THE death of Chinese-American soldier Danny Chen has prompted considerable debate about army culture and the problem of racial discrimination in the United States.

    The harassment of 19-year-old Danny Chen started in basic training — teasing about his name, repeated questions of whether he was from China, even though he was a born-and-raised New Yorker.

    He wrote in his journal that he was running out of jokes to respond with, U.S. media reported Sunday.

    It got worse in Afghanistan, military investigators told his family. They said the other men in his unit showered Chen, the only Chinese-American in his unit, with racial slurs and physical abuse in the weeks leading up to his suicide in October last year.

    At one point, when the soldiers were putting up a tent, Chen was forced to wear a construction hat and give instructions in Chinese, even though none of the other soldiers spoke the language, investigators told his parents.

    On Oct. 3, the teen was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a guardhouse.

    Eight soldiers have been charged in connection with his death.

    For some Asian-Americans who have served in the military, the racial prejudice aspect of Chen’s alleged mistreatment comes with little surprise based on what they’ve seen or experienced.

    Daniel Kim, a 39-year-old Korean-American who spent 12 years in the infantry before leaving in 2004, questioned the leadership in Chen’s unit. Among those implicated are a lieutenant and several non-commissioned officers.

    “Who else knew? Who else didn’t speak up?” asked Kim, who now lives in Queens.

    The Asian-American presence is small in the military, as in the U.S. population. The most recent data show 43,579 Asian-Americans on active duty in 2010, making up 3.7 percent of those enlisted.

    In January, the military said one soldier in Chen’s case should be court-martialed on charges including assault, negligent homicide, and reckless endangerment, but not for involuntary manslaughter.

    Last week, the army said two other soldiers should face court-martials. One is charged with dereliction of duty; the other is charged with violations including assault and maltreatment.

    Chen’s death was “a wake-up call” that issues remain, said Elizabeth Ouyang, a Chinese community activist who has been a spokeswoman for his parents, who don’t speak English.

    Chen’s situation sent “shockwaves through our community, that our effort to integrate, to contribute, to be part of America, is so undercut by the treatment that Danny received,” Ouyang said.

    She said Chen’s parents are determined to find justice.

    “I’ve seen them slowly go from grieving to anger to wanting justice for their son,” she said.(SD-Agencies)