S Hersh and the My Lai massacre

[bobbieinok]

There is no similarity between VN and Iraq.

There is no similarity between VN and Iraq.

There is no similarity between VN and Iraq.

(sigh)

....

As the "search and destroy" mission unfolded it soon degenerated into the massacre of over 300 apparently unarmed civilians including women, children, and the elderly. Calley ordered his men to enter the village firing, though there had been no report of opposing fire. According to eyewitness reports offered after the event, several old men were bayoneted, praying women and children were shot in the back of the head, and at least one girl was raped, and then killed. For his part, Calley was said to have rounded up a group of the villagers, ordered them into a ditch, and mowed them down in a fury of machine gun fire.

Word of the massacre did not reach the American public until November of 1969, when journalist Seymour Hersh published a story detailing his conversations with ex-GI and Vietnam veteran, Ron Ridenhour. Ridenhour learned of the events at My Lai from members of Charlie Company who had been there. Before speaking with Hersh, he had appealed to Congress, the White House, and the Pentagon to investigate the matter. The military investigation resulted in Calley's being charged with murder in September 1969 -- a full two months before the Hersh story hit the streets.

As the gruesome details of the massacre reached the American public serious questions arose concerning the conduct of American soldiers in Vietnam. A military commission investigating the My Lai massacre found widespread failures of leadership, discipline, and morale among the Army's fighting units. As the war progressed, many "career" soldiers had either been rotated out or retired. Many more had died. In their place were scores of draftees whose fitness for leadership in the field of battle was questionable at best. Military officials blamed inequities in the draft policy for the often slim talent pool from which they were forced to choose leaders. Many maintained that if the educated middle class ("the Harvards," as they were called) had joined in the fight, a man of Lt. William Calley's emotional and intellectual stature would never have been issuing orders.

....


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenches/mylai.html

[randr]

1. And it was Colin Powell who headed the commission

that made sure it went no further than Lt. Calley!

[Sequoia]

3. Speaking of US Massacures, here's another from the 1800s

since you have that little pic there.

http://www.donvasicek.com. Click on Sand Creek and it'll take you to the trailer and interview link.

[whistle]

2. The only person convicted was Lt. William Calley...

...as the article points out:

"...Still, there was only enough photographic and recorded evidence to convict Calley, alone, of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison , but was released in 1974, following many appeals. After being issued a dishonorable discharge, Calley entered the insurance business."

So what is William Calley doing today?