William calley was the only us soldier held legally responsible for the slayings. Testimony and documents relating to the court martial of. After graduating from high school he worked several jobs, occasionally attending classes at a local community college. Calley in 1973, has spent four decades researching, studying and pondering the causes of the massacre and the war. Calley and the others off the hook, they tried to turn the tables on thompson and set him up to be courtmartialed for. William calley arrives at a pretrial hearing prior to his court martial for his involvement in the my lai massacre. William calley was the officer that was charged with the murder of numerous civilians concerning the my lai massacre. The targets of the killings were mainly old men, women and children all unarmed as most younger members of the community were working in the fields. Calley, a platoon leader, had led his men in a massacre of vietnamese. William calley a year and a half later are among the bleakest episodes in american history and continue to provide a volatile focus for debates about the vietnam war. Vietnamese villagers killed by american soldiers during the my lai massacre in 1968. William calley was convicted for his role in leading the 1968 massacre of vietnamese civilians at my lai.
But what remains an open questionand the nastiest scar of the vietnam war yet to healis how the leadership, or lack thereof, permitted such an atrocity to happen. Professionalismhugh thompson, william calley, and the my. Rusty calley and his platoon murdered more than 300 vietnamese civilians at the small hamlet of my lai. How a young journalist untangled the riddle of my lai. The thing that makes my lai so unique, it was a small tragedy in a small place, but for once, a man was able to see all the hells of war all at once. My lai was a subhamlet of the village of song my located in quang ngai province, republic of vietnam. Copy link on march 16, 1968 the angry and frustrated men of charlie company, 11th brigade, americal division entered the vietnamese village of my lai. One of the first accounts to be written, hersh went own to write two more books on the incident. William calley 1943 was a united states army officer and the only person convicted and imprisoned for involvement in the my lai massacre calley was born to a workingclass family and raised in miami, florida. Vietnam to conduct interviews for a book and to do more reporting for the times. They had found calley guilty of premeditated murder of 22 of the villagers of my lai.
Army maps showed that my lai 1 and the neighboring hamlets of my lai 2, my lai 3, and my lai 4 were part of the village of son my a heavily populated area. Rusty calley for the massacre of my lai 4 during the vietnam war. Between 347 and 504 unarmed people were killed by u. Calley would serve only four and a half months in military prison, however. William calley charged for my lai massacre history. With regard to my lai, four hours in my lai is an excellent source. Army early in the morning on 16 march 1968, lieutenant calley and his platoon were airlifted by helicopter to my lai, a subhamlet of the village of song my in quang ngai province, republic of vietnam. This is what youve been waiting for search and destroy and youve got it, said their superior officers.
He was convicted of the 1968 killing of 22 civilians in the vietnamese village of my lai. The books on my lai and the aftermath are too numerous to list, and few questions of what actually took place on the ground are left unanswered. William calley, entered the village poised for engagement with their elusive enemy. Dec 16, 2016 the cause was liver cancer, his wife, lisa, said. The song is set to the tune of the battle hymn of the republic. Mar 15, 2014 nixon and the my lai massacre coverup by.
Mar 15, 2008 a young lieutenant william calley in charlie company was tried and convicted of murdering 22 oriental human beings in my lai on that sunny morning in 1968. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Vietnam, 1968 and the descent into darkness notable historian howard jones argues that the massacre that took place on march 16, 1968 killing 504 vietnamese villagers laid bare the war, revealing that it was unwinnable and that, in the process of fighting for democracy and a way of life. For many years now the young lieutenant convicted in 1971 of the murder of 22 vietnamese villagers at my lai. Everybodys heard of the my lai massacre march 16, 1968, 50 years ago today but not many know about the man who stopped it. The my lai massacre american experience official site.
Finally, over fortyone years after the my lai massacre, when us troops killed more than 500 men, women and children in vietnam, the former army lieutenant who was convicted for his role in the killings has publicly apologized. Unless you are a scholar of that war, as i am, or a veteran of that war, as i am, or unless you are over the age of. Facing my lai now examines its haunting legacy through a unique exchange of. After the trail had ended calley addressed the jury by saying, yesterday you stripped me of. William calley, from the earliest coverage by seymour hersch and alabama writer wayne greenhaw. The centre for investigative journalism 3,396 views. Jan 30, 2018 mailing address counterpunch po box 228 petrolia, ca 95558 telephone 1707 6293683. As president trump considers pardons for war criminals, a look at back at the case of lt. The my lai massacre american experience official site pbs. Lt william calley apologises more than 40 years after vietnam more than 40 years after a massacre that appalled the world, the former us army officer convicted of organising mass. To be found guilty of killing unarmed men, women and, especially, children and ultimately only serving 3 12 years under house arrest for these atrocious actions is justice denied. Lt william calley was a horribly inept platoon leader.
