Difference between revisions of "My Lai"
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| − | '''My Lai''', a village in the former South [[Vietnam]], was the scene of the [[My Lai massacre]] of 16 March 1968, when [[US]] troops murdered several hundred villagers, men, women and children. The massacre prompted worldwide condemnation and reduced support for the [[Vietnam War]] in the United States. | + | '''My Lai''', a village in the former South [[Vietnam]], was the scene of the [[My Lai massacre]] of 16 March 1968, when [[US]] troops murdered several hundred villagers, men, women and children and commited multiple rapes and gang rapes. The massacre prompted worldwide condemnation and reduced support for the [[Vietnam War]] in the United States. |
The massacre, as reported by a [[South Vietnam]]ese army lieutenant to his superiors, was an "atrocious" incident of revenge. [[US]] forces deliberately murdered 400-500 civilians, shortly after a firefight with [[Viet Cong]] troops who had mingled with the villagers on March 16, 1968. | The massacre, as reported by a [[South Vietnam]]ese army lieutenant to his superiors, was an "atrocious" incident of revenge. [[US]] forces deliberately murdered 400-500 civilians, shortly after a firefight with [[Viet Cong]] troops who had mingled with the villagers on March 16, 1968. | ||
Revision as of 12:44, December 15, 2009
My Lai, a village in the former South Vietnam, was the scene of the My Lai massacre of 16 March 1968, when US troops murdered several hundred villagers, men, women and children and commited multiple rapes and gang rapes. The massacre prompted worldwide condemnation and reduced support for the Vietnam War in the United States.
The massacre, as reported by a South Vietnamese army lieutenant to his superiors, was an "atrocious" incident of revenge. US forces deliberately murdered 400-500 civilians, shortly after a firefight with Viet Cong troops who had mingled with the villagers on March 16, 1968.
Background
According to University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor Doug Linder:
- GIs joked that "anything that's dead and isn't white is a VC" for body count purposes. Angered by a local population that said nothing about the VC's whereabouts, soldiers took to calling natives "gooks." (source)
Courtmartial
American Lieutenant William Calley was convicted in 1971 of premeditated murder in ordering the shootings and initially sentenced to life in prison, but 2 days later, President Richard Nixon ordered him released from prison. Calley served 3 1/2 years of house arrest in his quarters at Fort Benning Georgia and was then ordered freed by a federal judge.