The massacre at my lai and its subsequent coverup stand in the history of the vietnam war at the point where deception and selfdeception converged. My lai massacre simple english wikipedia, the free. Following the my lai massacre, during which between 347 and 504 civilians were killed, the story remained largely out of the public eye until the media published haeberles photographs in november. The my lai massacre is retold by only survivor youtube. A company of american soldiers brutally killed more than 500. Some people think that the japanese committed atrocities, that the germans com. Committee of concerned asian scholars, the indochina story. The following massacre should have never happened and the events that followed the massacre are typical of any american wrongdoing. This incident is known to history as the my lai massacre. The best known of these was the killing of vietnamese villagers by american soldiers in the coastal province of quang ngai. Dorothy borg professor in the history of the united states and east asia. The 1968 my lai massacre was one of the most horrific incidents of violence committed against unarmed civilians during the vietnam war. A memorial in my lai lists the names of 504 victims. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else.
Facing my lai now examines its haunting legacy through a unique exchange of contemporary viewpoints. Find highquality my lai massacre stock photos and editorial news pictures from getty images. Fatal errors that led to massacre world news the guardian. The my lai massacre was a mass murder of innocent vietnamese civilians. The my lai massacre on march 16, 1968 a terrible massacre occurred at my lai, called the my lai massacre. Following a report by the investigative journalist seymour hersh the news of the my lai massacre broke in america on november 12, 1969, to the horror of the nation. Helicopter pilot hugh thompson with gunner lawrence colburn and crew chief glenn andreotta landed their helicopter between american troops rampaging through my lai village and the local people. James olson and randy roberts have combed unpublished testimony and have gathered a collection of eyewitness accounts from those who were at my lai and reports from those who investigated the incident. On march 16, 1968, troops from the united states army entered a series of villages in south vietnam, and what ensued has been called the my lai massacre, one of the most shameful events in the history of u. America is still facing demands to apologise for the 1968 my lai massacre in vietnam, and the remains of charred iraqi. My lai was a village of about 700 inhabitants some 100 miles to the southeast of the us base of danang. Seymour hersh broke the true nature of the event in his pulitzer prize winning article. This incident redefined the way in which soldiers were trained to deal with civilians in times of conflict.
My lai massacre legal definition of my lai massacre. The 1968 my lai massacre, during the vietnam war, and its aftermath can be conceptualized. Apr 17, 2006 buy the my lai massacre in american history and memory new ed by oliver, kendrick isbn. Pfc capezza shown setting a fire during the my lai massacre, in which between 300 and 500 vietnamese civilians were killed. My lai massacre vietnamese citizens photographed during the my lai massacre, march 16, 1968. Between 347 and 504 unarmed people were killed by u. It was mentioned only in passing in high school, and it wouldnt be until college that i learned much more about the vietnam conflict in general, and my lai in particular i took several classes specifically on vietnamt.
Like i had mentioned before, four hours in my lai shows how charlie company played in a playground of madness. Other books have exposed the facts surrounding the incident. America never fully recovered from or forgot the grim day in 1968 when the soldiers of charlie company killed almost four hundred vietnamese civilians at my lai. My lai massacre, also called pinkville massacre, mass killing of as many as 500 unarmed villagers by u. Author howard jones discusses his new book on one of the most infamous chapters of the vietnam war and american military history. Howard jones, the author of mutiny on the amistad and the bay of pigs among eleven books dealing with american history, adds a twelfth work, a very sobering research into the my lai massacre during the vietnam conflict. Army platoon was sent on a search and destroy mission to a south vietnamese village thought to be sheltering viet cong guerrillas. After the massacre by heonik kwon paperback university of.
Army troops murdered more than 300 unarmed vietnamese women, children, and. Shop my lai massacre vietnam 1968 books at alibris. What happened next became one of the most infamous episodes in american military history. The history of the vietnam wars most notorious atrocity. A newsweek poll on calleys fate, newsweek, april 12, 1971, p. Sample history internal assessment by student at ist via uk 1 case study on the my lai massacre how representative is the my lai massacre as evidence of american experience in vietnam. A nailbiting and exhaustive narrative that places the my lai massacre within the wider context of the vietnam war. My lai massacre stock pictures, royaltyfree photos. A scrupulous history of one of the darkest moments in american military history. The authors discuss the ramifications of the coverup and the ensuing investigations for the american public, policymakers, the antiwar movement and the soldiers involved. Mar, 2020 the events at my lai were covered up by highranking army officers until investigative journalist seymour hersh broke the story. The newspaper coverage prompted widespread condemnation and reduced public support for the vietnam war in the united states. Jun 05, 2010 the my lai massacre happened on march 16 1968, and the peers report concludes that between 190 and 230 civilians including women and children were killed, many of them very cruelly.
The my lai massacre of march 16, 1968 and the court martial of lt. Though a generation has passed since the massacre of civilians at my lai, the legacy. The my lai massacre, which took place on the morning of march 16, 1968, was a watershed in the history of modern american combat, and a turning point in the public perception of the vietnam war. The my lai massacre, as it became later known, constituted one of the most. The my lai massacre is regarded as one of the most appalling actions of united states troops deployed overseas. Vietnam, 1968 and the descent into darkness notable historian howard jones argues that the massacre that took place on march 16, 1968 killing 504 vietnamese villagers laid bare the war, revealing that it was unwinnable and that, in the process of fighting for democracy and a way of life. If the tet offensive of 1968 had mocked americas complacent expectation of an imminent victory, my lais exposure late in 1969 poisoned the idea that the war was a moral enterprise. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A brief history with documents edition 1 by james s.
