Read the background on two hazing-related deaths which prompted the petition drive here...

Submitted to Asian Fortune by Asian American Justice Center(AAJC) and the Organization of Chinese Americans(OCA)

Members of America’s armed forces make courageous sacrifices to keep America safe. Our military owes these individuals a swift and serious response when incidents of abuse, harassment and mistreatment occur against them.

In 2011, hazing by fellow service members and superiors led to the deaths of Marine Lance Corporal Harry Lew, of Santa Clara, Calif., and Army Private Danny Chen, of New York, N.Y., within six months of each other in Afghanistan. For Pvt. Chen, that hazing included fielding racist taunts such as “gook,” “chink” and “dragon lady.” The tragedies resonated loudly across the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, which has a long history of dedicated service in the U.S. armed forces—from the first record of service as early as the War of 1812, to the more than 50 Chinese Americans in the Civil War, to the decorated Japanese American units and 250,000 Filipino American troops of World War II, to the 85,000 AAPIs who served in Vietnam, to the rise of prominent military leaders such as Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Antonio Taguba, who led the U.S. Army report of abuses of detainees at Abu Ghraib, and Gen. (Ret.) Eric Shinseki, the former U.S. Army Chief of Staff and current U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

In the wake of Lance Cpl. Lew’s and Pvt. Chen’s deaths, OCA and the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, joined to lead advocacy efforts with other civil rights partners and community members across the country to ensure that the military upholds its values of respect, dignity and honor by addressing hazing among its ranks with the upmost urgency.

This week, OCA and AAJC launched a national petition to U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to urge him to take leadership in advancing critical policy reforms through the Department of Defense. The petition accompanies our ongoing support for passage of anti-hazing legislation in Congress. Rep. Judy Chu of California—the aunt of Lance Cpl. Lew, Rep. Nydia Velasquez of New York and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York each introduced bills in May, with several provisions included in the annual Department of Defense budget bill that is advancing through Congress. In addition, OCA’s New York chapter has been diligent in pushing for justice in our military courts, bringing a delegation of community advocates to Fort Bragg in North Carolina for each of the courts-martial of the soldiers charged in connection to Pvt. Chen’s death.

The stories of Lance Cpl. Lew and Pvt. Chen are not isolated experiences. Hazing persists in an environment where strict enforcement of policies and strong leadership accountability are absent. We believe that an end to military hazing and the protection of our troops requires reform of military laws and policies. This reform includes: a clear definition of “hazing” that is punishable under military regulations; stronger accountability up and down the chain of command; stiffer punishment for failure to report harassment and abuse; protection for the victim and whistleblowers of harassment and abuse; mandatory diversity training and inclusion practices to promote more diversity within leadership positions; and an effective and comprehensive record-keeping system on reports of harassment and abuse.

Our military needs strong anti-hazing policies to strengthen the cohesion and discipline among troops and the trust in leadership that are necessary to effectively protect our nation. In addition, a culture of inclusion and accountability is one that will continue to compel brave men and women from our communities to answer the call to duty knowing that they will have the support and protection of those who serve alongside them.

Lance Cpl. Lew, Pvt. Chen, and countless other service members who have faced hazing stood up for our country. Now is the time for us to stand up for them.

To learn more about AAJC’s and OCA’s work against military hazing, and to join our petition, please visit: www.advancingequality.org and www.ocanational.org.