Eight U.S. Troops Charged Over Soldier's Apparent Suicide In Afghanistan

In a letter to his family who live in New York, Chen wrote about being taunted about his ethnicity.

"People crack jokes about Chinese people all the time. I'm running out of jokes to come back at them," one of the letters read.

The eight soldiers charged were named as 1st Lieutenant Daniel J. Schwartz, Staff Sergeant Blaine G. Dugas, Staff Sergeant Andrew J. Van Bockel, Sergeant Adam M. Holcomb, Sergeant Jeffrey T. Hurst, Specialist Thomas P. Curtis, Specialist Ryan J. Offutt and Sergeant Travis F. Carden.

Five of the men ? Offutt, Curtis, Hurst, Holcomb and Van Bockel ? each face a list of charges, the most serious of which include negligent homicide, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and multiple counts of maltreatment.

Dugas is charged violation of a general direction, dereliction of duty and of making a false statement. Carden is accused of maltreatment, assault and violation of a general regulation.

The most senior of the eight, Schwartz, faces eight counts of dereliction of duty. All charges have been laid under articles outlined in the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice.

In April the Asian American soldier Harry Lew fatally shot himself after he was subjected to hazing by fellow Marines after repeatedly falling asleep while on guard duty. Three of Lew's colleagues have been court martialed over incidents leading up to the death in Helmand province.

Meanwhile, in the southeast Afghan province of Ghazni on Wednesday, five Polish soldiers were killed after their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. It was the worst single incident the 2,500-strong Polish contingent has suffered since the war started.

Intellpuke: You can read this article by Guardian correspondent Jeremy Kelly, reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan, in context here: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/21/us-troops-charged-suicide-afghanistan

Source: http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Eight-US-Troops-Charged-Over-Soldiers-Apparent-Suicide-In-Afghanistan-33172.html

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