Jury soon to determine if superior had role in Pvt. Danny Chen's suicide
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Was Pvt. Danny Chen a young soldier pushed to the brink by racial taunts and physical abuse?
Or was he simply overwhelmed by life in a war zone and crushed by family issues?
The only thing certain is that Chen, 19, of New York, took his own life Oct. 3 in Afghanistan.
But a Fort Bragg jury may soon decide whether one of Chen's superiors had a role in his suicide.
Sgt. Adam Holcomb, 30, of Youngstown, Ohio, would face up to 13 years, six months in prison if convicted of charges that include negligent homicide, abuse and maltreatment of a subordinate, among others.
His court-martial on Fort Bragg will begin its sixth — and potentially last — day today.
In testimony last week, much of the focus was laid on Chen's performance in Afghanistan.
A young soldier fresh out of basic training, officials and soldiers have repeatedly testified that Chen was unprepared physically and mentally for combat.
Witnesses called by Holcomb's lawyers have maintained that any punishment Chen had to endure was meant as corrective training and that it had his and his unit's best interests in mind.
But prosecutors have alleged that Holcomb and others targeted Chen because of his Chinese heritage and that Chen was often punished — "smoked" in Army terms — needlessly.
Chen shot himself with his rifle in a guard tower of Combat Outpost Palace in southwest Kandahar province, Afghanistan.
Had he waited just a day or two, Chen may have found himself transferred away from the small base and his alleged tormentors, officials have testified.
In addition to Chen's performance, Holcomb's lawyers have attacked Chen's family, saying that they had disowned their only son, and questioned the techniques of Army investigators.
But little has been said about Holcomb in general.
Holcomb is married with three children, according to a forensic psychologist who testified for the defense.
He's also a hero, according to Sgt. Davin Dumar, who testified Thursday.
Dumar, who is missing his left leg and has other signs of war injuries, said Holcomb saved his life during the deployment last year.
Dumar said he stepped on an improvised explosive device during a patrol outside Combat Outpost Palace. The fellow sergeant said it was Holcomb who took charge and cleared an open field so a helicopter could land and carry him to safety.
"When I hit the ground, he was the first (non-commissioned officer) to respond," Dumar said.
"There was no cover. He was being fired upon," Dumar added. "Holcomb risked his life to save me."
Others have also testified that Holcomb was an experienced soldier who was eager to go on patrols, despite being hampered by a back injury for much of the deployment.
But others have said Holcomb was a racist. They said he called Chen "Dragon Lady" and used other racially tinged names for other minority soldiers.
Holcomb's lawyers contend the nicknames were never meant to be derogatory and said they are common among infantry units.
Holcomb is the first of eight Fort Wainwright, Alaska soldiers charged in connection with Chen's death.
All but one of the trials are being held on Fort Bragg, and this first court-martial has attracted an influx of media attention not seen on the military installation in recent years.
Newspapers and television outlets from China, New York and elsewhere have descended on Fort Bragg for the trial, with well over a dozen media members attending the proceedings.
Holcomb is accused of negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, communicating a threat, assault, dereliction of duty, two specifications of maltreatment of a subordinate and two specifications of violating a lawful general regulation.
Two other counts of violating a lawful general regulation were dismissed on Saturday.
Those counts specifically dealt with Holcomb's alleged use of the term "Dragon Lady" to describe Chen and the use of a variation of the n-word to describe an African-American soldier.
The judge dismissed those counts for technical reasons but said the use of those terms can still be considered when looking at other charges, such as maltreatment.
To be convicted, two-thirds, or seven members, of the 10-person jury will have to agree.
Drew Brooks can be reached at brooksd@fayobserver.com.
