Will there be justice this coming Monday?

Danny Chen was American by birth AND by choice. He defied his 
parents' objection to join the Army. But he was RACIALLY & physically brutalized to committing suicide by 8 of his fellow soldiers who were his superiors.

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o  First trial:  Sgt. Holcomb got one month in jail, $1,155 in fines & reduction by 1 rank. What a travesty of justice!
o  2nd trial:  Spc. Offutt got 6 months in jail, reduction by 3 ranks to E1, and a "bad conduct discharge."
o  3rd trial:  Staff Sgt. Dugas got a demotion by one rank & 3 months in jail but actually he does NOT need to spend a day in jail through a weird charade in military justice. An insult to ALL Asian Ams, and a great dis-service to America!
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   Will there be JUSTICE this time?  
Spc. Thomas Curtis IV will be on trial* from this coming Monday to Wed. in Fort Bragg.

   Here is what Spc. Curtis did to Danny Chen, according to our government's "Charge Sheet," which led to Danny Chen's suicide.

   "wrongfully addressing private (E-2) Danny Chen using racially disparaging terms "dragon lady," "Jackie Chen," "chink," "gook," "fortune Cookie," "slants," "egg roll," and "zipper head" or words to that effect."

   "did maltreat Private (E2) Danny Chen, a person subject to his orders, by ordering Private Chen to place his back against a wall and bend his knees in a ninety (90) degree angle to simulate sitting in a chair while Spc. Curtis struck Chen in the thigh with his knee."

   "did maltreat Chen, a person subject to his orders, by throwing rocks at Chen."

   "did maltreat Chen . . . by kicking Chen on the side of his torso. "

   "did maltreat Chen . . . by grabbing Chen by the plate carrier vest and helmet worn by Chen and dragging him across the ground."

   "did, . . unlawfully kill Private Chen, by hazing and maltreating Chen and, through this conduct, negligently caused Chen to take his own live with a firearm, . . ."

   "did, wrongfully and wantonly engaged in conduct, to wit: he hazed and maltreated Chen, conduct likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm to Chen, . . ."

   Will there be justice? Will there be "A Few Good Men/Women" in America's military justice system?

   As a former politician, I have thick skin. However, in this case I feel personally insulted.   Do YOU?   You decide if your offspring's destiny is somewhat tied to this case!!!

SB, a volunteer
President, 80-20 National Asian Am. Educational Foundation, Inc.
[The above is "Notes on Fort Bragg trials (VI)"]

* Judge: Col. Tara Osborn
Prosecution: Maj. Joshua M. Toman, Capt. Blake Doughty
Defense: Capt. Virginia Tinsley, Capt. Louis Scapicchio

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    during Spc. Offutt's trial on Aug. 13)
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Such INJUSTICE In Our Military JUSTICE System

Danny Chen was American by birth AND by choice. He defied his 
parents' objection to join the Army. But he was RACIALLY brutalized 
to committing suicide by 8 of his fellow American soldiers who were his superiors.

[A] INJUSTICE ONE

   On 7/25/2012, Sgt. Adam Holcomb was convicted by a jury of peers of maltreatment of a subordinate and assault consummated by battery. Maj. Bret Batdorff, the presiding judge, sentenced Holcomb to 30 days in prison, a demotion and a fine of $1,160.

   See how Sgt. Holcomb abused Danny Chen, who committed suicide! Below are quotes from the government's "Charge Sheet" & trial testimony:

o  "addressing . . Danny Chen using racially disparaging terms including "Dragon Lady" or words to that effect." "Holcomb uttered some slurs over the radio, where they were heard by the entire platoon, adding to Chen's humiliation." - court testimony, LA Times.
o  "negligently failed to prevent Specialist Ryan J. Offutt and Specialist Thomas P. Curtis from addressing Private (E-2) Danny Chen using racially disparaging terms including "dragon lady," "Jackie Chen," "chink," "gook," "fortune cookie," "slants," "egg roll," and "zipper head," or words to that effect as it was his duty to do."
o  "by grabbing Private (E-2) Danny Chen by his wrist, pulling him out of his bed, & dragging him over the tent floor and a gravel path." The dragging "bloodied Danny Chen's back." - court testimony, NY Times.

o   Military laws: "Wrongful abuse of a public animal," will result in a max of 3 months in jail or 3 months' pay cut. Visit 
 http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/mcm/bl134-1.htm .

