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Court-Martial Begins for 2nd Soldier in Hazing CaseRelated Content
A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Pvt. Danny Chen at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Oct. 5, 2011. Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force Mortuary Service. FAIRBANKS — The court-martial of a second Fort Wainwright soldier accused in the death of a fellow soldier in Afghanistan last year is scheduled to begin Monday in Fort Bragg, N.C. The hearing for Specialist Ryan Offutt, assigned to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, is expected to run through Wednesday, according to a notice from the Army. Offutt is one of eight soldiers of the Stryker brigade charged in the death of Private Danny Chen. He and the eight soldiers were all assigned to the brigade’s 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. Chen, 19, fatally shot himself in a guardhouse October 3, about halfway through the brigade’s year-long deployment in Afghanistan. Chen was reportedly bullied and taunted by members of his unit leading up to his death. His family has said investigators told them Chen, of Chinese descent, was subjected to racial slurs and repeated hazing. Offutt faces a variety of charges, including “hazing and maltreating” Chen, thereby causing Chen “to take his own life with a firearm,” according to the charging document. One soldier was convicted last month. A military jury found Sergeant Adam Holcomb guilty of maltreatment of a subordinate and assault consummated by battery but acquitted him of a charge of negligent homicide. Jurors determined that Holcomb assaulted Chen by pulling him out of bed and across large rocks and that he mistreated Chen by calling him “Dragon Lady.” Holcomb was sentenced to 30 days in prison and demoted. He also lost a month’s pay. Courts-martial will be held for the other six soldiers. They face a multitude of charges, including negligent homicide, assault, maltreatment, reckless endangerment and other violations of military code. Not all of the soldiers face the same slate of charges. Contact the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner newsroom at 907-459-7572. |
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jon said on Monday, Aug 13 at 11:33 AM
this is terriable there sick I feel bad for him an the family. they are sick F##@$
99044425Cara said on Monday, Aug 13 at 12:48 PM
This is the same unit my husband is in. All I have to say is don't believe everything you read. There is A LOT more to this story that is being left out.
99049785Rhea said on Monday, Aug 13 at 1:35 PM
LEADERSHIP is the process of influencing others to accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction, and motivation. Command is the authority a person in the military service lawfully exercises over subordinates by virtue of his rank and assignment or position. The basic responsibilities of a leader are: Accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of the soldiers. The most fundamental and important organizational technique used by military is the chain of command. The chain of command is the sequence of commanders in an organization who have direct authority and primary responsibility for accomplishing the assigned unit mission while caring for personnel and property in their charge. @Cara, regardless who's telling the truth or what the story behind it. Any person don't have the right to do what they did to CHEN. NCO's need suppose to show LEADERSHIP to his fellow soldiers. What they did is WRONG.
99053111Bud said on Monday, Aug 13 at 3:10 PM
Jon is not a very bright person. He is being led by a media that has absolutely no knowledge yet the authority to write openly about things they know nothing about.
99060032Daniel said on Monday, Aug 13 at 5:27 PM
Your headline needs to be corrected. No Soldiers in the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based in Hawaii were involved in this unfortunate incident.
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