Black National Guard soldier may reenter officer school after being forced to wear chain

WASHINGTON – A Black soldier forced to wear a chain as discipline will be able to reenter officer candidate school after the Maryland National Guard announced Wednesday it would not challenge the finding that Sgt. Bruce Weaver was discriminated against.

In a decision for the National Guard Bureau last month, Bernard Doyle found that Weaver had substantiated his claims of discrimination and harassment "based upon his race" when he was in officer candidate school in 2015. The bureau called the discipline "the most humiliating punishment imaginable" for a Black soldier. Doyle said Weaver should be offered the chance to complete the course or other means to compensate him and recommended that Maryland consider disciplinary action against officials responsible for the discrimination, according to a copy of the decision obtained by USA TODAY.

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