On Wednesday, eight American soldiers were charged in connection with the death of Pvt. Danny Chen. Chen’s body was found lying in a guard tower on an American outpost in Kandahar province in October. The 19-year-old soldier died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. This case echoes the suicide of 21-year-old Lance Corporal Harry Lew in April, another Asian-American who reportedly shot himself while serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. Known as a “minority minority,” discrimination against Asian-Americans is frequently goes unreported by victims and the media. Lieutenant Dan Choi is a former Army lieutenant and combat veteran of the Iraq War who best known to the public for being kicked out of the military under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Kwong Eng is a racial justice activist and board member of the New York Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans. They discuss the unspoken racism Asian-Americans face in the U.S. Army.
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!