Marine suicide tied to hazing in Afghanistan - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Marine suicide tied to hazing in Afghanistan

One Marine faces court-martial and another faces non-judicial punishment for allegedly hazing a lance corporal who then killed himself in Afghanistan, according to a military investigation report obtained by Marine Corps Times.

Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, 21, killed himself with a two- or three-round burst from an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon early April 3, according to a Marine Corps investigation. He was hazed that night by two other lance corporals in 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, who were angry he had fallen asleep several times while manning a guard post, the report said.

“May hate me now, but in the long run this was the right choice I’m sorry my mom deserves the truth,” a message found on Lew’s arm said.

The report outlines an incident at Patrol Base Gowragi, in Nawa district, that escalated over several hours. It began with Lew not responding to calls on his radio about 11:15 p.m. on April 2. A sergeant found him sleeping in a fighting hole, and told other lance corporals that “peers should correct peers,” without providing specific instruction, the report said.

Two other lance corporals, whose names are redacted from the report, pulled Lew from the fighting hole by his helmet at about 11:30 p.m. and berated him for falling asleep, the report said. Over the next four hours, they berated him repeatedly and ordered him to do pushups, crunches and other exercises while he was wearing his body armor, according to the investigation. One of the Marines stomped on his leg repeatedly when he “failed to do an exercise properly,” the report said.

Eventually, one of the Marines assaulted Lew again at about 3:05 a.m., according to the investigation. The lance corporal kicked dirt on Lew, kicked him and punched him before being stopped by another Marine, the report said.

Lew killed himself while alone in the fighting hole within the hour.

“At 0343 on 3 April 2011, while crouching down in the fighting position he had just dug, LCpl Lew leaned over his M249 Squad Automatic Weapon as it pointed to the sky, placed the muzzle in his mouth, pulled the trigger, and intentionally killed himself,” the report said.

The battalion returned from its deployment in June.

One of the two lance corporals was expected to receive an NJP from his battalion for assault, the report said. The other Marine was expected to face court-martial on a charge of cruelty and maltreatment, article 93 in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Their actions were the catalyst for Lew committing suicide, the report said.

A Marine spokesman in Hawaii said it would be inappropriate to provide additional information about the incident, citing “pending legal proceedings resulting from the investigation.”

“The Marine Corps prides itself on holding its members to the highest levels of accountability,” said the spokesman, Lt. Col. Curtis Hill. “We have investigated this incident and are using well-established processes under the UCMJ to determine responsibility and ensure accountability.”