Families of Soldiers Call for Investigation into Deaths After Military Hazing

Submitted by Richard Stites

Sgt. found guilty on 1 count in hazing death

Read the story here.

Soldier sentenced to hard labor in Pvt. Danny Chen suicide case

Anniversary of Chen's Death to be Observed

NEW YORK — Supporters of Pvt. Danny Chen are planning to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his death with a series of actions seeking justice for the 19-year-old from New York.

On Oct. 3, 2011, Chen was found dead in Afghanistan after being hazed by six superiors while serving with C Co., 3^rd Battalion, 21^st Infantry Regiment, 1^st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25^th Infantry Division. Eight have been charged in connection with his death and have been or will be court-martialed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Staff Sgt. Blaine Dugas, Sgt. Adam Holcomb, Spc. Thomas Curtis, Spc. Ryan Offutt and Sgt. Travis Carden have been convicted and sentenced for charges of dereliction of duty, hazing, maltreatment, including racial taunting, and assault. Charges of involuntary manslaughter were dropped. Three more will be tried:

Read the entire story here.

Training center CO fired after hazing probe

The commanding officer of Training Support Center San Diego was relieved of command Friday after violating the Navy's policy on hazing, the Navy said.

Read the entire story here.

Danny Chen Case: Specalist Ryan J. Offutt Pleads Guilty To Hazing Asian-American Private

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A second soldier accused of driving an Asian-American private to suicide has received a six-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to reduced charges in a court-martial at Fort Bragg.

Spc. Ryan J. Offutt of Greenville, Pa., pleaded guilty Monday to one count of hazing and two specifications of maltreatment in the death of 19-year-old Danny Chen of New York. Authorities say Chen shot himself last year in Afghanistan after being hazed over his ethnicity.

Offutt also will be demoted to private and receive a bad conduct discharge. He had faced several charges, including negligent homicide.

Read the entire story here.

Military Hazing Has Got to Stop

LAST fall, at an outpost in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Danny Chen, a 19-year-old Army private, was singled out for hazing by Sgt. Adam Holcomb and five other soldiers, all of whom were senior in rank to their victim. They believed Danny was a weak soldier, someone who fell asleep on guard duty, who forgot his helmet. So for six weeks, they dispensed “corrective training” that violated Army policy. When he failed to turn off the water pump in the shower, he was dragged across a gravel yard on his back until it bled. They threw rocks at him to simulate artillery. They called him “dragon lady,” “gook” and “chink.”

Read the entire story here.

http://chu.house.gov/press-release/reps-chu-cummings-honda-and-others-introduce-legislation-prevent-hazing-military

Velazquez bill would combat hazing incidents in the military

BY ALINE REYNOLDS | East Village soldier Danny Chen’s suicide last October has contributed to the writing of legislation that would more stringently enforce anti-bullying in the armed forces.

The Service Member Anti-Hazing Act, which U.S. Congressmember Nydia Velazquez is introducing to Congress this week, would require all branches of the U.S. military to more effectively combat hazing through targeted policies and training.

The federal bill comes on the heels of 301 U.S. soldiers’ suicides last year alone and a total of 1,100 soldiers’ suicides during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, according to Velazquez.

Read the entire article here.

3 Guard Troops to Face Courts-Martial in Hazing Case

STUTTGART, Germany -- Three National Guard soldiers accused of hazing junior troops with a range of tactics that allegedly included racial slurs and sexual harassment while on a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo will face courts-martial in Germany in the coming months, U.S. Army Europe announced Tuesday.

“The Soldiers pending Courts-Martial have been charged with failure to obey lawful orders or regulation, and cruelty and maltreatment,” said Col. Bryan Hilferty, USAREUR spokesman, in a statement. “One of the Soldiers has also been accused of indecent exposure. All of these charges are merely accusations, and all accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

The Army did not release the names of the three soldiers -- a first sergeant, a staff sergeant, and a sergeant. The soldiers could face discharge from the military, reduction in rank, confinement, loss of pay or a combination, according to USAREUR.

Read the entire story here.

S.I. dad says Marine son victim of hate, just like Pvt. Danny Chen

Danny Chen and Hamson Daniels McPherson grew up separated by New York Harbor and died just months apart under mysterious circumstances while serving their country.

Chen, 19, was an Army private from the lower East Side.

McPherson, 21, was a Marine private from Staten Island.

Both their deaths were initially ruled suicides.

