The Army is reportedly investigating allegations that a platoon of soldiers was given permission to use racial slurs against each other during “Racial Thursdays.”
The Army Times reports the soldiers belong to 2nd Platoon, C Company 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. The battalion belongs to the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
An anonymous soldier told the Army Times said when he first got to the unit the soldiers made it up because it “was a tradition.”
"It's degrading to the soldiers. We've had soldiers almost fight over the crap that's going on here," the solider, a staff sergeant, told the Army Times.
The solider, who is black, said there were no slurs directed toward him.
Lt. Col. Alan Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Alaska, said the army launched an investigation into the allegations last week.
"An informal complaint was made through command channels, and the commander has already assigned an investigating officer and the investigation is ongoing," Brown told the Army Times Wednesday. "The command is extremely sensitive to any allegations that involve equal opportunity or discrimination and will investigate every allegation."
The unit where “Racial Thursdays” allegedly took place is the same unit that Pvt. Danny Chen belonged to before committing suicide Oct. 3, 2011 while in Afghanistan
However, Brown told the Army Times there is “absolutely no connection” between the “Racial Thursdays” and Chen’s death.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
