What's your opinion on the My Lai Massacre?

Question

I'm doing a project on it for school. Oh, by the way, if you know any good resources on the massacre, please tell me!

Answer 1

It was a horrific incident in a horrific war ... nearly 300 innocent civilians massacred in an act of senseless brutality by soldiers led by the wrong man, Lt William Calley. He was clearly unfit for command, and yet he was given a command - shows the state of the officer training at that period of the war.

but even more disturbing was the failure of Lt Calley's commanding officers at company, battalion, brigade, and division level to actually stand up and do the right thing. They did everything they could first to prevent the news from being heard by their superiors in MACV (military Assistance Command, Vietnam) then prevent the news leaking in Washington. It showed a terrible lack of moral fibre and backbone in the officer corps at a time when the American People needed to believe in their armed forces.

The carnage at Mai Lai might have gone unknown to history if not for Ron Ridenhour, who sent a letter to President Nixon, the Pentagon, the State Department, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and numerous members of Congress.

Ridenhour learned about the events at Mai Lai secondhand, by talking to members of Charlie Company while he was still enlisted. The copies of this letter were sent in March, 1969, a full year after the event.

Most recipients of Ridenhour's letter ignored it.

Calley was charged with several counts of premeditated murder in September 1969, and 25 other officers and enlisted men were later charged with related crimes

Were it not for a few individuals who talked about it afterwards, and wouldn't let it go, the Army might have been able to cover it up...

This is one of the benefits of a civilian (draftee) army, they keep the army clean ...

Even more disturbing is that after the US Army finally stood in the door and convicted Lt Calley of First Degree Murder at his Court Martial, Nixon stepped in and nullified the result for political reasons (the Republican Primary was in his thoughts!)

I hope this is never forgotten, and that every soldier continues to be told in training that to obey an illegal order is an illegal act in itself.

There is much more detailed information at the links below.

Hope that helps

Philip

Answer 2

I did that same project many years ago lol. As I look back now, I wish I had used and considered more sources. But from what little I have read since then, I would not have changed my opinion.

That being said, my primary source was a book written by Seymour Hersh, can't remember exact title, might have been "The My Lai Massacre". Fortunately, Hersh attributed a multitude of sources.

I think the general consensus is that Lt. William Calley was indeed guilty of personally masssacring a large number of Vietnamese non-combatants, mostly women and children. The issue in question was how far up the line of command did the responsibility lie, and how far up did the attempted coverup go. The case was made that without a doubt, Captain Ernest Medina, as Calley's immediate commander, was also guilty. Calley's responsibility was somewhat mitigated by a number of factors: certainly SOME degree of official sanctioning and selective "head-turning" and Calley's own competence and personality.

The American population back home was truly horrified by the revelations, but combat veterans could understand the mindset that made My Lai possible: fear and frustration about mounting casualties from an enemy that was often unseen and unknown, many of them civilians or soldiers masked as civilians. A sense of "why are we here to save these people when some of them -- and we never know who until it's too late --are killing and maiming us?" This was a situation ripe for disaster, especially in the hands of a soldier of a rigid or unstable or unintelligent mind. Furthermore, it raised the question whether or not My Lai was a strictly isolated event. In all probability, but for the scale, it had happened more than once. That perception was, of course, fueled by the military's large scale but unsuccessful attempt to cover it up.

Unfortunately, My Lai influenced very unfairly "our" perception of all of our soldiers. I believe it was a LARGE factor in the indifferent, even hostile, receptions our veterans met upon homecoming.

ADDED: Oh, yes, Phillip, you are right! I had TOTALLY forgotten that the absolute central point on which all of this hinged was that of "lawful orders." !! Also, when you mentioned Ridenour, another name popped into my mind. Hugh Thompson was a helicopter pilot it who somehow (I don't remember quite how) played a significant heroic role that day.

Answer 3

I think My Lai was a perfect example of how the government/ military needs to be closely watched. Had their not been a few soldiers intolerant of such activities, the men who killed those villagers may may not have been brought to justice. As for resources, there is some very powerful protest art you can find on the web. Also, during the court case, I know there are some interesting quotes. For example, there is one picture, somewhat famous, of several villagers (including children) lying in the road, killed. There are words printed on the top and bottom:
(And Children?

And Children.)
This is just one example of the brutality of that massacre. Definitely check it out, I think it speaks volumes about how people felt during that time. Good Luck.

Answer 4

Anyone that thinks that there is any humanity in war is naive from the start. Soldiers, Sailors, AF, and Marines have two jobs and two jobs only - blow things up and kill people.

I know attrocities in Vietnam that have never been in the newspapers. As a Vietnam Vet myself, I personally know a man whose job it was to take prisoners up in a helicopter and throw some of them out just to get the others to talk. If you want to hear some horror stores, look up the Con Son Tiger cages. The ship that I was one took prisoners captured during Tet 68, two months after I got off, to an island off the south of Vietnam. Vietnamese troops had them shackled to cargo deck floor and forced them to urinate and defecate where they were sittting while throwing their food in the middle of it.

Would you shoot a 4 year old girl running at you with a hand grenade with the pin pulled? I would.

The biggest problem with Mai Lai is that they laid it on a junior officer when it was a more senior officer who ordered him to do it.

Answer 5

Me Lie Massacre

Answer 6

In as much as I was shot thru the brain right about this moment 39 years ago, a different area I find it to be in some ways a tragic event in history..but on the other hand no one and I really say no one really REALLY KNEW WHO THE ENEMY WAS....
as far as looking for resources type this in groups then viet nam ten army .. I am sure you will locate someone that was attached to that unit ..

Best of luck on your school project.. let me know how it turns out.
Dave

Answer 7

Go yo Yahoo, Google, or whatever search engine you use, type in My Lai massacre on the subject search area, and there will probably be many links you can click on to, to get your info.

Answer 8

It was a tragic event during the Vietnam war. Tragic because of the inhumanity of the events themselves, but also because I think it made a lot of Americans think that all US soldiers were savages and resulted in many turning their backs on our returning veterans after that war.

I was a kid when it happened and I know it really affected how I felt about soldiers - gave me a negative opinion of them. Now I see them as being victims of failed US foreign policy.

Answer 9

When soldiers are continually, day after day after day, placed in the dangerous, intense, highly stressful situations that occurred every day in the steamy jungles of Viet Nam, normal and rational and humane thinking does not always prevail. This is what occurred at My Lai on that dreadful day. Tremendous pressure to survive led to severe mental strain that caused those soldiers to crack and become " unglued". People in that type of mental state become devoid of feeling and can commit unspeakable acts of violence against another human being.

Answer 10

It was a Horrible Massacre committed by American Soldiers Blacks and Whites who were racist against Non white or Non black people.