HONOLULU-- In the chilly pre-dawn hours of April 3 in Afghanistan, Marine Lance Cpl. Harry Lew crouched down in the foxhole he'd been ordered to dig for disciplinary reasons -- he'd repeatedly fallen asleep on guard duty -- placed the muzzle of his gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
Three Marines -- Lew's squad leader, a sergeant, and two of his fellow lance corporals -- have been charged with wrongfully humiliating and demeaning Lew. The two lance corporals have also been charged with assault, and one was charged with cruelty and maltreatment.
The commander of the Hawaii-based 3rd Marine Regiment is due to determine whether they three Marines should be tried after he reviews the recommendations of the officer who presided over a hearing on the charges.