Kendrick oliver, the my lai massacre in american history and memory. Mar 15, 2018 on march 16, 1968, american soldiers of charlie company, were sent on what they were told was a mission to confront a crack outfit of their vietcong enemies. Kendrick oliver argues that the massacre revelations left many americans untroubled. Soon, my lai was frontpage news and an international scandal. A brief history with documents previously planned title was dark mirror. The my lai massacre was a pivotal moment in that misbegotten war.
My lai massacre survivor speaks of his survival thingsasian. Michael herr admits in his book dispatches that he never found a way to. The my lai massacre was the most notorious episode in modern u. In this collection, explore films, interviews, articles, image galleries and more for an indepth look at notable female figures in american history.
This is the first book to examine the response of american society to the my lai massacre and its ambiguous place in american national memory. I was deeply parted by the material simply because of the events that occurred during the massacre. The memoirs of richard nixon new york, 1978, 44950. On 16 march 1968, two us infantry companies entered a vietnamese village and in the course of a single morning killed over 400 of its unarmed, unresisting inhabitants. Evidence of the massacre at my lai american experience. The event known as the my lai massacre was one of the darkest moments of the vietnam war, and further fueled the already growing antiwar movement in the united states. The my lai massacre and how to write about war the diplomat. Mar 27, 2015 the my lai massacre is probably one of the most infamous events of the vietnam war. The south vietnamese village of my lai was the site of one of the most tragic events of the vietnam war. The best book by far on the my lai massacre and its aftermathexhaustively. During the vietnam war, or antiamerican war as locals referred to it, 504 civilians were recorded to have been shot dead in four hours by members of the u.
Nov 30, 2001 a single, horrific, atrocity can provide the defining moment in a war. The public response to the my lai massacre by sam leagre on prezi. Introducing readers to the most controversial event of the vietnam war, this brief history examines the massacre and its coverup and discusses the ramifications that the ensuing. It can be a tearjerker and a heart ripping experience.
Paul meadlo, father of two, and one of the soldiers involved in the massacre. A display at the my lai memorial site in my lai village, vietnam. It is known as the worst atrocity of the vietnam war. The vietnam war produced many indiscriminate killings, civilian casualties and war crimes. My lai hardcover howard jones oxford university press. In february 2010, i wrote about a visit to the vietnamese village of my lai, quang ngai province.
Has the united states learned its lesson after the my lai. William thomas allison, a professor of military history at georgia southern. Howard jones my lai is one of the most important books of the past decade on the vietnam war. As the korean war was winding down, america joined the southeast asia treaty. In war, truth is the first casualty aeschylus 1998 words. Based on a detailed study of local history and moral practices, after the massacre focuses on the. Mar 16, 2018 50 years on, my lai massacre remains a gaping wound american soldiers in vietnam killed more than 500 civilians in a period of four hours on march 16, 1968, in the village of my lai. Jun 30, 2019 villagers in my lai during the 1968 operation and massacre.
Lieutenant william calley led the first platoon of charlie company during its service in the quang ngai province in vietnam. The my lai massacre became a defining symbol of the vietnam war. William calley a year and a half later are among the bleakest episodes in american history and continue to provide a volatile focus for debates about the vietnam war. Though a few army officers soon learned about the killings, it was more than a year before the rest of the world heard the truth about the massacre. On american maps, the location was marked as my lai 4, and when news of the killings leaked into the american press over a year and a half later in november 1969, it was under that name that the incident became infamous as the my lai massacre. Vietnam, 1968, and the descent into darkness spans 353 pages, followed by 84 pages of notes, and an eleven page. Jun 01, 2006 the my lai massacre, as it has come to be known, refers to the killing of hundreds of vietnamese civilians by u. Works cited tim obrien decided not to parallel the way the event was discovered.
In itlotw, however, richard thinbill is the one who exposes john. My lai vietnam, 1968, and the descent into darkness howard jones pivotal moments in american history. This volume introduces students to the most controversial incident of the vietnam war the my lai massacre when almost 400 vietnamese civilians were killed in four hours. The official death toll, according to the us government, was 347, though the vietnamese government asserts that 504 villagers were massacred. Vietnam, 1968, and the descent into darkness, university of alabama history professor emeritus howard jones looks back at the events and their aftermath in a chronological 475page narrative based on original archival research and eyewitness interviews. Only one american was injured during the my lai massacre of march 16, 1968 a soldier who had shot himself in the foot whilst clearing his pistol.
How representative is the my lai massacre as evidence of. Bbc news asiapacific murder in the name of war my lai. The my lai massacre in american history and memory. Lai massacre was the vietnam war mass murder of unarmed south vietnamese. The my lai massacre was possibly the single worst atrocity committed by american forces during. Army soldiers from company c, 1st battalion, 20th infantry regiment and company b. The massacre at my lai on march 16, 1968 continues to haunt students of the vietnam war as a moment that challenges notions of american virtue. He has masterfully peeled away the complexity of the my lai massacre and its coverup to reveal more clearly than ever the dark horror, willful deceit, moral incompetence of this mass killing and its aftermath. The publics disapproval of the trial and their horror at the massacre itself caused support for the entire war to decrease.