My Lai Massacre

On the morning of March 16, 1968 in a small village called My Lai in the Quang Nai province of Vietnam, small families of mothers, young children, and elderly were naively enjoying their breakfasts and chattering amongst themselves. Not long after, soldiers of the Charlie Company commanded by Lieutenant William Calley Jr. invaded the hamlet in a search and destroy mission (Robertson 465). American soldiers relentlessly and mercilessly attacked unarmed, unresisting Vietnamese families. The air was thick with smoke and the smell of blood. Bodies were strewn across the dirt grounds; the simultaneous sound of guns firing could be heard from afar. The tragedy swept America as a shock when the reality of the events came to light. However, having…

The brutality of the My Lai massacre and the official cover up fuelled anti- Vietnam War sentiment in the USA to a great extent. The My Lai massacre could be considered one of the most horrific incidents of violence committed against unprotected civilians all through the Vietnam War. A syndicate of American soldiers brutally killed most of the people—women, children and old men—in the village of My Lai on March 16, 1968. More than 500 people were slaughtered in the My Lai massacre, as well as…

international battle. The My Lai Massacre, one result of American intervention in the Vietnam War, caused immediate tension between the American soldiers and devastation for the Vietnamese, leading to escalating opposition on the home front, and ultimately the shattering trust in the United States’ government policy. The change of support for the War, particularly in America, affected it in the Vietnamese’s favour. The Son My area, specifically My Lai 4, was suspect to being a stronghold for…

of Son My village in Quảng Ngãi Province, the thin border between duty and war crime was crossed when American soldiers raped, mutilated and killed between 347 and 504 unarmed Vietnamese men, women and children. There was no sign of resistance nor possession of weapons. According to evidence from various informants, the 48th Vietcong infantry Battalion was harbored within the border of My Lai, but in truth only innocent civilians occupied the village. Military officials promptly initiated a…

about was the My Lai massacre, which opened the eyes of many people. The My Lai massacre was an important event in the Vietnam war that caused the citizens of the United States to have a strong doubt in their military which can still be felt today. The idea of the strategy of war had changed…

"This is what you've been waiting for -- search and destroy -- and you've got it.” This quote, spoken by one of the superior United States officer, is what started the My Lai Massacre. The My Lai Massacre was a time of terrible violent outbreak in the Vietnam War in 1968. It was a time of great pain, and showed the United States a lot about the soldiers. Nothing would ever be the same after the My Lai Massacre. On March 16 of 1968, a group of soldiers charged the My Lai Hamlet believing it to…

Obedience To Authority Obedience basically means compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. Following the orders of authority blindly can have many negative effects. My Lai Massacre, Jonestown Massacre, Millgram Experiment and Nanking Massacre are some incidents that have caused negative consequences as a result of obedience to authority. My Lai Massacre took place in 1968. On the morning of March 16, 1968, soldiers of Charlie company, arrived in the hamlet…

The My Lai Massacre took place on March 16, 1968, in a small village located in the Quang Ngai province named My Lai. The U.S. soldiers thought of My Lai as a stronghold of their Viet Cong enemies, and was a frequent target of U.S. and South Vietnamese bombing attacks. An American contingent of 100 soldiers, “Charlie Company”, led by Lieutenant William L. Calley, had received poor intelligence and were told that they would encounter many Viet Cong. After the murder of 504 innocent civilians, the…

prevent by means of a passive dialogue. Consecutively, one of the worst conflicts in the history of the United States was the My Lai Massacre. The responsible for the spilling of innocent blood is the soldiers called Charlie Company. My Lai was a Village with about 700 inhabitants in Vietnam. After this massacre was over, only the people…

The Film A Few Good Men provides a lens through which to view the issues discussed in the articles "The Genocidal Killer in the Mirror" by Crispin Sartwell and "The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of Obedience" by Herbert C. Kelman and V. Lee Hamilton. The film depicts a classic struggle between moral correctness and militarized obedience. In "The Genocidal Killer in the Mirror," Sartwell describes that in certain situations and circumstances even the most moral people could be swayed into…