Fort Wainwright-based soldier faces hearing today into suicide
AFGHANISTAN -- The Army says that one of the eight soldiers charged in the aftermath of Stryker soldier Pvt. Danny Chen's suicide will be brought before an Article 32 hearing today in Afghanistan to determine whether he should face a court-martial. Spc. Ryan J. Offutt, 32, of Greenville, Pa., is charged with negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, assault and other violations of the U.S. Military Code of Justice in Chen's death.
Chen, 19, committed suicide in a guard tower at a combat outpost Oct. 3. The Army has charged eight soldiers with hazing and harassing Chen because of his Asian ethnicity. Chen was from New York's Chinatown, where his death has galvanized concern about the treatment of Asians in the Army by fellow soldiers.
Chen and the others deployed to Afghanistan in April with C Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The 4,000 soldiers of the Stryker Brigade are based at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks.
An Article 32 hearing determines whether there is enough evidence to bring a member of the military to trial in a court-martial proceeding.
