My lai massacre
The Mai Lai Massacre was known to be one of the most atrocious wars during the Vietnam War. It started on March 16, 1968 when US troops from the Charlie Company (11th Brigade) invaded the district of Son My killing 500 people including children, women and the elderly. The soldiers were commanded by Lieutenant William Calley and ordered on a "search and destroy" mission where they expected members of the NLF; also known as the Vietcong or VC, to be active. No one in My Lai was considered to be of military age, however American Soldiers continued to shoot. They were unable to guarantee anyone from the Son My area was not apart of the NLF because everyone in the villages of South Vietnam wore similar style clothing, regardless of their race or gender. Soldiers went as far as killing babies, raping women and carving into villagers with bayonets.
Knowledge of the massacre did not reach the American public until November 1969 when several interviews were aired on television and articles were released and published in newspapers and books. One of the first reporters of the massacre was American journalist, Seymour Hersh. He explained the horrific killings of the unarmed men, women and children of the Son My area through a series of articles he wrote and later won him a Pulitzer Prize. As an investigative journalist, he traveled around the world in search for Lieutenant Calley and spoke with Vietnam veterans; one in particular, Ron Ridenhour about the massacre. After several days of searching for Calley, Hersh eventually did and wrote several articles disclosing exclusive information about the massacre which he obtained through his five hour interview with Calley. However, a military investigation had already taken place before the public was able to voice their opinion and Lieutenant Calley had been charged with murder (of 109 Vietnamese) and sentenced to life in prison in 1971. Three years later, Calley was released and issued a dishonorable discharge from the military. Calley's trial become a controversial issue within the public and Americans often questioned whether his intentions and actions were right or wrong.
Interview with Seymour Hersh; he talks about his experience of tracking down Lt. William Calley.