Washington–OCA has praised the U.S. Army for its swift action in the death last October of Private Danny Chen while serving in Afghanistan. Chen, who was from New York, was 19.

Founded in 1973 as the Organization of Chinese Americans, OCA (www.ocanational.org) is a national organization “dedicated to advancing the political, social and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans.”

The New York Times reported the announcement of the U.S. Army on December 21 charging eight soldiers, including an officer, in Chen’s battalion. The report noted that the array of charges which the Army announced that day suggested military prosecutors believed the soldiers’ actions drove Chen to commit suicide.

The most serious charges were manslaughter and negligent homicide, according to the report, which also said the charges followed two military investigations, one of which is on-going. (For the full text of the Times December 21, 2011 story, visit www.new york times.com and type the words ‘Private Danny Chen” on the Search space, located on the website’s top left corner.)

In a statement on December 21, OCA said the charges against the eight soldiers demonstrate the Army’s commitment to ensuring accountability. But it also noted, “What is painfully clear is that racism and hate continues to be a significant challenge in the country.”

Based on his family’s account, the Times reported Chen apparently incurred the ire of his fellow soldiers when he forgot to turn the water heater off after using the showers, and they pulled him out of his bed. Relatives, who are familiar with Chen’s battalion experiences through his laments to them, related there followed a culmination of a campaign of hazing against Chen that night, the Times report said.

Private Chen was found dead hours later, and a military statement announcing the charges on December 21 said the cause was “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” to the head, according to the Times report.

The OCA statement noted: “Discovering the way in which Pvt. Chen came to his death is a bitter reminder of similar incidents in the history of our community including, but not limited to, the racially charged massacre in Los Angeles Chinatown in 1871 and more recently, the case of Vincent Chin, murdered by disgruntled Detroit Caucasian auto workers in 1982.”

OCA’s Lee said the OCA-NY chapter is working with community advocates and OCA National Center in the nation’s capital “to push for further accountability and reform by the U.S. Army.”

Interim Executive Director Tom Hayashi added, “Because so many Asian Pacific Americans throughout our nation’s history served and continue to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces with distinction, OCA is committed to working with the Pentagon to protect the women and men who proudly serve.”

Charges

According to the Times report, the eight charged in the case are members of the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division.

It reported that the military said five of the soldiers are charged with involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide and assault consummated by battery, among other crimes.

The only officer charged was accused of dereliction of duty, according to the Times report. It also said that the military reported another sergeant was charged with assault and maltreatment, and another staff sergeant with dereliction of duty and making a false statement.

The Times story, quoting a spokesman for the military’s headquarters in southern Afghanistan, reported there were two investigations into Private Chen’s death. The regional command’s investigation resulted in the charges; that of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division is on-going.

Advocates

Prompted by what happened to Chen, representatives from the OCA-NY Chapter, OCA National Center, Japanese American Citizens League, Asian American Justice Center, and former Marine Captain Bruce Yamashita, a practicing attorney in the Greater Metro D.C. area, attended a meeting on December 14 at the Pentagon.

They discussed a number of concerns over the health and well-being of Asian American women and men in uniform. They focused their concerns on institutional culture and procedures that may be ineffective, in both proactively and reactively dealing with hate-motivated harassment and discrimination. They also presented Army officials with a number of suggestions.

“We have had a long-standing tradition of support for all branches of the military and embrace the American value of defending the Constitution,” OCA Interim Executive Director Hayashi said on December 21.

He added: “We have and always will be a resource to the Army. I look forward to working closely with our liaison on the larger issues as the community struggles to heal from the wound of losing one of their sons in uniform.”