Chen, Danny

Danny Chen was born and raised in New York City's Chinatown. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 2011, shortly after graduating from high school. He was assigned as an infantryman to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

On October 3, 2011, Chen was on guard duty at Combat Outpost Palace in the Panjwai district of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Army, he was found in a guard tower with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Army later ruled his death a suicide.

Chen's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. He was deployed to southern Afghanistan, a region of intense insurgent activity, during a period of sustained combat operations.

Following his death, eight of Chen's fellow soldiers were charged in connection with his treatment prior to his death. In 2012, a military court found several of them guilty of maltreatment and assault, with sentences ranging from demotion to imprisonment. The case drew significant attention to issues of hazing and racial discrimination within the military.

Chen's death led to congressional hearings and advocacy by his family, which contributed to changes in the military's anti-hazing policies. The Danny Chen Law, passed as part of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, required the armed forces to track hazing incidents and report them to Congress.

Danny Chen was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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