NEW YORK (AP) – Chinese-Americans decrying the suicide of a teenage Army private who allegedly was hazed because of his ethnicity left Monday for the North Carolina court martial for one of eight U.S. soldiers accused of pushing Danny Chen to the edge.
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AP file photo
Pvt. Danny Chen,19, committed suicide Oct. 3 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
AP file photo
Pvt. Danny Chen,19, committed suicide Oct. 3 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Dozens of supporters of Chen's family held a news conference in Manhattan on Monday before some boarded a van for the 10-hour trip to Fayetteville.
On a hot summer morning, they first gathered in Columbus Park, in the middle of Manhattan's Chinatown, surrounded by longtime neighborhood residents. Some listened from nearby tables while playing checkers and chatting in Chinese.
The group included community members, elected officials, a Vietnam War veteran and filmmakers making a documentary on the case. Chen's parents and other relatives left for North Carolina on Sunday.
"The verdict will have profound implications, not only for our ethnic group, but for all Americans who expect their government to give them both freedom and protection," said Wellington Chen, executive director of the Chinatown Partnership, a New York development group.
A sign held by one supporter read: "We are all Danny Chen."
His suicide over what military officials said was extreme physical and emotional abuse, in addition to nearly one suicide a day among America's troops, "means that there is something wrong with the system," said Chen, no relation to the family.
"We want justice for Pvt. Danny Chen," declared Elizabeth OuYang, president of the New York chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, a nonprofit advocacy group that helped move the case forward. "The chain of command failed Pvt. Danny Chen, but our justice system cannot."
Military officials have said the 19-year-old soldier shot himself on Oct. 3 in a guardhouse in Afghanistan after weeks of abuse at the hands of fellow soldiers. They called him "Jackie Chen," his family said.
They said the abuse started while in training, and continued when he was deployed to Afghanistan.
On the day he died, Chen was forced to crawl about 100 yards across gravel carrying his equipment while his fellow soldiers pelted him with rocks, according to his family, with whom he shared details of his ordeal.
Chen also wrote about the abuse in his journal.
Vassar College student Julia Chung said that when she first heard about his suicide, "I was really, really angry." But then she decided to go into action, joining others who signed petitions, staged protest marches and contacted military officials to push for justice on America soil.
The court martial for Sgt. Adam Holcomb of Youngstown, Ohio, starts Tuesday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. He faces nearly 18 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
Holcomb is the first of the soldiers to go on trial in Chen's death. He faces a negligent homicide charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of three years, and a host of other charges. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to about 18 years in prison.
Four other men are charged with negligent homicide, and the judge's decision in Holcomb's trial could be an indicator for the other soldiers.
Chen was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, but was under the command of a Fort Bragg general in Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. James Huggins requested the trial be transferred to Fort Bragg — which military officials said worked out better logistically. Chen's family had also lobbied for the trials to be held stateside.
Chen was born and raised in Manhattan's Chinatown, where teachers from his Head Start program showed up for Monday's gathering. He enlisted after high school and had only been in Afghanistan for two months when he shot himself.
His family recently celebrated the teenager's life on what would have been his 20th birthday.
Army green T-shirts worn by many at the news conference bore the words: "Pvt. D. Chen, All-American Soldier for Life, 1992-2011."
His uncle, Zhan Qiu Chen, who was on the van that left Monday, said he and members of the support group "strongly urge the Army to change the culture and the Army's image so we as parents feel comfortable sending our children to serve in the Army to protect our country."
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