After My Lai: My Year Commanding First Platoon, Charlie Company

Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Bray , you have spoken for a generation of young men and women who made sacrifices that even in people still sit in judgment of. I am married to a man whose war was in the middle east and proudly retired from active duty and continues to serve our country in a civilian position.

Thank you and countless others including the families who kept the home fires burning for your service. And for those who still sit in judgement , do not judge something you Thank you. And for those who still sit in judgement , do not judge something you will never understand. Because of men like Lt.

Bray , we live in the greatest country on this planet. Oct 27, David Ward rated it really liked it Shelves: Bray University of Oklahoma Press Biography. Feb 03, George Ferris rated it really liked it. An excellent read and insight to the thought processes of men at war in the shadow of My Lai. Sep 05, Sue added it. Oct 29, Shawn rated it it was amazing. A young lieutenant's experience in Vietnam and his platoon's link to the My Lai massacre.

Jeff Ray rated it it was amazing Dec 06, Persua Bump rated it really liked it Mar 01, Kerry rated it really liked it Mar 18, Fred Kiesche rated it it was amazing Sep 20, Alaina rated it liked it May 02, John rated it liked it Jun 20, All detainees were pushed into the ditch and then killed after repeated orders issued by Lieutenant Calley, who was also shooting. He recollected that women were allegedly saying "No VC" and were trying to shield their children. PFC Dennis Konti, a witness for the prosecution, [39] told of one especially gruesome episode during the shooting, "A lot of women had thrown themselves on top of the children to protect them, and the children were alive at first.

Then, the children who were old enough to walk got up and Calley began to shoot the children". Livestock was shot as well. I walked up and saw these guys doing strange things Setting fire to the hootches and huts and waiting for people to come out and then shooting them As I walked in you could see piles of people all through the village They were gathered up into large groups. I saw them shoot an M79 [grenade launcher] into a group of people who were still alive. But it was mostly done with a machine gun. They were shooting women and children just like anybody else.

We met no resistance and I only saw three captured weapons. We had no casualties. As a matter of fact, I don't remember seeing one military-age male in the entire place, dead or alive. One group of 20—50 villagers was herded south of Xom Lang and killed on a dirt road. According to Ronald Haeberle 's eyewitness account of the massacre, in one instance,. All of a sudden the GIs just opened up with M16s. Beside the M16 fire, they were shooting at the people with M79 grenade launchers I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Lieutenant Calley testified that he heard the shooting and arrived on the scene. He observed his men firing into a ditch with Vietnamese people inside and he then started shooting, with an M16, from a distance of five feet. After that, around After the initial sweeps by 1st and 2nd platoons, 3rd Platoon was dispatched to deal with any "remaining resistance". During this operation, between 60 and people, including women and children, were killed. Over the next day, both companies were involved in additional burning and destruction of dwellings, as well as mistreatment of Vietnamese detainees.

While some soldiers of Charlie Company did not participate in the crimes, they neither openly protested nor complained later to their superiors.

My Lai Massacre

William Thomas Allison, a professor of Military History at Georgia Southern University, wrote, "By midmorning, members of Charlie Company had killed hundreds of civilians and raped or assaulted countless women and young girls. They encountered no enemy fire and found no weapons in My Lai itself".

They landed their helicopter by a ditch, which they noted was full of bodies and in which there was movement. Thompson, shocked and confused, then spoke with Calley, who claimed to be "just following orders". As the helicopter took off, Thompson saw Mitchell firing into the ditch. Thompson and his crew witnessed an unarmed woman being kicked and shot at point-blank range by Captain Medina, who later claimed that he thought she had a hand grenade. Thompson landed and told his crew that if the soldiers shot at the Vietnamese while he was trying to get them out of the bunker that they were to open fire on these soldiers.

Thompson later testified that he spoke with a lieutenant identified as Stephen Brooks of 2nd Platoon and told him there were women and children in the bunker, and asked if the lieutenant would help get them out.

According to Thompson, "he [the lieutenant] said the only way to get them out was with a hand grenade". Thompson testified that he then told Brooks to "just hold your men right where they are, and I'll get the kids out. A crew member, Glenn Andreotta entered the ditch and returned with a bloodied but apparently unharmed four-year old girl, who was flown to safety. Watke, using terms such as "murder" and "needless and unnecessary killings. Glenn Andreotta was awarded his medal posthumously, as he was killed in Vietnam on 8 April In March , the helicopter crew's medals were replaced by the Soldier's Medal , the highest the U.

