each other as equals.
Now that's a pretty smart drill instructor.
Once again the news media trumps up an issue that is as old as the military itself. It's just been made visible because of liberal bias.In years past these problems were handled internally.I served in a squad where the patsy might have a bucket slipped over his head and then it was beaten until he had an attitude ajustment.He never went out and blew himself away.Only those with major deficencies would kill themselve off and we should be rid of that type of person anyhow..Pampering the little mommy babies has to stop.Send them back home to their mommy.
@pascsiguy
I mistakenly voted for your post- I was rattled by your remarks and wanted to report you for your horrible comment.
-someone's Mommy
Consider the new millenium the year of ENLIGHTENMENT!
@pascsiguy
And the reason you're made to look dull and ignorant here is due to what you wrote. No amount of alleged liberal bias in the world can affect that.
pascsiguy, you are kidding, right? Right.....?
Apparently...people like you were the ones with deficiencies. Hope the proceedings are held stateside and that this young man's family get some justice. Hazing and assaulting a fellow soldier should never be tolerated.
Lourdesmanos, my father fought in Korea and Vietnam and served our country for 24 years. He was married to my mother for 44 years and never once struck her or me and my siblings. He worked for the same company for 25 years and retired due to a heart attack. I remember him as a kind and generous man who would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. I find your comments offensive to both myself and every man and woman who has served this nation. Had it not been for those that fought in WWII, perhaps your ancestors would have died in a Nazi concentration camp for anyone not of Aryan blood, which your name seems to indicate you are not. You can choose your biased ways, but why not let the rest of us know which company you own or represent so we can stop dealing with it.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this soldier. It is never easy being a soldier and if any of his so called team mates did the things they are accused of doing, with or without higher command authority they deserve to be put on trial and if found guilty should be punished to the fullest extent of military law, and then dishonorably discharged after serving full sentence in a military prison. Most of my family have served in the military from WWII , Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. This type of thing should never be tolerated in our military system. Lets not forget all our soldiers are Volunteers and they deserve better in both leadership, training, and from their fellow soldiers.
Enough Said.
And no one stopped the hazing so they were all blinded then. Well, DOD immediately suspends all soldiers there and take all of them to their court and all of them are not fit for service for the disability, such as blindness of the justice.
And they all have guns and all top rated weapons. Please bring them back; or others may be the next victim and they will file as friendly fire next time.
War is hard enough. Add on some racial slurs, distrust and ignorance and you get something like this happening to some young Americans. If they are charging the troops, I hope the officers are included. With all the tax I am paying, I hope the military is teaching these young people that ignorance is the root of all racisim. When I was in the military, I was picked on by whites, blacks, latinos, American Indians, and asians at some point or another, but was also befriened by them too. Some are more ignorant then others. Education and leadership are the keys to avoid stupid/ tragic stuff like this.
IMO,a clear leadership problem if true. Bring the case to the conus,let the parents attend the hearins and the courts martial if there is one.If the PSG/PL allowed this to happen,or took part in it,they should face a harsher penalty because they had the authority and the duty to stopthe hazing
First my heart goes out to his Parents. I am a Veit Nam Vet. Seen combat and friends die, In 66-67 even Drill Sargent's never beat, dragged anyone across the ground. Yelled a lot to train and someday help us to not get killed in action. Most soldiers are the most polite and giving people you will ever meet. because we don't forget those times or our brothers in combat. That is what the want-a-Be's do. I salute all you past and present soldiers.
Ongoing investigations are never resolved, they are sweep under the rug. Our troops are treated like animals once they return to the US. Our congressional leaders only care when they need them (so they don't have to send their sons and daughters) to fight a war. When Obama sends troops to Iran (when Isreal tells him) lets make sure this time that there are family members of the 1% on the front lines and don't tell me they are serving there country in the states, I want them on the front line I want their 18 to 24 year old kids fighting in these worthless wars. My neighbor had to have his son deprogramed when he returned from Vietnam, the kid was unable to go to the bathroom without someone tellling him he could go. The idiots in the service always go after the weak to make themselfs feel good.
This is what 2 successive wars over 10 years does to soldiers. They lack necessary training, their morale goes down and they pick on whoever they can. I truly feel sorry for the parents.
I hope the US does not end up in yet another war for another 20-25 years. The scars of Afghanistan and Iraq are yet to be healed. But again, when has America every cared about the weak and poor.
Fortunately for them those military members will be tried in a court martial. Technically they may face civilian court as well, only after they serve their military sentence. Another ARMY f* up...As an Air Force JTAC member who lived, ate and slept with Army members (although mainly SF)-I never understood the value of being so demeaning and abusive towards their members. SO pointless. And here we are again, as investigators and ranking members clearly pushed all this under a rug to protect one another-until this young man kills himself. Every one of those involved and who knew anything about the situation should be tried. I will never stand for any abuse as such and would never protect any other service member if they did so. These people bring such a bad name to the armed forces, although there are bad apples in every orchard.
Rob, it appears the 8 people who were involved are being tried, including the platoon sergeand and platoon leader.