[B] INJUSTICE TWO

o   Staff Sgt. Blaine Dugas was convicted of dereliction of duty in the hazing-related suicide of Pvt. Danny Chen. That is for letting his Sgts. and Spcs. racially and physically abuse Chen to death.
o   Col. James E. Hardin sentenced Dugas to 3 months in jail and demotion by one rank. Fair? NO!

o   Dugas does NOT need to spend a day in jail, because Col. Hardin considered limitations placed on Dugas during the investigation period sufficient punishment to be equivalent to having served 3 months in jail. Does the colonel have any empathy for Danny Chen, his family and millions of Asian Americans who are trying to decide if we rank higher than "public animals" in the eyes of the military "justice" system? The military tries to make it sound like Dugas was actually in jail. He was not! In contract, Spc. Offutt was given 7 days of reprieve only for the same limitations during the investigation period.

   Staff Sgt. Dugas will NOT spend a single day in jail. Outrageous injustice!

   When soldiers who are guilty of abusing a follow soldier to death are NOT punished, no amount of training program will be effective. Does our government care for effective Armed Services any more?

   How can we achieve justice? When YOU personally Wake UP/speak UP/stand UP by either giving time or money or both. You do NOT need to donate time/dollar to us. OCA -NY is also fighting for this issue. You must make a personal commitment to achieve justice.

   Donations to 80-20 EF are tax deductible. Click on http://www.80-20educationalfoundation.org/donate/donate.asp .

S. B. Woo, a volunteer
President, 80-20 National Asian American Educational Foundation, Inc.

PS: Post your comments at: http://www.80-20educationalfoundation.org/politicaledu/posterboard.asp .

Is an Asian Am less than a dog?

Danny Chen was American by birth AND by choice. He defied his 
parents' objection to join the Army. But he was RACIALLY brutalized 
to committing suicide by 8 of his fellow American soldiers who were his superiors. You will soon see why I asked: "Is an Asian Am less than a dog?"

   Will there be Justice? 3 of the 8 culprits have been tried.

o  First trial:  Sgt. Holcomb got one month in jail, about $1,100 in fines & reduction by 1 rank. What a travesty of justice*!
o  2nd trial:  Spc. Offutt got 6 months in jail, reduction by 3 ranks to E1, and a "bad conduct discharge."
o  3rd trial:  Staff Sgt. Dugas, who unlike Holcomb & Offutt who have racially and physically abused Danny Chen, got 3 months & a demotion by one rank because he didn't stop the abuse.

   The NEXT TRIAL WILL TELL if there will be JUSTICE. Spc. Thomas Curtis IV will be tried in 7 days, from Aug. 27 to 31.

   According to our government's "Charge Sheet," Curtis had in those 6 weeks, from the day of Danny's arrival at the outpost to the time of his suicide,

   "wrongfully addressing private (E-2) Danny Chen using racially disparaging terms "dragon lady," "Jackie Chen," "chink," "gook," "fortune Cookie," "slants," "egg roll," and "zipper head" or words to that effect."

   "did maltreat Private (E2) Danny Chen, a person subject to his orders, by ordering Private Chen to place his back against a wall and bend his knees in a ninety (90) degree angle to simulate sitting in a chair while Spc. Curtis struck Chen in the thigh with his knee."

   "did maltreat Chen, a person subject to his orders, by throwing rocks at Chen. "

   "did maltreat Chen . . . by kicking Chen on the side of his torso. "

   "did maltreat Chen . . . by grabbing Chen by the plate carrier vest and helmet worn by Chen and dragging him across the ground."

   "did, . . unlawfully kill Private Chen, by hazing and maltreating Chen and, through this conduct, negligently caused Chen to take his own live with a firearm, . . ."

   "did, wrongfully and wantonly engaged in conduct, to wit: he hazed and maltreated Chen, conduct likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm to Chen, . . ."