Army can award for bravery not involving direct conflict with the enemy. The medal citations state they were "for heroism above and beyond the call of duty while saving the lives of at least 10 Vietnamese civilians during the unlawful massacre of non-combatants by American forces at My Lai". Thompson initially refused the medal when the U.

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Army wanted to award it quietly. He demanded it be done publicly and that his crew also be honored in the same way. After returning to base at about Barker radioed his executive officer to find out from Captain Medina what was happening on the ground. Medina then gave the cease-fire order to Charlie Company to "cut [the killing] out — knock it off". Since Thompson made an official report of the civilian killings, he was interviewed by Colonel Oran Henderson, the commander of the 11th Infantry Brigade the parent organization of the 20th Infantry. Koster, sent a congratulatory message to Charlie Company.

Westmoreland , the head of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam MACV , also congratulated Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry for "outstanding action", saying that they had "dealt [the] enemy [a] heavy blow". Owing to the chaotic circumstances of the war and the U.

Estimates vary from source to source, with and being the most commonly cited figures. A later investigation by the U. The official estimate by the local government remains Initial reports claimed " Viet Cong and 22 civilians" had been killed in the village during a "fierce fire fight".

As relayed at the time by Stars and Stripes magazine, "U.

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Helicopter gunships and artillery missions supported the ground elements throughout the day. Henderson interviewed several soldiers involved in the incident, then issued a written report in late-April claiming that some 20 civilians were inadvertently killed during the operation. The Army at this time was still describing the event as a military victory that had resulted in the deaths of enemy combatants. It would indeed be terrible to find it necessary to believe that an American soldier that harbors such racial intolerance and disregard for justice and human feeling is a prototype of all American national character; yet the frequency of such soldiers lends credulity to such beliefs.

What has been outlined here I have seen not only in my own unit, but also in others we have worked with, and I fear it is universal. If this is indeed the case, it is a problem which cannot be overlooked, but can through a more firm implementation of the codes of MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam and the Geneva Conventions, perhaps be eradicated.

In his report, Powell wrote, "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between Americal Division soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent. I got there after My Lai happened. So, in war, these sorts of horrible things happen every now and again, but they are still to be deplored. Defense Department investigated press coverage of alleged atrocities committed in South Vietnam.

In August , the page report "Alleged Atrocities by U. Military Forces in South Vietnam" was completed. No further action was taken. Independently of Glen, Specialist 5 Ronald L.

My Lai Massacre - Wikipedia

Ridenhour , a former door gunner from the Aviation Section, Headquarters Company, 11th Infantry Brigade, sent a letter in March to thirty members of Congress imploring them to investigate the circumstances surrounding the "Pinkville" incident. At one point, they hovered over a dead Vietnamese woman with a patch of the 11th Brigade on her body.

As members of Congress called for an inquiry and news correspondents abroad expressed their horror at the massacre, the General Counsel of the Army Robert Jordan was tasked with speaking to the press. He refused to confirm allegations against Calley.

Noting the significance of the fact that the statement was given at all, Bill Downs of ABC News said it amounted to the first public expression of concern by a "high defense official" that American troops "might have committed genocide. Peers was appointed by the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff to conduct a thorough review of the My Lai incident, 16—19 March , and its investigation by the Army. The evidence indicates that only 3 or 4 were confirmed as Viet Cong although there were undoubtedly several unarmed VC men, women, and children among them and many more active supporters and sympathizers.

One man from the company was reported as wounded from the accidental discharge of his weapon. Critics of the Peers Report pointed out that it sought to place the real blame on four officers who were already dead, foremost among them the commander of Task Force Barker, LTC Frank Barker, who was killed in a mid-air collision on 13 June In May , a sergeant who participated in Operation Speedy Express wrote a confidential letter to then Army Chief of Staff Westmoreland describing civilian killings he said were on the scale of the massacre occurring as "a My Lai each month for over a year" during — Two other letters to this effect from enlisted soldiers to military leaders in , all signed "Concerned Sergeant", were uncovered within declassified National Archive documents.

The letters describe common occurrences of civilian killings during population pacification operations. Army policy also stressed very high body counts and this resulted in dead civilians being marked down as combatants. Alluding to indiscriminate killings described as unavoidable, the commander of the 9th Division, then Major General Julian Ewell , in September , submitted a confidential report to Westmoreland and other generals describing the countryside in some areas of Vietnam as resembling the battlefields of Verdun.

In July , the Office of Provost Marshal General of the Army began to examine the evidence collected by the General Peers inquiry regarding possible criminal charges. Eventually, Calley was charged with several counts of premeditated murder in September , and 25 other officers and enlisted men were later charged with related crimes. On 17 November , a court-martial in the United States charged 14 officers, including Major General Samuel Koster, the Americal Division's commanding officer, with suppressing information related to the incident.

