[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H4483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MILITARY HAZING FOR FY 2015 NDAA
(Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago, my nephew, Lance Corporal Marine
Harry Lew, was a victim of military hazing while stationed in
Afghanistan. After 3\1/2\ hours of a brutal beating and torment by
fellow soldiers, he took his own life. Since then, I have dedicated
myself to ensuring that the Department of Defense addresses hazing
within its ranks.
Because of my bill, the Harry Lew Military Hazing Accountability Act,
the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, required each
military branch to submit a report to Congress on what they are doing
to address hazing.
The reports were inconsistent. We learned that most branches don't
track allegations and incidents of hazing and that substandard tracking
results in unreliable data.
That is why I urge support for my amendment to this year's NDAA. It
requires the Government Accountability Office to provide Congress with
a much more thorough and, most importantly, independent report.
We must protect the young people that we send off to war from abuse
by their own soldiers.
____________________