My Lai Massacre
 | This article does not have any sources. (September 2025) |
| My Lai massacre Thảm sát Mỹ Lai | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Vietnam War | |
 A picture of victims of the My Lai Massacre. | |
| Location | Sơn Mỹ village, Sơn Tịnh district, Quảng Ngãi province, South Vietnam |
| Date | 16 March 1968 |
| Target | Mỹ Lai 4 and Mỹ Khe 4 hamlets |
Attack type | Massacre, war rape, torture |
| Deaths |
|
| Perpetrators | |
| Defenders | Hugh Thompson Jr. Glenn Andreotta Lawrence Colburn |
| Convicted | William Calley |
During the My Lai Massacre (pronounced IPA: [mi.˧˩˥'lɐːj˧˧], Thảm sát Mỹ Lai, Thảm sát Sơn Mỹ), United States soldiers killed hundreds of civilians at the village of My Lai, South Vietnam. This war crime took place on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War.
Eventually, the crew of a U.S. Army helicopter saw the massacre happening and intervened to stop it. The crew saved the lives of 11 Vietnamese civilians.
A memorial in My Lai lists the names of 504 victims.
Events
[change | change source]Before the massacre, U.S. soldiers were told that all "true" civilians would be at the market on the day of the murders and rapes. They were told that anyone left in the village would be members of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam.
When the soldiers got to the village, they did not find any NLF troops. Despite this, many soldiers began to kill the villagers, mainly elderly people, women, and children.
Rescue
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While flying a U.S. Army helicopter over the village of Sơn Mỹ, Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson Jr. saw dead and wounded civilians. The helicopter was providing close-air support for U.S. soldiers on the ground.
The crew used two-way radio to call for help for the wounded civilians. Next they landed their helicopter next to a ditch, which they saw was full of bodies. They could see movement by survivors in the ditch.
Thompson spoke with two American soldiers next to the ditch. When Thompson was lifting off with the helicopter, he saw that a sergeant named Mitchell was shooting into the ditch.
Thompson and his crew also saw an unarmed woman being kicked and shot at point-blank range by an officer named Medina. Medina later claimed that he thought the woman had a hand grenade.
Thompson then saw a group of civilians at a bunker. Soldiers were moving towards the civilians. Thompson landed, and told his crew that if the soldiers shot at the villagers while he was trying to get them out of the bunker, then his crew was to open fire on the soldiers. He and his crew were able to stop the massacre.
After the massacre
[change | change source]The killings were covered up by the United States Army, but eventually 26 soldiers were charged with being involved in the killings. However, only one, Lieutenant William Calley, was found guilty.
The massacre caused public opinion in the United States to shift further towards wanting peace and wanting to get American soldiers out of Vietnam.
Years after the event, the crew of the U.S. Army helicopter were awarded the Soldier's medal for bravery. This is the highest award for a soldier who doesn't have contact with the enemy. The crew members were Hugh Thompson Jr., Glenn Andreotta, and Lawrence Colburn. Andreotta received the award posthumously: he died in the Vietnam War.
References
[change | change source]Related pages
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