Most of the charges were later dropped. During the four-month-long trial, Lieutenant Calley consistently claimed that he was following orders from his commanding officer, Captain Medina. Despite that, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on 29 March , after being found guilty of premeditated murder of not fewer than twenty people. Two days later, President Richard Nixon made the controversial decision to have Calley released from armed custody at Fort Benning , Georgia, and put under house arrest pending appeal of his sentence. Court of Military Appeals in In August , Calley's sentence was reduced by the Convening Authority from life to twenty years.

Calley would eventually serve three and one-half years under house arrest at Fort Benning including three months in a disciplinary barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In a separate trial, Captain Medina denied giving the orders that led to the massacre, and was acquitted of all charges, effectively negating the prosecution's theory of " command responsibility ", now referred to as the "Medina standard". Several months after his acquittal, however, Medina admitted he had suppressed evidence and had lied to Colonel Henderson about the number of civilian deaths.

Captain Kotouc, an intelligence officer from 11th Brigade, was also court-martialed and found not guilty. Major General Koster was demoted to brigadier general and lost his position as the Superintendent of West Point. His deputy, Brigadier General Young, received a letter of censure. Both were stripped of Distinguished Service Medals which had been awarded for service in Vietnam.

Of the 26 men initially charged, Lieutenant Calley was the only one convicted. Howard Callaway , Secretary of the Army, was quoted in The New York Times in as stating that Calley's sentence was reduced because Calley honestly believed that what he did was a part of his orders—a rationale that contradicts the standards set at Nuremberg and Tokyo, where following orders was not a defense for committing war crimes.

During the meeting, Henderson is instructed to conduct an investigation into the events that occurred on the 16th. However, this investigation proves to contain little else than the interview with Thompson, a brief conversation with Captain Medina, and a fly-over of the My Lai village area. Henderson's investigation report, submitted on April 24, states that 20 civilians had been killed and Thompson's allegations are false. The operation at My Lai is finally over. Within hours of arriving at landing zone Dottie, Henderson briefly interrogates Captain Medina, who in turn instructs his troops to stay silent about the mission.

In an official report regarding the My Lai operation, Lieutenant Colonel Barker concludes the assault was successful: Friendly casualties were light and the enemy suffered heavily. The end of Charlie Company Task Force Barker's mission is declared a success and the Companies involved are disbanded. April 11, Echoing the report from March 28, the chief of Son My submits a report to Vietcong officials, alleging that on March 16 a U. Ridenhour, who had trained with Charlie Company in Hawaii and went on to serve as a door gunner for another company, is told by Gruver that civilians had been shot and killed.

This piques Ridenhour's curiosity and he begins an informal investigation. The report concludes that 20 civilians had been killed accidentally. Finding that report inadequate, Major Koster then instructs Colonel Henderson to conduct a formal inquiry. However, Lieutenant Colonel Barker carries through the investigation, despite his own task force being the subject of the investigation. After the chief's report becomes public knowledge, local Vietcong unite in Quang Ngai and distribute leaflets about the incident. American commanders dismiss these leaflets as "propaganda. Thompson is shot down five times, the last occurring during a mission from Da Nang to an airbase at Chu Lai, which breaks his back.

Many members of Charlie Company have a similar experience, isolated in the mountains surrounded by enemy snipers for over 50 days following the massacre. June With a growing interest in what occurred at My Lai, Ridenhour seeks out Sergeant Larry LaCroix at Chu Lai, who specifically mentions Lieutenant Calley's involvement in firing upon a group of civilians with a machine gun. Although Ridenhour is discharged soon after this interview and returns to his home in Phoenix, he continues gathering information about the events of March He writes a letter presenting the evidence of a massacre at My Lai.

April 2, Ridenhour sends his letter to 30 prominent men in Washington, D.

Mo Udall's office is the first to respond directly to Ridenhour, calling for an official investigation. April 12, Highly decorated veteran Colonel Howard Whitaker receives orders to investigate Ridenhour's allegations and flies to Chu Lai, Vietnam to begin the process. Whitaker reports almost immediately to Washington that the men of Charlie Company mentioned by Ridenhour should be interviewed. April 29, After questioning Ridenhour in Phoenix, Army veteran Colonel William Wilson begins to interview members of Charlie Company in an attempt to determine whether the events at My Lai merited a criminal investigation.

In his testimony, Sergeant LaCroix admits that there had been "unnecessary" civilian casualties and mentions that Warrant Officer Thompson had filed a complaint following the operation. Mid-May Colonel Wilson interviews Captain Medina, who reveals that Henderson had been directed to conduct an investigation. This is a red flag to Wilson, and when he interviews Henderson on the 26th he initially claims that his informal investigation revealed nothing alarming.

