What was the My Lai Massacre?
2 Answers
If I remember correctly it was a massacre occurred during the war in Viet Nam.
Explanation:
I think it happened in 1968 in a village of South Vietnam and it was perpetrated by a company of an infantry battalion of the US army that, basically, wiped out the entire population of the village during a "Search-and-Destroy" operation.
The victims were civilians (men, women and children) and the number of deaths was evaluated in more than 400.
Only the platoon leader lt. Calley was sentenced to life in prison but I am not sure whether he is still in prison or not.
The massacre was a hard blow to the already trembling popularity of US intervention in Viet Nam (also due to the fact that the killings were accompanied by other violent acts against the population of the village).
I am not sure what prompted the indiscriminate killing but certainly is one of the very few episodes of this type involving US forces (other maybe can be found in the Pacific during WWII against the Japanese prisoners prompted by the atrocity of the fighting or against captured SS or concentration camp guards at the end of WWII).
My Lai was a massacre of Vietnamese carried out by American soldiers in Vietnam in March 1968.
Explanation:
My Lai had been identified by American intelligence as a Vietcong HQ. Charlie Company of the 1st battalion of the 20th infantry division was assigned to the attack.
Charlie company was made up of a typical cross section of American society and had performed well in training. However a few basic weeks training at Fort Benning, Georgia did not prepare them for the reality of guerilla warfare in the jungles of Vietnam.
Within days of arriving they were systematically abusing and torturing civilians and captured suspects.
Prior to My Lai they had already lost 4 killed and 38 wounded, due to mines, snipers and booby traps. Frustration and anger were built up to critical levels.
The attack on My Lai took place on a Saturday as this was market day. The soldiers were told that all civilians would be at market and anyone left would be Vietcong. However intelligence was wrong. Early that morning on March 16th, the first American soldiers landed by helicopter. They met with no resistance.
Over the course of the next 4 hours, US soldiers murdered up to 500 men women and children. Not only were they shot but mutilated and killed with bayonets. One G.I. was injured. He had shot himself in the foot. Some soldiers had the strength of character to refuse to obey orders.
Ron Haeberle a US army photographer took official photos which showed a typical search and destroy mission. However Haeberle had his own camera. With it he took pictures of the massacre taking place.
Initial reports described a significant victory against communist forces and commendations were awarded. Early reports of a massacre were denied. However the story was eventually broken and Haeberle's photos proved to be crucial evidence.
Of the men charged with multiple counts of rape and murder only Lt William Calley was convicted. He was given a life sentence but served only 3 days before being put into house arrest for three and a half years. He was then released on parole. His defence, as it had been at Nuremberg, was that he was only following orders.
My Lai was probably the last nail in the coffin of American public support for the war. Although several soldiers were put on trial it was also the US military, government and America itself as a nation which was on trial. This was why only one man was convicted. Everyone was guilty.
My Lai was certainly not the only massacre carried out by US forces, in Vietnam and in other conflicts. However the photos made it impossible to deny.