The event known as the my lai massacre was one of the darkest moments of the vietnam war, and further fueled the already growing antiwar movement in the united states. William calley had commanded during the my lai massacre a year and a half earlier. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. An ideal supplement for courses on the vietnam war, this book is a must read for those seeking to understand the my lai massacre and its significance. William peers, investigated the massacre and produced a list of 30 persons who knew of the atrocity, but only 14, including calley and his company. William calley, the only soldier convicted in the my lai massacre. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. For those who dont know, heres a brief summary of my lai. Nixon and the my lai massacre coverup new york post. The my lai massacre of march 16, 1968 and the court martial of lt. William calley found guilty of my lai murders history. Thirty years later, memories of my lai massacre remain fresh.
Calley apologizes for my lai massacre us news military. Other books have exposed the facts surrounding the incident. Haeberlethe life images collection, via getty images. About a collection of songs and spokenword recordings referencing lt. Lai massacre was the vietnam war mass murder of unarmed south vietnamese. Not a conclusion i want to draw, but thats where the evidence leads. William calley and the my lai massacre this forms part of the larger vietnam war song project, an interpretive examination of over 5,000 vietnam war songs identified, revealing how the wars significance is represented through music.
By the time the armys charges against lieutenant calley became. The war crimes helped to unite a disparate opposition to american military involvement in vietnam, although to others, second lieutenant william calley was a scapegoat, if not a hero. A report on the massacre and its aftermath new york. The closest calley ever came to publicly apologizing for my lai was at a 2009 meeting of the kiwanis club of greater columbus. My lai massacre legal definition of my lai massacre. Eventually led to the end of the war due to us public opinion.
Although many accounts about my lai have appeared, the vietnam war on trial surpasses all of them in its coverage, research, and clarity. Watching the ken burns doc last night this came up. During the trail, he was tried and convicted of the premeditated murder of 22 villagers out of the 507 that died in the massacre. Facetoface killing in twentiethcentury warfare, new york, ny. Members of charlie company of 1st battalion, 20th infantry regiment, 11th brigade of the 23rd infantry division committed the acts under the command of captain ernest medina. Over the years i reluctantly have taken a look deeper at it to get a picture of what went on, as time and patience permits. William calley is charged with six specifications of premeditated murder in the death of 109 vietnamese civilians at my lai in march 1968. I was flying a scout helicopter and my job was to draw out enemy fire. Aug 23, 2009 william calley remained silent for 40 years about his role in the my lai massacre, one of the worst atrocities in the history of american warfare. Now that several days have passed since the story broke about former lt. Defense attorney george latimer prosecutor aubrey daniel. By the time i came back to the states in early 1970, lt. Calley is found guilty of premeditated murder at my lai by a u. The army says he deliberately murdered at least 109 vietnamese civilians during a searchanddestroy mission in march 1968 in a viet cong stronghold known as pinkville.
The twoway the man responsible for one of the most notorious crimes by u. On march 16, 1968 the angry and frustrated men of charlie company, 11th brigade, americal division entered the village of my lai. So rusty calley, charged with the premeditated murder of not less than 102 vietnamese civilians at my lai on march 16, 1968, described his ostensibly wellexecuted combat assault on the. He was also a war crimes criminal and should have been hung for his actions. Army unit of about 105 men entered an undefended village on the coast of central vietnam and murdered around five hundred old men, women, and children in cold blood. The my lai massacre was a pivotal moment in that misbegotten war. Lai massacre, like many other events in vietnam, was captured on camera by u. Lieutenant william calley has been found guilty of murder at a court martial for his part in the my lai massacre which claimed the lives of 500 south vietnamese civilians. William calley makes first public apology for vietnam wars my lai massacre. The 27yearold commander could receive the death penalty or life imprisonment after the massacre which saw us soldiers open fire on civilians in my lai and neighbouring.
Was charged in deliberate murder of 102 civilians, found guilty and sentenced to life. When the incident was uncovered a year later, it shocked the army and the american people. Pages in category my lai massacre the following 20 pages are in this category, out of 20 total. My lai massacre vietnamese citizens photographed during the my lai massacre, march 16, 1968. The history of the vietnam wars most notorious atrocity. Colin powell, ernest medina, four hours in my lai, glenn andreotta, hugh thompson, jr. I have a vague recollection of the atrocities committed. Two recentlylanded helicopters in a grassy field near my lai as soldiers. Four hours in my lai, anatomy of a massacre youtube.