   If a dog is treated that way by Spc. Curtis -- kicking the dog's torso, throwing rocks at it, kicking the dog's thigh with his knee and grabbing the dog by its collar across the ground -- the National Humane Society, NHS, will be up in arms.

   When NHS finds out that many dogs are treated that way in the Army, it will start a demonstration outside the Pentagon. National TV, the NY Times, Washington Post and LA Times will prominently report the news. Decent Americans will be calling their Congressmen to complain "How terrible!" Spc. Curtis will be kicked out of the Army for bad conduct. A top Army general will apologize & promise that it shall never happen again.

   But when an Asian Am patriot is treated that way to the point of committing suicide, do we hear from national human rights organizations?

   Silence! Just a terrifying silence!

SB, a volunteer
President, 80-20 National Asian Am. Educational Foundation, Inc.
[The above is "Notes on Fort Bragg trials (IV)"]

    *US military Law: "wrongful abuse of a public animal" carries max of 3 months in jail or 3 months' pay cut. To verify, visit http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/mcm/bl134-1.htm Maj. Bret Batdorff sentenced Sgt Adam Holcomb, who is convicted of "maltreatment of a subordinate & assault consummated by battery", to one month in jail. In Maj. Bret Batdorff's mind, is Danny Chen less than a dog?

   Wake UP/speak UP/stand UP, Fellow Asian Ams!
Forward this.  Mobilize!  Look for our "Call To action", if JUSTICE fails.

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PS (1) Post your comments at:
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Notes on Fort Bragg trials - racism v. justice in Danny's death (III)

    Notes on Fort Bragg trials - racism v. justice in Danny's death (III)

Danny Chen was American by birth AND by choice. He defied his 
parents' objection to join the Army. But he was RACIALLY brutalized 
to committing suicide by 8 of his fellow American soldiers who were his 
superiors. The first culprit, who racially & physically abused Danny, got a slap on the wrist. Outrageous!

To reverse that terrible setback to justice, S. B. Woo* and Diana Ting flew to Fort Bragg to attend the second trial. The second culprit got 6 months in
jail, discharge from the Army and a reduction by 3 ranks to E-1. Justice achieved? Too soon to conclude! There are 6 more trials to go; all existing sentences are subject to appeals and the final decision by the Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Do your share to mobilize our community. Pray for Justice but expect the worse. Woo & Ting have returned to their respective homes.

   Staff Sgt. Blaine Dugas, Jr. is on trial today. He is charged with wrongfully consuming alcohol and permitting his subordinates, who are sergeants and specialists, to racially and physically abuse Private Danny Chen to the point of committing suicide. He also lied. He denied that other non-commissioned officers reported to him that Danny Chen was being being abused.

   Dugas has pleaded guilty to drinking and has hired a civilian lawyer to defend him together with a government defender who is a major. The prosecution team will again be headed by Maj. Joshua Toman & assisted by Capts. Sasha Rutizer and Stewart Hyderkhan. Maj. Toman also headed the prosecution team in the 2nd trial. He was the only one in the second trial who seemed to recognize that Private Danny Chen was a human being, not a worm nor a piece of court evidence in the trial. Col. James E. Hardin will be the new judge.

   Pray and work for JUSTICE.  TOGETHER, we shall overcome.

SB, a volunteer

   *Lt. Governor of DE (1985 to 89) & President of National Asian Am. Educational Foundation, Inc. Ting is Woo's Special Assistant.

Notes from Fort Bragg -- racism v. justice in Danny Chen's death (II)

         Notes from Fort Bragg -- racism v. justice in Danny Chen's death (II)

Danny Chen was American by birth AND by choice. He defied his 
parents' objection to join the Army. But he was RACIALLY brutalized 
to committing suicide by his fellow American soldiers who were his 
superiors. The first culprit got a slap on the wrist. Outrageous! S. B. Woo* and Diana Ting were staying at Fort Bragg, attending the second trial. They are reporting to you here. Will they be seeing justice or racism or something in between?