Eight soldiers and none of them brave enough to stand up for one of their brothers-in-arms??? What kind of punk, cowards are they letting into the Army nowadays?? I read that the wars caused the Army to lower their standards to meet recruiting goals but this is crazy!! Many of the type of people that sign up for the Marines or the Infantry are truly deranged. Usually troublemakers that were going nowhere in the real world so they sign up since its all they can do. I'm glad they are on our side but a lot of those dudes are seriously F'ed in the head. Look at the nutball that killed the Ranger in Utah last week; warning bells clanging all around him for years! A decade of war and all these "kill 'em all" types coming home to no jobs. We better start building more prisons...
OK MSNBC.. Why do you call this soldier a "Chinese-American" GI? If I was in a similar situation would you call me a "European-American?". your headline should have read "Allegedly bullied GI's Family Wants Soldiers Tried in the US"
And we wonder why racism is still a problem in America. disgraceful,
California First I mistakenly voted for your post - so mentally strike one off. OK, as far as your point (Chinese-American...), I am surprised you cannot, or want not to, appreciate the obvious, which is that race played a central role in this situation, from the allegations thus far. His ethnic background was abusively highlighted by his attackers, who all have names that indicate Anglo- or Germanic origin, again an anomaly when there's such a high % of Latinos and Blacks in the armed forces. In a presumptive situation, if you are the only Anglo-white guy in your platoon, and abused by 8 guys all with names like Rodriguez, or Jamals, I am sure the fact that you are a white-American would also be high-lighted. The headline could easily have been "lone white soldier beaten by 8 blacks in otherwise all-black platoon". Well, maybe cut out the other otherwise part. It's a far fetch for you to attribute racism in America to MSNBC. This article is absolutely justified to underline Pvt. Chen is a Chinese-American.
TF - does continual labeling of people as "...-American" contribute to racial differences in this nation? If we would get away from these labels, maybe, just maybe, we could actually judge people by their character rather than their skin color. But when the media continue to push such lables (even though the soldiers racial background was contributory), it works to divide more than unite.
Bookem, what do you not understand about the circumstance. It was the other soldiers that forced that label on him.
Most of what I am reading is foolishness. Especially Gary's comment reading that "the idiots in the service always go after the weak..." Seem's like went I went into combat, everyone on the opposite side had guns and other very capable weapons. They certainly were not the weak. The weak are those like Gary that hide behind his first ammendment rights. Calling people names but not commenting on any sacrafice that he has made. Good thing he did not call the soldier that killed himself any names, it could have contributed to his death. Moreover, lots of concern about name calling. Might have hurt somebodys feelings. Apparently, at least to many people commenting on this article, stabbing someone or shooting them and even perhaps calling in indirect fire which could burn people alive ( which this soldier might be required to do or have done to him ) is not nearly as offensive or hurtful. Combat men ( which I am not convinced this guy was ) do not get thier feelings hurt by name calling. In fact, had he not accepted that he should participate in this hazing, he could have objected and put a hurt on the first guy that continued after his protest. I caution non combatants to beleive they understand the culture and life of a combatant. To be clear, working in a supply shack, office or driving a truck around while in uniform does not qualify you as a combatant. Civilians with no military background are even less connected to the warrior mind. In the end, this man shot himself. He was not beaten to death. In fact there appears to be be very little physical harm. There was some notation in regards to some kneeing. This however, did not disable the soldier physically. My concern is that the Army has become so soft that they are not capable of fielding the fierce and couraguoes army that has been fielded the last 225 years or so.
Lourdesmanos: As far as your comments, again the audience is invited to view the cowardice and insecurity of your character. It is peculiar about your comments on global perspective. As it is clear that deployments around the world expose those deployed to other nations and cultures, it would seem that their experience globaly is far more expansive than your own. In addition, you clearly have no concept of any subject you commented on. Regardless, you live in America and run your own company. That's pretty awesome! You should be praising all those that sacrafice. Furthermore, before any more of you post dopy comments and statistics that are not valid or have no basis in fact, know that we sleep peacefully in our beds tonight because good men are prepared to conduct extreme violence to ensure our peace.
My the Lord ease the pain of the Pvt Chen's family.
They should request the report, nothing sensitive when comparing the death of Tillman in 2004 to which they had a kid's play hearing in the Congress, and the forensic report is important.
They also should find out what kind of legal procedure that they have. This time they may not need to go through the Congress for Tillman's example had walked before them and it was a completely disaster to which it was shown on the TV that the DOD was so negligent and so impotent and so dementia that one does not want to go through the Congress anymore.
Google the DOD or anything relatedthe legal procedure on a civilian court.
Since he has been abused, he might be forced to kill himself. There is a need of reverse investigaton. It is because any soldier can request for transfer if one's life is in danger or threatened. And they need to understand the culture of Chinese and he was the only son to which it meant that he should request the transfer.
The main problem I see with this article, is the family "want's to see the guilty men tried in the United States". That means they have already adjucitated them as guilty. Do I like the fact that this young man died? No. But cool heads need to prevail & if I'm not mistaken, all people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. If they are proven guilty, shey should get everything they deserve.