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March 16, 1968 - In what would become the most publicized war atrocity committed by U.S. troops in Vietnam, a platoon slaughters between 200 and 500 unarmed villagers at My Lai 4, a cluster of hamlets in the coastal lowlands of the northernmost region of South Vietnam.
My Lai 4 was situated in a heavily mined region where Viet Cong guerrillas were firmly entrenched and numerous members of the participating platoon had been killed or maimed during the preceding month. Lt. William L. Calley, a platoon leader, was leading his men on a search-and-destroy mission; the unit entered the village only to find women, children, and old men. Frustrated by unanswered losses due to snipers and mines, the soldiers took out their anger on the villagers. During the ensuing massacre, several old men were bayoneted; some women and children praying outside the local temple were shot in the back of the head; and at least one girl was raped before being killed. Others were systematically rounded up and led to a nearby ditch where they were executed.
Reportedly, the killing was only stopped when Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, an aero-scout helicopter pilot, landed his helicopter between the Americans and the fleeing South Vietnamese, confronting the soldiers and blocking them from further action against the villagers. The incident was subsequently covered up, but came to light a year later. An Army board of inquiry investigated the massacre and produced a list of 30 persons who knew of the atrocity. Only 14, including Calley and his company commander, Captain Ernest Medina, were charged with crimes. All eventually had their charges dismissed or were acquitted by courts-martial except Calley, who was found guilty of personally murdering 22 civilians and sentenced to life imprisonment. His sentence was reduced to 20 years by the Court of Military Appeals and further reduced later to 10 years by the Secretary of the Army. Proclaimed by much of the public as a “scapegoat,” Calley was paroled in 1974 after having served about a third of his 10-year sentence.
My Lai 4 was situated in a heavily mined region where Viet Cong guerrillas were firmly entrenched and numerous members of the participating platoon had been killed or maimed during the preceding month. Lt. William L. Calley, a platoon leader, was leading his men on a search-and-destroy mission; the unit entered the village only to find women, children, and old men. Frustrated by unanswered losses due to snipers and mines, the soldiers took out their anger on the villagers. During the ensuing massacre, several old men were bayoneted; some women and children praying outside the local temple were shot in the back of the head; and at least one girl was raped before being killed. Others were systematically rounded up and led to a nearby ditch where they were executed.
Reportedly, the killing was only stopped when Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, an aero-scout helicopter pilot, landed his helicopter between the Americans and the fleeing South Vietnamese, confronting the soldiers and blocking them from further action against the villagers. The incident was subsequently covered up, but came to light a year later. An Army board of inquiry investigated the massacre and produced a list of 30 persons who knew of the atrocity. Only 14, including Calley and his company commander, Captain Ernest Medina, were charged with crimes. All eventually had their charges dismissed or were acquitted by courts-martial except Calley, who was found guilty of personally murdering 22 civilians and sentenced to life imprisonment. His sentence was reduced to 20 years by the Court of Military Appeals and further reduced later to 10 years by the Secretary of the Army. Proclaimed by much of the public as a “scapegoat,” Calley was paroled in 1974 after having served about a third of his 10-year sentence.
My Lai Massacre
Posted from law.jrank.org
American History
Military History
Vietnam War
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 10
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This was a sad day in military history. The unit was fed up by there lost of fellow soldiers and this should have never happened. Stress is not a good mix when your out on a search and destroy mission.
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SP5 Mark Kuzinski
Yes it was and they tried their best to cover it up - Dark day in our military history.
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SP5 Mark Kuzinski it is just as important to own your misdeeds as it is to boast of your good deeds. The Vietnam war was certainly a different kind of war all the way around. This is a tragic event. Definitely not the U.S. Army's finest hour. Thanks for sharing this.
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The massacre of the villagers at My Lai will go down as one of the lowest points in the history of our Army and our military. The helicopter crew that attempted to stop the killing and later reported it were real the heroes there encompassing all of the tenants of Army Values.
That event along with other past events from Wounded Knee to more recent atrocities such as the Haditha Massacre, the Mahmudiyah rape and killings, to a lesser extent Abu Ghraib and even though conducted by contractors, they were combat veterans, the Nisour Square massacre in Iraq along with the Kandahar Massacre in Afghanistan need to be part of the training for all of our new recruits.
No It's not all's fair in love and war. There are pesky inconveniences that have to be adhered to such as the Rules of Engagement (ROE), Escalation of Force (EOF) and the Geneva Conventions. Whenever we lower ourselves to the standards of those that mean to do us harm, we equal the battlefield for our enemy.
The propaganda benefits for the enemy of these events cannot be measured. Whenever one of our brothers commits these types of incidents it puts the rest of us in greater harm. Our enemy kills and blows up their own people every day and it's a footnote in the news, but whenever we stray and hit a hospital or the wrong house with a bomb and it's a recruiting bonanza for them to attract mush minded like thinkers into their ranks. They don't need our help with that.
That event along with other past events from Wounded Knee to more recent atrocities such as the Haditha Massacre, the Mahmudiyah rape and killings, to a lesser extent Abu Ghraib and even though conducted by contractors, they were combat veterans, the Nisour Square massacre in Iraq along with the Kandahar Massacre in Afghanistan need to be part of the training for all of our new recruits.
No It's not all's fair in love and war. There are pesky inconveniences that have to be adhered to such as the Rules of Engagement (ROE), Escalation of Force (EOF) and the Geneva Conventions. Whenever we lower ourselves to the standards of those that mean to do us harm, we equal the battlefield for our enemy.
The propaganda benefits for the enemy of these events cannot be measured. Whenever one of our brothers commits these types of incidents it puts the rest of us in greater harm. Our enemy kills and blows up their own people every day and it's a footnote in the news, but whenever we stray and hit a hospital or the wrong house with a bomb and it's a recruiting bonanza for them to attract mush minded like thinkers into their ranks. They don't need our help with that.
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