Eight US Army soldiers serving in Afghanistan have been charged in the October 3 death of 19-year-old Army private Daniel Chen. Their intense hazing is blamed for what is believed to be the self-inflicted gunshot wound fixed as the immediate cause of Chen’s death in a guardhouse.

On Wednesday the Army announced charges against eight soldiers they say engaged in illegal hazing that pushed Chen to take his own life. Five were charged with involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide. Three were slapped with lesser charges including maltreatment, assault and threats.

“Whether suicide or homicide, those responsible for mistreating Danny are responsible for his death,” said Elizabeth OuYang who is representing his parents who immigrated from China and are living near New York City’s Chinatown.

Chen appears to have become a victim of intense hazing after being deployed to Afghanistan. The abuse Chen detailed in his diary includes being dragged across a floor, being pelted with stones and forced to hang upside down while holding a mouthful of water.

But long before his deployment, during training at Ft. Benning Chen recorded the ethnic taunts to which he was subjected by fellow soldiers. Chen was called by his Chinese surname in mocking Asian accents, repeatedly called “Jackie Chen” and was constantly asked if he were Chinese despite being a native New Yorker. An exasperated Chen wrote in his diary that he was running out of jokes with which to respond to such constant teasing.

The details of the hazing that appears to have driven Chen to suicide were pieced together from Facebook posts, email messages, conversations with cousins and a few pages of Chen’s journal released by the Army, OuYang revealed at a Chinatown news conference.

“We realize that Danny will never return, but it gives us some hope,” said Chen’s father Yen Tao Chen on news of the charges against the soldiers who had participated in the hazing of his son.

Chen was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

The soldiers charged were identified by the Army as 1st Lt. Daniel J. Schwartz, 25, of Maryland (no hometown was given); Staff Sgt. Blaine G. Dugas, 35, of Port Arthur, Texas; Staff Sgt. Andrew J. Van Bockel, 26, of Aberdeen, S.D.; Sgt. Adam M. Holcomb, 29, of Youngstown, Ohio; Sgt. Jeffrey T. Hurst, 26, of Brooklyn, Iowa; Spc. Thomas P. Curtis, 25, of Hendersonville, Tenn; Spc. Ryan J. Offutt, 32, of Greenville, Pa.; and Sgt. Travis F. Carden, 24, of Fowler, Ind.

The charges of involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide and assault and battery were pressed against VanBockel, Holcomb, Hurst, Curtis and Offutt. Under the military code of justice involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide carry prison sentences of up to 10 years and three years, respectively.

Dereliction of duty was the only charge pressed against Schwartz, the lone officer among the accused.

The charged soldiers have been relieved of their duties and confined to a different base, the military said. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled to determine if there is enough evidence for a court martial. The proceedings are expected to be held in Afghanistan.

Bullying is a recurring problem in the military. Asian American soldiers may be more vulnerable to such bullying in part because they remain a very small percentage of new recruits, unlike minorities like blacks and Hispanics who have become a disproportionately large proportion of military personnel.

On April 3, 2011 Marine Lance Corporal Harry Lew killed himself after suffering intense hazing from two fellow marines after he had fallen asleep on guard duty. His case received an unusual amount of publicity because he happens to be a nephew of Congresswoman Judy Chu. In October three marines were court martialed for hazing and other charges related to the abuse thought to have led to Lew’s suicide.

But hazing hasn’t been limited to soldiers of minority ethnicity.

In 2010 Pvt. Keiffer Wilhelm of Willard, Ohio killed himself 10 days after arriving in Iraq with a platoon based in Fort Bliss, Texas. He was bullied and forced to run for miles with rocks in his pockets, said his family.

Two sergeants were imprisoned for six months and three months, respectively, on charges of cruelty and maltreatment. The third was convicted of obstructing justice and given a one-grade reduction in pay.