Lieutenant William Calley and the My Lai Massacre Very few things in our world bring about resentment, bewilderment, and anger as easily as the massacre of innocent civilians. It seems that the history of the Vietnam War includes some well known instances that involved the massacre of innocent people. This could be for many reasons, stress, anger, U.S. sentiments towards the war, and even plain hatred of the massacred people. The most infamous account of the slaughtering of civilians took place
the region of Quang Ngai, and especially into the town of My Lai.... ... middle of paper ... ...ho have seen the end of war.”(Plato) Works Cited Eckhardt, William. "William Calley." Biography of William Calley. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb 2012. . "The My Lai Massacre." Vietnam Online. PBS, 3292005. Web. Jan 20 2012. . Eckhardt, William. "Ernest Medina." Biography of Ernest Medina. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan 2012. . Ridenhour, Ron. "Letter To Congress." Ron Ridenhour Letter to White House. N.p
The My Lai Massacre of 1968 was a horrific blemish of brutality on America’s past. During this massacre, a company of American soldiers callously massacred the majority of the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai civilians, including women, children, and elderly. To this day, it remains unclear precisely how many South Vietnamese lives were taken during the massacre, but it was estimated to be as many as 500 civilians. (My Lai Cover-up Attempt) Higher-ranking U.S. Army officers covered up the events
challenges the question of why Marines obey their superiors’ orders without hesitation. The film illustrates a story about two Marines, Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson and Private First Class Louden Downey charged for the murder of Private First Class William T. Santiago. Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, who is known to be lackadaisical and originally considers offering a plea bargain in order to curtail Dawson’s and Downey’s sentence, finds himself fighting for the freedom of the Marines; their argument: they
old William Calley, who would later be found guilty of premeditated murder. Because of the Viet Cong's abil... ... middle of paper ... ...tated murder of at least thirty-three Vietnamese . He was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to life. The sentence was reduced to twenty years by President Nixon, and after Calley had served three years of house arrest, President Nixon pardoned him. A situation like this really sheds some light on the animalistic mentality of war. William Calley was
officer named William Calley. Young Calley was drafted into the US Army after high school, but it did not take long for him to adjust to being in the army, with a quick transition to the lifestyle of the military, he wanted to make it his career. In high school, Calley was a kind, likable and “regular” high school student, he seemed to be a normal teenager, having interest in things that other boys his age typically had. He was never observed acting in a cruel or brutal way. In Vietnam, Calley was under
On March 16, 1968, over 300 unarmed civilians were killed in South Vietnam during an indiscriminate, mass murder event known as the My Lai Massacre. Conducted by a unit of the United States Army, the My Lai Massacre ranked one of most appalling atrocities carried out by US forces in an already savage and violent war. All victims involved were unarmed civilians, many of which were women, children, and the elderly. Victims were raped, tortured and beaten, even mutilated before being killed. The
his hands on the story and cross-examined William Calley as soon as possible. The story broke out and hit front pages and headlines. In March 1970, an authoritative US Army inquiry board accused fourteen sergeants, including Calley and his company commander-in-chief, Captain Ernst Medina, of the misconduct involving My Lai ( My Lai Massacre Takes Place in Vietnam). Calley was personally condemned of murdering twenty-two individuals. In March 1971, Calley was given a life sentence for his role in
they were advised by the military intelligence that Viet Cong headquarters were located at My Lai. My Lai is a village located in northeast of Vietnam. The American soldiers were ordered on a search and destroy mission by their leader Lieutenant William Calley. These soldiers ended up slaughtering a proximally 500 unarmed civilians. After their malicious actions they came up with false reports in order to cover up their tracks. In order to come to an understanding of what happened
over Outrage detailed an analysis of various parts of the My Lai Massacre. William Calley (the General of the
On March 16, 1968, in the Quang Ngai region of Vietnam, specifically My Lai, the United States military was involved in an appalling slaughter of approximately 500 Vietnamese civilians. There are numerous arguments as to why this incident even had the capacity to occur. Although some of the arguments seem valid, can one really make excuses for the slaughter of innocent people? The company that was responsible for the My Lai incident was the Charlie Company, and throughout the company, there were
and the Breakdown of Military Discipline On March 16, 1968 Soldiers from C Company 1st Battalion, of the 23rd Infantry Division were involved in what would become one of the largest killings of civilians in military history. Second Lieutenant William Calley and Captain Ernest Medina led the Soldiers during the onslaught of innocent men, women, and children. Helicopter Pilot Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson along with his flight crew are credited with halting the massacre and saving numerous lives.