For many years now the young lieutenant convicted in 1971 of the murder of 22 vietnamese villagers at my lai has been regarded as a scapegoat. The my lai massacre and the courtmartial of lieutenant calley. The song discusses different opinions of the vietnam war. When they arrived shortly after dawn, the soldiersled by lieutenant william calleyfound no viet cong. It was saturday morning, march 16, 1968, when approximately 115 u. Mar 09, 2020 my lai massacre, also called pinkville massacre, mass killing of as many as 500 unarmed villagers by u. Calley led one of charlie companys three platoons and was responsible for numerous killings himself, was the only soldier convicted of a crime at my lai. One was the massacre by united states soldiers of as many as 500 unarmed civilians old men, women, children in my lai on the morning of march 16. Calley, and the public reaction to calley s conviction. Calley was released to house arrest under orders by president richard nixon three days after his conviction. The military trial of william calley for his role in the slaughter of five hundred or more.
The incident happened in march of 1968 in the village of song me which is just north of duc pho where i briefly encountered captain medina as his unit was landing at the beach and moving north to join with the americal division. Army troops murdered more than 300 unarmed vietnamese women, children, and elderly persons. An emotional william calley says he is sorry we are not. Calley is a 1971 spoken word recording with vocals by terry nelson and music by pickup group ccompany. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the my lai massacre. Mar 16, 2018 vietnamese villagers killed by american soldiers during the my lai massacre in 1968. Opinion my lai haunts the lieutenant the new york times. Mar 21, 2017 march 16, 2017, was the 49th anniversary of the my lai massacre, located in quang ngai province, vietnam. The my lai massacre and court martial of lieutenant calley landmark law cases and american society. There have been, over the years, many books and articles written about the my lai massacre and lieutenant william calley, from the earliest.
Battle of long tan documentary by producer of danger close movie. Something like 500 innocents killed by us soldiers. It was nominated for four tony awards including best musical and best book of a musical. Later in this interview calley did not apologize for his actions, but instead stated, i cant say i am proud of ever being in my lai, or ever participating in war. Aug 24, 2009 over fortyone years after the my lai massacre, when us troops killed more than 500 men, women and children in vietnam, the former army lieutenant who was convicted for his role in the killings. The lieutenant is a 1975 broadway rock opera that concerns the m. The my lai massacre occurred on march 16, 1968 when us troops killed approximately 500 unarmed vietnamese civilians during the vietnam war. It offers a heroic description of lieutenant william calley, who in march 1971 was convicted of murdering vietnamese civilians in the my lai massacre of march 16, 1968. Calley was carrying out the us war policy in vietnam and when the horrifying war policy was exposed the truth revealed thats when the coverups intensified and thats when lt calley shouldered the entire blame for the us tragedy called the vietnam war.
Media attention on lt calley s trial was extensive and the glare of publicity so bright it hid the wider, more awful truth. The nation has finally heard a note of personal regret from william calley 38 years after he became the sole american soldier convicted in the my lai massacre of hundreds of vietnamese civilians. After deliberating for 79 hours and 57 minutes, the jury returned a verdict. He was americas most notorious war criminal, but nixon. Ernest medina led his infantry company in an assault on the village of son my. My lai massacre to call the my lai massacre a black eye for the u. Calley s apology for his role in the 1968 my lai massacre, we can now reflect on what this story means to a world that may have forgotten the vietnam war. Among the leaders of the assault was lieutenant william l. Opinion the truth behind my lai the new york times.
There had been no public mention, not a hint, of a massacre on the scale cited by cowan. His conviction was later overturned by judge robert elliott. This book offers clear insight into the events of the massacre, the coverup by officers in the americal division, the trial of lt. William calley was about to go on trial over his role in the massacre. Mar 15, 2016 the my lai massacre, lt calley and captain ernest medina will be front and center. Bray follows the infantrymans experience as commander of 1st platoon, charlie company americal div 20th inf reg the same platoon that 2nd lt. William calley makes first public apology for vietnam war. I arrived over my lai, which was better known as pinkville, at about 7. William calley was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for premeditated murder. A forgotten hero stopped the my lai massacre 50 years ago. When facts of the my lai massacre were finally given national exposure, america was polarized.
Colburn was the last surviving member of a threeman helicopter crew that was assigned to hover over my lai on saturday morning, march 16. In november of 1970, the us army began courtmartial proceedings against 14 officers charged with participating in or covering up the my lai massacre. A recent new york times editorial raised the stakes, calling him a classic scapegoat. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new. So horrific was the gunning down of women, children, and the elderly, that the act was labeled by many as an atrocity. There have been, over the years, many books and articles written about the my lai massacre and lt. The history of the vietnam wars most notorious atrocity kindle edition by charles river editors. Houston gordon, the tennessee attorney who represented lt. His sentencing was so typical of warped hierarchies.