An Aboriginal man says racists drove him to quit the Australian Army, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Thursday.
A photograph of soldiers dressed as members of the Ku Klux Klan led him to leave the military, the man said, adding that the photo was not an isolated incident.
The Defense Force is investigating allegations of racism in the Army after publication of the photo, taken four years ago, showing troops wearing white hoods standing behind Aboriginal soldiers.
The former trainee soldier who did not want to be identified says he faced racist taunts, and was put alone in a prison cell and told to wait for a bell to ring.
"So the bell went off and the door opened," he said. "They threw something in and then the door closed and when I looked down and saw what they threw in, it was a noose."
The family of a 19-year-old Aboriginal soldier says he hanged himself in 1999 after enduring months of racist abuse.
The Army says there has already been one inquiry into the photo incident, and that the latest probe, related to a 2003 complaint, is a review of the initial inquiry.
© Copyright 2004 by United Press International