And both men, their families claim, were driven to the brink by racist hazing and abuse inflicted on them by comrades in arms.

Read the entire story here.

Lawmaker tells military officials to end culture of hazing

WASHINGTON — Military officials testified Thursday that hazing is not and will not be tolerated by the services, but lawmakers questioned whether recent high-profile incidents of abuse indicate deteriorating leadership in overtaxed, war-weary units.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., whose nephew committed suicide last April after being hazed by members of his Marine Corps unit, pleaded for an end to the culture of hazing.

“Although the military has policies in place, they’re not being enforced,” she said during a hearing held by the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel. “While people on the outside are horrified by these stories, usually the rank and file say that hazing is a necessary tool … to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Read the entire story here.

Lawmakers Blast Culture of Military Hazing
Marines Update Hazing Policy

PVT Danny Chen- What You Can Do To Help

Dear Members and Supporters:

 We have received an outpouring of support and offers to help seek justice for Private Danny Chen and his family and to stop hazing in the military.  Below is a list of action items you can do to help.
Sign OCA-NY's petition demanding that the court martials be convened in the U.S. (click here)
Spread the word about this petition.

Contact OCA-NY,  oca-ny@oca-ny.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , with stories about hazing in the U.S. military

If you belong to an organization, let OCA-NY know if you can commit to sending one person to observe the court martials, which if held in the U.S. will likely take place in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, the location from which Danny's unit was dispatched to Afghanistan.

If you know of families or churches in Alaska who could house people attending the court martials, please let OCA-NY know.

Hold a teach-in at your home, church, school, or organization about Danny Chen's case and hazing in the army.  Outreach to our youth is critical-they must be informed.  OCA-NY can help provide suggested speakers.

Write or call your local city council person to introduce a resolution calling for reforms in the army dealing with hazing and effective diversity training. Currently, New York City's Councilwoman Margaret Chin introduced a resolution calling for reforms of the military's diversity training. (click here)

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or online publication to call for a greater awareness about Pvt. Danny Chen's case.

Write songs, poetry, plays, or other creative works to help spread the word about Danny's case.
Let OCA-NY know of interested persons who would like to be added to our listserves to receive updates on Danny Chen's case.

Join OCA-NY as a member, see www.oca-ny.org to download our membership form or join a local OCA chapter in your area, see www.ocanational.org for more information.

Please stay tuned. We will be announcing more public awareness projects in coming weeks that will need your input and suppport, particularly what you can do on a federal level to help push reforms in the military. If you have additional ideas on how people can help, please let OCA-NY know.

Thank you,

Liz Ou Yang, President OCA-NY

--submitted by Bonnie Palecco

Army Charges 8 in Death of Fellow Soldier

Eight U.S. troops are facing charges including involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide in the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, 19, who was found dead of “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” in a guard tower in Afghanistan in October, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

Chen’s case became a major news story in New York after family members alleged he had been hazed before his death because of his Chinese ethnicity. An Army official told the family that Chen had been beaten by superiors and subjected to racially motivated taunts, according to an October story in The New York Times.

“After two months of agonizing over the loss, it is of some comfort and relief that the Army is taking this seriously,” Chen’s mother, Su Zhen, said through an interpreter at a news conference Wednesday in New York, according to an MSNBC report.

Last week, hundreds of supporters took to the streets of Lower Manhattan to demand that the Army take action, and news of the military charges quickly led the stories on the websites of most major New York City news organizations.

Of the eight soldiers charged, five face charges including negligent homicide and manslaughter, while three others face charges including making false statements or dereliction of duty.

ISAF spokesman Sgt. 1st Class Alan Davis said via email from Afghanistan that “the charges relate to conduct that occurred in the time leading up to [Chen’s] death.”

All eight soldiers charged served in the same unit as Chen: Company C, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska. They were assigned to Combat Outpost Palace in southern Afghanistan.

Read the entire updated story here.

3 Hawaii Marines charged in Afghanistan hazing case

By William Cole

Three Hawaii Marines have been charged with multiple offenses ranging from assault and maltreatment to violation of orders and dereliction of duty for alleged hazing leading up to the April 3 death of fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew in Afghanistan, officials said today.

Lew, 21, committed suicide April 3 after being hazed by two other Marine lance corporals, the Marine Corps Times said, citing an investigation into the death.

Read the entire story here.
Marine suicide tied to hazing in Afghanistan