Letter: Bullying disgraces military

I was astounded and disturbed to read that one of our proud soldiers, Pvt. Danny Chen, who volunteered his life for his country and fellow servicemen, was so physically and mentally abused by his comrades that it ultimately brought him to suicide ["Family: He suffered daily," News, Jan. 6].

What an absolute disgrace his abusers are to the U.S. armed forces and to all Americans who take such deep pride in our military and country. How could a place where loyalty and ethics are so highly regarded have such an indignity and tragedy occur?

Quite simply, it proves that bullying and torment can happen to any person, at any age or even in any place -- and how terribly severe and devastating the results can be. These cowards can hardly be called men, never mind soldiers, who are to be held to the highest standards of courage and camaraderie. Isn't the war in Afghanistan hard enough without our soldiers turning against one of their own? And for something America prides itself on respecting -- an individual's culture and ethnicity.

This was a bad lot of people, and the military needs to do a better job screening potential soldiers. It should start strictly enforcing rules against bullying and hazing.

I hope this poor soldier did not take his own life in vain, and that his very sad story will bring this extremely serious topic into the spotlight to save the lives of other victims of abuse.

Carolyn Mandelino, Massapequa