My Lai Massacre
The war in Vietnam has been a source of controversy since the moment American troops first stepped on Vietnamese soil. During this conflict, many atrocities were committed on both sides. None was more infamous than the massacre at My Lai in which innocent men, women, and children were killed by American soldiers. The atrocity was committed by Charlie Company of the 26th Infantry Division.
During the Tet offensive, American forces aggressively held off an onslaught of North-Vietnamese attack. The next step was to launch a counter-offensive and take the fight to the enemy. It was believed that Vietcong forces were hiding in the villages in the Quang Ngai Province. Charlie Company was assigned to take out one of these villages with the order to burn the homes, and kill the livestock. The Commander of this infantry company named Ernest Medina told his troops that the people in the villages who did not leave for the market were Vietcong. He gave the order to kill all women, and children in the village because they were believed to be aiding the Vietcong.
When the troops landed in the village, they found no Vietcong fighters in the village. They cordoned off the village and began to kill all the Vietnamese civilians. Dozens of people were put into an irrigation ditch and sprayed with automatic weapon fire. William Calley, leader of 1st platoon, personally shot about 80 people. After the initial slaughter, a reserve platoon was called in to “mop up” all living people in the village. A helicopter pilot named Hugh Thompson Jr. attempted to stop the slaughter but to no avail. He managed to evacuate a 4 year old girl.
