📚 The Mỹ Lai Massacre - March 16th 1968

Ian Miller
Jan 22
2 min read

🌍 Context

Date: March 16, 1968
Location: Sơn Mỹ village, Quảng Ngãi Province, South Vietnam (hamlets Mỹ Lai and Mỹ Khê).
Unit Involved: Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade, Americal Division.
Backdrop: U.S. forces were frustrated by guerrilla warfare and heavy casualties in the area, which was considered a Viet Cong stronghold.

⚔️ The Massacre

Capt. Ernest Medina ordered Charlie Company to “search and destroy” the village, expecting Viet Cong fighters.

Lt. William Calley, leading 1st Platoon, directed soldiers to round up civilians.

Instead of finding armed combatants, they encountered unarmed villagers — mostly women, children, and elderly men.
Soldiers executed civilians, burned homes, destroyed crops, and killed livestock.
Victims were shot in ditches; some women were assaulted before being killed.
Casualties: Between 347 and 504 civilians were murdered.

🛑 Intervention

Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson Jr., piloting a helicopter, saw the killings.
He landed, confronted U.S. soldiers, and ordered his crew — Lawrence Colburn and Glenn Andreotta — to protect civilians.
Thompson reported the massacre immediately, risking his career to stop further killings.

📜 Exposure

Initially, the Army covered it up, reporting a “successful engagement” with Viet Cong.
In 1969, Ronald Ridenhour, a former soldier, wrote letters to Congress and military officials after hearing accounts from comrades.
Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh broke the story publicly in November 1969, shocking the world.

⚖️ Investigations & Trials

The Peers Inquiry (1970) documented widespread atrocities and failures of command.
Lt. William Calley was court‑martialed, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment (later reduced; he served 3½ years under house arrest).
Capt. Ernest Medina was court‑martialed but acquitted, claiming he never ordered the killings.
Higher‑ranking officers largely escaped punishment, fueling criticism of military accountability.

📊 Key Figures

Name	Role	Outcome
Lt. William Calley	Led 1st Platoon	Convicted of murder, 3½ years house arrest
Capt. Ernest Medina	Company commander	Court‑martialed, acquitted
Hugh Thompson Jr.	Helicopter pilot	Intervened, later honored
Lawrence Colburn & Glenn Andreotta	Helicopter crew	Protected civilians
Ronald Ridenhour	Whistleblower	Exposed massacre via letters
Seymour Hersh	Journalist	Published exposé in 1969
Gen. William Peers	Led Army investigation	Produced Peers Report

Hugh Thompson Jr. is remembered as one of the few U.S. soldiers who acted with courage and humanity during the Mỹ Lai massacre in Vietnam.

✨ In Summary

The Mỹ Lai massacre was a systematic killing of hundreds of civilians by U.S. troops, led by Lt. Calley under Capt. Medina’s command. It was stopped only when Hugh Thompson intervened. The atrocity was covered up, exposed by whistleblowers and journalists, and remains a symbol of the moral collapse of the Vietnam War and the importance of accountability.