   Together, we took a stand. Together, we made progress! Together, we RECOVERED from a 100 to  10 beating in Sergeant Holcomb's trial.
   Justice achieved? No! Just a beginning!
o  6 more trials to go
o  the sentence for Offutt can be reduced upon appeal  
o  the final sentencing for Holcomb, the guy who got a slap on the wrist, is still in the hands of Lt. General Daniel B. Allyn of the XVIII Airborne Corps.
   On 8/13/12, my birthday, Specialist Ryan Offutt was sentenced to
1.   6 months in jail, and
2.   Reduction in rank from specialist (E-4) to Private (E-1). (Economic implication: Offutt's pay while in jail will be that of an E-1)
3.   Bad Conduct Discharge (considered a relative severe punishment, because it is a career-ending punishment for a professional soldier. It has many economic implications including no veterans benefits after the discharge.)
   In comparison, Sergeant Adam Holcomb, who is perhaps the most guilty, received only:
1.  1 month in jail
2.   Reduction by 1 rank, and
3.   fined $1181.55.      He was NOT even kicked out of the Army.
   There are aspects of "Justice for Danny Chen" that are NOT even touched by the military justice. Read the following carefully. New York Times reported, "Private Chen also revealed that he had witnessed noncommissioned officers shooting unarmed civilians, Private Johnson testified. The claim has apparently been scrutinized by military investigators. Neither the prosecution nor the defense asked follow-up questions about this revelation, suggesting that the court had imposed limits on its admissibility."
   If you still don't understand the significance of the above, PLEASE go view the movie "A Few Good Men," starring Tom Cruise & Demi Moore. You'll begin to know something about the military justice system.
   Finally, the tactics used in the trial were disconcerting.  While the defense called upon five witnesses to build up the human elements of Specialist Offutt, with the intention to lessen the punishment, the prosecution emphasized how Danny Chen suffered excessive & abusive punishment without real military purpose.  However, there was no counter to the defense's claims that Offutt had a life to lead — Private Danny Chen, another human being, wasn't even allowed to begin his life due to the actions of his superiors.
   Danny was like a prop, ignoring the human element haunting the entire trial. Finally, we salute Major Joshua M. Toman, a good man who is also the leader in the Prosecution team, for his excellent summary statement pointing out how dehumanizing Offutt's abuse of Danny Chen was.
   Diana and I will go home now. "Notes from Fort Bragg" will continue, but no longer be daily.   Staff Sgt. Blaine Dugas' trial will be next, beginning this coming Thursday.    Pray and work for JUSTICE.
SB, a volunteer, reporting to you from the Charlotte airport

   *Lt. Governor of DE (1985 to 89) & President of National Asian Am. Educational Foundation, Inc. Ting is Woo's Special Assistant.

Notes from Fort Bragg -- racism v. justice in Danny Chen's death (I)

         Notes from Fort Bragg -- racism v. justice in Danny Chen's death (I) 

Danny Chen was American by birth AND by choice. He defied his 
parents' objection to join the Army. But he was RACIALLY brutalized 
to committing suicide by his fellow American soldiers who were his 
superiors. The first culprit got a slap on the wrist. Outrageous! S. B. Woo* and Diana Ting will be going to Fort Bragg, attending the second trial. They'll report to you daily. Will they be seeing justice or racism or something in between?

   Woo* & Ting* will be at Fort Bragg (FB) for the duration of the trial for 5 days.

   We heard from many supporters from all components of our Community, including Japanese- & Vietnamese- Am community. Go see what they have to say, click on http://80-20nj.info/cgi/dm/8/bb/b85.

   One supporter by the first name of Priscilla emailed, " You are very brave and I'm praying for your courage." To which SB replied, " 'There is nothing to fear except fear itself.' - Franklin D Roosevelt "

   Our morale was boosted. An email from Charles Zhang of Michigan, who has donated more than 30,000 to 80-20, stated, "My son Mitchell (a high school student) said if you needed, he would fly over to attend the trial with you and help Diana . . . . My wife Lynn can come over with him. I have a big client event I have to attend on the 14th, after which I can join you guys." They are role models. We need that spirit.

   More people from Fort Bragg area are volunteering to attend the trial to support.

   To get into the Court: Any citizen with a state-issued photo I.D. e.g a driver's license. When: Any time when you arrive.

