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The Mỹ Lai massacre was the mass murder of Vietnamese civilians by the U.S. Army on 16 March 1968. The day before the massacre, Captain Ernest Medina ordered the 20th Infantry of the 1st Battalion of Company C to kill everyone in the village of Sơn Mỹ. When troops entered the village, they killed over 500 civilians and many livestock over the course of four hours. The soldiers also committed mass rape and arson.[1]
Aftermath
The U.S. military initially portrayed the massacre as a legitimate battle in which U.S. forces killed 128 enemy soldiers. General William Westmoreland congratulated the soldiers for their massacre. More than a year later, Ron Ridenhour gathered evidence and reported the massacre. The army eventually inquired into the massacre and found 224 serious offenses committed by 28 officers, including two generals. Authorities only convicted Lieutenant William Calley, and he served a 40 month sentence, mostly under house arrest, after Nixon pardoned his life sentence.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nick Turse (2013). Kill Anything That Moves: 'Introduction' (pp. 7–9). [PDF] New York City: Metropolitan Books. ISBN 9780805086911 [LG]