On March 16, 1968, there was a massacre of around 300-400 innocent noncombatant people mainly old men, women, and children in My Lai located in the Quang Ngai region of Vietnam. My Lai was a small village of only around 700 total people. (p.3) Those responsible for this horrific act were all members Charley Company, which is a part of the United States’ military. Their mission was clear and they followed through. The mission was to “search and destroy” and “Sanitize” My Lai. (Olson, Roberts, p.8-9)
the U.S. army on March 16, 1968 of 347 to 504 unarmed citizens, all of whom were women, children, and elderly. Initially, the massacre was considered a military victory, claiming that 128 Viet Cong and only twenty-two citizens were killed. General William C. Westmoreland, MACV commander, congratulated the unit on an "outstanding job." Investigations began with 11th Light Infantry Brigade's commanding officer, Colonel Henderson, under orders of Americal Division's executive officer, Brigadier General
In A Few Good Men, marines Dawson and Downey choose to obey their superiors and carry out the Code Red. In the article, “The My Lai Massacre,” Herbert C. Kelman and V. Lee Hamilton described a situation during the Vietnam War where a platoon ransacked an entire village while under orders by their superiors. “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem” explains that in order to go further in one’s life, he or she must be disobedient; however, the article recognizes the power of a situation
On March 16th, 1968, an act of obedience resulted in a massacre on the people of My Lai. The men of Charlie Company arrived in Vietnam in December of 1967 with the average age of their company being only 20 years young. These soldiers had no prior combat experience, but had performed well within training and had become known as the best company in their battalion. It was these men who arrived in My Lai on that March day – with orders to kill. It was not only actions on this day that lead to the eventual
My Lai was a town in Vietnam that was attacked by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War. Soldiers were under the impression that all civilians who were not a part of the Viet Cong (North Vietnam) were out of town for the market. They received this information from Intelligence and they were wrong. The helicopters started flying in and all the soldiers were clearly informed that there were to be no survivors from this town. Malevolent obedience was portrayed in this war and there are factors that I
since disobedience typically requires effortful cognitive energy. The culmination of pressure from authority and time constraints directly caused many issues at My Lai, resulting in a nearly thoughtless obedience to the harsh demands of Lieutenant Calley. It is shown in the video that many of the American troops were under the impression that there would be enemy soldiers present at My Lai, therefore invoking an instinct of needing to “kill or be killed” (Remember My Lai, 1989). Despite the lack of
In the Lake of the Woods, written by Tim O’Brien is a book which deals with the struggle of John Wade to manage after a recently failed campaign for the United States Senate. After moving to Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, John discovers that his wife Kathy is missing. Through flashbacks of John’s childhood, Vietnam experiences, political career and the history of his relationship with Kathy the reader is introduced to various hypotheses of Kathy’s disappearance. The basis of In the Lake of the Woods
The My Canh floating restaurant, located in Saigon South Vietnam floating on the Saigon river, was a popular place for locals and soldiers to stop and have a bite to eat. On June 25th, 1965 31-32 people were killed and 42 people were injured by the first, time bomb/claymore style explosive. The second charge was smaller and faced away from the restaurant to spray fleeing customers with shrapnel. The 1965 Saigon Bombing was a terrorist act by 3 Viet Cong members. On the night of June 25th, 1965 at