Congress presses for answers on hazing in military

Lawmaker’s nephew killed himself after alleged military hazing.

WASHINGTON — The plea for congressional hearings on the military’s efforts to prevent hazing was highly personal for one lawmaker.

Rep. Judy Chu’s nephew killed himself in Afghanistan last year after hours of beatings, repeated pushups and mouthfuls of sand. Three Marines allegedly punished 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Harry Lew after he was caught sleeping on duty.

Standing with her colleagues Thursday, the California congresswoman talked about her nephew and pressed for answers from the Pentagon on whether stopping hazing in the ranks is a top priority. She also listened as Lew’s mother, through an audio conference, read a brief statement.

“Harry’s death left a hole in our hearts,” said Sandy Lew.

The lawmakers sent a letter last week to the House Armed Services Committee seeking hearings. The Democrat also said she reached out to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

“This is a call for justice,” Chu said. “Too many patriotic young people, who only want to serve our country, are being harmed.”

The Capitol Hill news conference came just days after a judge in a special court-martial case in Hawaii ruled that one of the three Marines should spend 30 days in jail and have his rank reduced from lance corporal to private first class. The judge, Navy Capt. Carrie Stephens, said she found no evidence that Lance Cpl. Jacob Jacoby’s abuse of Lew led to his suicide.

Jacoby, who pleaded guilty to assault, acknowledged that he punched and kicked Lew out of anger and frustration that the Marine from Santa Clara, Calif., repeatedly fell asleep while on duty.

Chu called the ruling “a slap in the face.”

“Jacoby gets to advance his career in the military and Harry is dead,” she said.

The cases of Lew and Pvt. Danny Chen have called attention to hazing. Eight soldiers were charged in the death of 19year-old Chen, who shot himself on Oct. 3 after what investigators say were weeks of physical abuse, humiliation and racial slurs against the native New Yorker for Chinese descent.