My dad served as an Air Force sergeant after the Korean War. He was often candid about his experiences while in the military, but he never talked about hazing. Perhaps it happened, perhaps not. I grew up during the latter part of the Vietnam War when support for the military was at an all-time low. I confess I still don’t know why we as a country get into the wars we’ve been involved in throughout much of my life. I do know it’s difficult to draw young people into a military life and to convince them to risk their lives in the name of our country.

It baffles and saddens me to read about the hazing of 19-year-old Pvt. Danny Chen that led to his suicide on October 3, 2011. His superior, Sgt. Adam Holcomb, one of the men responsible for making Chen’s life a living hell, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, received a demotion to specialist, and must pay a fine of $1,181.55. Had this ‘hazing’ occurred outside of the military, it surely would have been deemed a hate crime.

More than a year ago, Chen was singled out by eight of his superiors for falling asleep on guard duty. He later became the target of racial name calling and physical abuse. They considered him a weak soldier, and during six weeks in Afghanistan, they dragged him on his back until he bled, forced him to crawl on gravel while they pelted him with rocks to simulate artillery fire, and called him "gook," "chink," "dragon lady," and other names.

According to a New York magazine story about Chen, his mother, a Chinese immigrant who didn’t speak English, didn’t want him to serve. She wanted him to go to college to find a good-paying career. When the military called to tell her that her son had shot himself in the head after weeks of torment, she didn’t understand until it was translated to her over the phone.

Pvt. Chen wanted to serve his country despite fears his parents might disown him for going against their wishes. New York quoted a journal entry by Chen that said he was "excited as heck" when he left for basic training. Nine months later, he took his own life. An officer and seven enlisted men have been charged in connection with his death. Justice for Pvt. Chen does not seem likely given the "slap on the wrist" punishment his sergeant received.

Pvt. Chen’s experience isn’t an isolated case of hazing targeted at Asian Americans in the military. In an opinion column for The New York Times, U.S. representative Judy Chu revealed that her 21-year-old nephew met a similar fate in the spring of 2011. On April 3, 2011, Cpl. Harry Lew also fell asleep on duty. His sergeant thought he should be "corrected" by his peers, so he urged them to punch and kick him. According to Chu, they emptied a sandbag on his face and in his nose and mouth, choking him. Lew killed himself with his own gun 22 minutes later. Representative Chu said one of the perpetrators received one month in jail and the others were found not guilty.

For an institution that takes pride in its organization and discipline, it makes little sense to condone this type of violence and maltreatment of its soldiers. Certainly falling asleep during guard duty isn’t an act that should go unpunished, especially in a warzone. But shouldn’t the punishment reflect military protocols of discipline and order? It’s difficult to justify why Asian Americans should enter military service if they are singled out for hazing that is, in reality, racial bullying of fellow soldiers.

I know too well the effects of racial bullying. My brother endured it growing up in rural Oregon. Because he was Asian, he was taunted, called names, and physically abused from third grade through high school. My father didn’t know how to deal with it. Perhaps it was his military training that urged him to tell my brother to "just fight back and let the bullies have it." But my brother was sensitive. He wasn’t a fighter and he withdrew into himself. He has yet to recover from the trauma of his childhood.

Pvt. Chen endured the abuse for six weeks, then he ended his nightmare. The tormentor’s light punishment has drawn outrage from Asian Americans and it reflects poorly on an integrated military.

Hazing is a disservice to the soldiers who serve with honor and courage. If people of color are to serve in the military, there must be more accountability and a stricter policy for this type of behavior.

Representative Chu has introduced a bill named in honor of her deceased nephew. It is called the Harry Lew Military Hazing Accountability and Prevention Act and it would make military hazing a crime. To learn more about the bill, visit <www.chu.house.gov>.