Asian-American communities to petition Pentagon for justice

Members of New York’s Asian-American communities plan to go to the Pentagon on Wednesday to press for details over the death of Chinese-American soldier Danny Chen. They have strongly urged the US military to launch a thorough investigation into the incident.

Army Private Danny Chen, deployed to southern Afghanistan in August with the 25th Infantry Division, was found dead on Oct. 3rd 2011 in a guard tower from "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."

It was the second such incident in the past year, following the suicide of another Chinese-American soldier Harry Lew, who killed himself in April in Afghanistan. Investigators found that Lew was subjected to brutal hazing by his fellow soldiers, three of whom were ordered court-martialed in October.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey has since emphasized a "zero tolerance" policy for bullying in the armed forces after charges against eight soldiers in connection with the death of Danny Chen.