   Are Danny Chen & Harry Lew's suicides isolated event? No! It seems widespread. See following messages. Their names & e-addresses are withheld by Woo.
     (1) "I served in 2 Combat theaters in 1965 and had PTSD. But my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was not from Santo Domingo or Vietnam. It was from discrimination and harassment by my First Sergeant in the 73rd Transport Co, US Army Fort Eustis, Virginia. This was due to my being Asian American, an ABC, . . . "
     (2) "As an AsAm who served in U.S. Marine Corps, I witnessed a lot of racial discriminations against Asians. . . . a Staff Sgt. on stage was asking fellow Marines to "tell a Chinese joke." . . . the most derogatory, dehumanizing racist, sexist joke was told on the stage, while several hundreds of Marine in the audiences just laughed. None of the high rank officers on the scene stepped up to stop this kind of racial harassment. One of my buddy (Caucasian) next me said "You should say something." I regret not standing up and shouting back . . . They should at the minimum be expelled from the Army and sentenced to 2nd degree manslaughter. Shame on . . . "

   Wish us luck. Pray for justice! Talk to you tomorrow.

SB and Diana

   *Lt. Governor of DE (1985 to 89) & President of National Asian Am. Educational Foundation, Inc. Ting is Woo's Special Assistant.

Woo will attend Fort Bragg Trial; OCA-NY holds Rally

   S. B. Woo will be attending the next trial in Fort Bragg, NC relating to Danny Chen's suicide owing to racial hazing. Spc. Ryan Offutt will be tried* from Aug. 13 to 17. Woo'll be assisted by Diana Ting. They will write their reports to you daily. Look out for these e-newsletters.

   Those who live nearby Fort Bragg are urged to show up at the Fort Bragg Court House. Demonstrate your concern, before it's too late. You owe it to yourself and your children. Whichever ethnic component of the AsAm community you belong to, SHOW UP! Remember that Vincent Chin, a Chinese Am., was killed by people who took him to be a Japanese?

   One day when your grandchild asks, "Grand Pa, you live so close to Fort Bragg. When the famous Fort Bragg trials was going on, did you symbolically show your concern by appearing at the trial once? Yes? Thank you!"

   What could have caused such a shockingly lenient sentence on the 
culprit, who racially brutalized Danny Chen, in the first trial? 

Does anyone think that Sergeant Holcomb deserves to stay in the Army?

   A military jury and the presiding judge heard an African Am soldier's testimony: he too was abused by Sgt. Holcomb. That soldier also thought about committing suicide due to hazing.

   "He told me he would kill me, put me in a body bag and send me home," testified Pvt. Marcus Merritt, adding that Holcomb used a racial slur against him." Read it for yourself. Click on http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-07-25/news/32853052_1_danny-chen-holcomb-military-jury

   Sergeant Holcomb admitted in court that he was "suffering from symptoms that resembled post-traumatic stress disorder after three deployments to war zones." He said he had not had a brain scan, but added, "I know there's issues up there." Click on http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/nyregion/army-jury-acquits-sergeant-of-driving-pvt-danny-chen-to-suicide-in-afghanistan.html

   Why was Holcomb permitted to stay in the Army? Was it 
outright racism in the US Army? Was the defense exceptionally capable? Was the presiding judge fair??????????

  For the next rial, stay tuned to Woo's daily report!

Fellow Asian Ams:
   Vincent Chin II is unfolding right before OUR eyes. Speak up and forward this email to your friends. Mobilize our community. Sense the urgency, perhaps the danger!

   If you live near NY, join an OCA-NY Rally for Justice for Danny Chen: 

Date & Time:   Saturday August 11, 2012    2pm 
Place:    Columbus Park, Bayard and Mulberry Sts., Lower Manhattan

Sincerely,

S. B. Woo, a volunteer
President, 80-20 National Asian Am Educationa 562b l Foundation, Inc.

*At Offutt's trial, the Chief Trial Judge will be COL Michael Hargis, 

Prosecution:   MAJ Joshua M. Toman,    CPT Blake Doughty 

Defense:   CPT Matt Jones,    CPT Randy Johnson

Forward tis e-newsletter to your friends! Post your comments at

 http://www.80-20educationalfoundation.org/politicaledu/posterboard.asp .