Later in the interview, however, Henderson claims that he made both a formal and an informal investigation, the former conducted by Colonel Barker. However, due to Barker's death and the disorganization in the Chu Lai headquarters, no report is located. June 5, Lieutenant Calley is identified as a suspect in an official inquiry and recalled to the U. June 13, Warrant Officer Thompson is asked to identify the officer he argued with when he landed his plane at My Lai, and Thompson picks Lieutenant Calley out of a lineup.

July 17, Wilson interviews Private Meadlo, who is the first to personally confess his guilt. With Meadlo's confession, Colonel Wilson presents the findings of his investigation to the Office of the Inspector General in Washington. August 4, The investigation is turned over to the Criminal Investigation Division CID after it is determined that a full criminal investigation is necessary. August 25, Detective Feher interviews former Army photographer Sergeant Haeberle, who shows Feher a collection of personal photographs he had taken at My Lai.

These pictures are the first hard evidence regarding the alleged massacre. September 5, The day before his scheduled discharge from the Army, Lieutenant Calley is charged with six counts of premeditated murder. The public information office issues a press release stating Calley was being retained because of an ongoing investigation. NBC Correspondent Robert Goralski states during an evening broadcast five days later that Lieutenant Calley "has been accused of premeditated murder of a number of South Vietnamese civilians.

The murders are alleged to have been committed a year ago and the investigation is continuing. November 26, The General of the U. Westmoreland, issues a directive for an investigation into the My Lai incident, and appoints Lieutenant General William R. Peers to lead the inquiry. Peers, a well-respected core commander in Vietnam, is ordered to examine the adequacy of inquiries into the My Lai massacre. This inquiry is intended to focus on a possible military cover up, whereas Detective Feher and the CID are charged with examining potential war crimes during the operation itself.

In a hearing before the armed services committee of the House and Senate, Secretary of the Army, Stanley Resor, testifies. He presents what was incontrovertibly known about the My Lai massacre and announces the appointment of Lieutenant General Peers to lead the inquiry. Resor also presents Photographer Sergeant Ron Haeberle's photos from that day. Early December Lieutenant General Peers' inquiry team grows exponentially, and the number of officers under investigation increases to December 2, The Peers inquiry identifies 10 possible suspects for the My Lai killings and begins taking testimony from witnesses.

December 5, Sergeant Haeberle's photos are published and exacerbate the already-strong public outcry over the My Lai massacre. The horrific images immediately cause a country-wide uproar. December 8, President Nixon speaks for the first time about the My Lai investigation, acknowledging that it appears a massacre took place, but stating his confidence that it was an isolated incident. The census concludes that Charlie Company killed Vietnamese men, women and children.

December 24, The Peers Inquiry has gathered testimony from 39 witnesses. General Peers travels to Vietnam to locate copies of Lieutenant Colonel Barker's formal investigation that both Colonel Henderson and Major General Koster insisted existed, but finds no evidence of a report existing.

During his two weeks in Vietnam, Peers also conducts more interviews and takes a reconnaissance flight over the My Lai villages. January 8, Returning from Vietnam, Peers expands his team to accommodate multiple simultaneous interviews. The inquiry report deadline is set for March 14th. March 7, The Peers Inquiry finishes their th interview to complete taking the testimony. Three days later Captain Medina is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and premeditated murder of over civilians. The Panel names 30 people who had suppressed evidence about the killing of civilians during the My Lai operation.

Because of a two-year statute of limitations on military offenses, the army has only two days to press charges. March 15, The Army presses charges against 25 men, including Captain Eugene Koutoc aggravated assault, Colonel Oran Henderson dereliction of duty, failure to report a war crime, perjury, and Brigadier General George Young dereliction of duty, failure to obey lawful regulations. November 17, Lieutenant Calley's court-martial begins for six counts of premeditated murder that he had been charged with nearly a year before.

A conviction of these charges could come with a death sentence, and therefore brought a massive amount of media attention. During the trial, the military prosecutor insisted that Calley ordered his men to deliberately murder civilians, a direct defiance of the U. Calley's defense was that he was simply following the orders of Captain Medina, a defense damaged by Medina's denial of any such order. January During his trial for charges of assault with intent to murder at least six My Lai civilians, Sergeant Charles Hutto admits to killing a group of unarmed civilians with an M60 machine gun.

Hutto's acquittal on the 14th sets the precedent that "obeying orders" is a viable defense for mass murder.