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Council addresses hazing in US Army – Metro US

Council addresses hazing in US Army

A New York City councilwoman wants the U.S. Department of Defense to stop hazing and better train its soldiers about diversity after a local soldier reportedly committed suicide after being hazed.

Margaret Chin, who represents Chinatown, spoke out after the death of Danny Chen, a private in the Army who was found dead in October. Chen, raised on the Lower East Side, was reportedly bullied because of his ethnicity.

“I wanted to write a resolution in honor of all that Danny endured, but also one that pushes the Army to take a harder line against hazing and bullying,” Chin said, after introducing the resolution to the City Council yesterday.

The gunshot wound that killed Chen was self-inflicted, according to an Army autopsy. His family said that he had faced bullying and hazing within his unit while in Afghanistan. Eight other soldiers in Chen’s unit, including an officer, were charged last month with negligent homicide in his death.

Chin said that, as part of their investigation, the Army confirmed that Chen was hazed for being Chinese-American.