My Lai Massacre Essay

"The words "My Lai" are synonymous with a significant breakdown in leadership" (Rielly 17). Implying that the whole event of the My Lai Massacre was a giant lack of success in leadership from Military Officers and government officials. Research shows the failure of the United States Military knowing the difference between the enemy along with morals by the same leadership involved in the My Lai Massacre. The tragic event of the My Lai Massacre occurred On March 16, 1968. Involving the soldiers of Charlie's Company (a platoon in the United States Army) and the citizens of My Lai, (in the village of Son My) in which the Army was ordered to destroy the village and leave nothing behind. When the United States Army arrived at the scene they lined

Many of the women were also raped before being shot and killed. Soldiers being misinformed of their rights during the Massacre has changed the way the United States Military is trained. The My Lai Massacre is important to history in understanding what really happened, the mindset that generals and soldiers form in the atmosphere of war, the morality of war itself, government secrecy, and how military training is changing from the atrocity that is called a Massacre.

Throughout the Vietnam War, the soldier's often saw Vietnam as dangerous territory full of the enemy. Truda Gray and Brian Martin, both specialized in sociology and are frequent contributors of Sociological articles; in addition, the reading My Lai: The Struggle over Outrage detailed an analysis of various parts of the My Lai Massacre. William Calley (the General of the

Many immoral orders were given the day of the My Lai Massacre, but it is questionable how a military soldier would react to such vulgar commands. Within the United States Military, there were laws set up to protect a soldier’s morality and whether it is lawful or crucial to obey to have success in the war. William Cockerham and Lawrence Cohen, author and sociologist chair of the University of Alabama, elaborated on the morals of the My Lai Massacre in their article “Obedience to Orders: Issues of Morality and Legality in Combat among U.S. Army Paratroopers.” In the article, Cokerham and Cohen wrote, “A major question in the Calley proceedings was not so much whether the order was actually given, but whether a reasonable man should have followed such orders had been issued” (1274). Also, within the article of “Obedience to Orders,” it discusses, “most wars contain at least some unjust and immoral elements, but professional career-oriented soldiers… may clearly believe that soldiers had better carry out legal orders or else risk placing the country in grave danger” (Cokerham and Cohen 1277). These two pieces of evidence oppose each other when discussing whether immorality occurs in war. War does not specifically have a laid-out line of what is right and wrong, especially on the topic of being killed or killing others. However, the first quote entails that it is up to the