America250: Army Veteran Hugh Thompson Jr. - VA News

I wish he'd come across that sooner, he would have saved more lives and saved the Army a much bigger Black Eye.

After Thompson reported the incident up the chain of command and testified against the murderers at My Lai, he was criticized and ostracized for his integrity and courage. After that, a Brigade Commander concluded "... that Thompson’s report was false. Thompson found himself assigned to increasingly dangerous missions with inadequate air cover; he was shot down five times, breaking his back in the final crash."

Of the many responsible individuals, from the grunts who pulled the triggers up to general officers at division level, the only person tried and convicted of any wrongdoing was Lt. Calley. In 1971, he was sentenced to life at hard labor in prison. During appeals, he was under house arrest, his sentence finally reduced to the point that he was eligible for parole after time served plus six months.

In 1999, 30 years after the massacre, Thompson, his aircrew, Colburn and Andreotta, each received the Soldier's Medal. It's bad enough that America took 30 years before it recognized the integrity and courage of these men, it took a 1989, British Academy Award winning, British documentary film titled "Four Hours in My Lai", and a book of the same name, to motivate (possibly shame) American officials into honoring them.


https://armyhistory.org/my-lai/

https://www.britannica.com/event/My-Lai-Massacre/Cover-up-investigation-and-legacy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr.#Recognition_for_actions_at_Mỹ_Lai

https://www.sdvfp.org/2015/03/09/who-was-hugh-thompson/

A man of courage and integrity. It took real guts to stop that platoon, and even more guts to report it to superiors.