My Lai and the Vietnam War
Par for the Course
From the testimony of many of the company's soldiers, it is clear that some very vague language was used at the briefing before the action started on March 16th. Captain Medina briefed his troops, according to most testimony, to destroy the village and make it uninhabitable. To most soldiers, this meant to destroy the dwellings and supplies and anything associated with the North Vietnamese. But once in the heat of battle, orders seem to have broadened to anything in the path of the army. Orders were given to round up everyone and shoot them, creating huge piles of dead civilians in ditches along the road through My Lai. The impact of this scene upon the soldiers of Charlie Company left an unforgettable image in their mind.
We can see this impact upon many of the war's veterans. It is difficult to imagine in such a confusing war that this was the only occasion for such atrocities. Orders were probably routinely messed up, especially with the lack of training to officers. Another reason for this being a routine problem is the need for revenge. With an enemy that is seemingly invisible, any occurrence of combat should bring about the overzealous use of force. This is not a reason to forgive these troops though; orders should be clarified and if they are deemed illegal action needs to be taken against the commanding officer and those under his charge.
In short, My Lai was not an isolated incident. Poor planning, inadequate training, and the lack of clear and definable orders and boundaries allowed for such incidents to occur. The later acquittal of nearly all of the soldiers in Charlie Company shows that many of the members of these hearings had known the difficulties associated with this war. That does not mean that in the years beyond this conflict that they should be forgiven for killing innocent lives in a war that should have never been fought.
Published by Nicholas Katers
Nicholas Katers is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (BA, 2003) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (MA, 2007) in History and currently a freelance writer. You can find his work in the In... View profile
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3 Comments
Post a CommentThere are a few books written well after the war, but I believe “Unheralded Victory†by Mark W. Woodruff is easiest to learn what really happened in Vietnam. This eye opening book was written in 1999. The book's data and sources come from American and Vietnamese well after the conflict to erase emotions and patriotism. Alibris.com has used ones available for very little cost.
My guess is that once you read this book, you will be in awe of the veterans accomplishments, despite having to endure all the restrictions and ill-placed public negativity.
In general, our nation and veterans have nothing to be ashamed of regarding our participation in the Vietnam War.
I find it disturbing when everyone (seemingly) rips the USA apart because of the much publicized My Lai Massacre. Clearly this was committed by a few individuals and not US government and army policy. Some soldiers refused to participate and some simply walked away. This came to an end when other US troops protected the civilians and threatened to shoot their fellow soldiers. We that have never experienced the tremendous stress of war could never imagine committing such an act. This is not to be used as an excuse. What these few soldiers did was wrong. This terrible event amounts to nothing, compared to the planned and premeditated slaughter of civilians, throughout the war by the North Vietnamese government and NVA official policy.
There are a few books written well after the war, but I believe “Unheralded Victory†by Mark W. Woodruff is easiest to learn what really happened in Vietnam. This eye opening book was written in 1999. The book's data and sources come from Ame
Throughout the war the North Vietnamese government had a detailed and systematic plan to execute and murder South Vietnamese citizens they deemed as threats. Also, Ho Chi Minh was absolutely viscous to the people in the North. R.J. Rummell estimates that from 1957 to 1975 the North Vietnamese government executed around 50,000 North Vietnamese civilians (most were executed by 1960). Source: R.J. Rummell (1997). "Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations".
North Vietnam’s brutality did not stop at the war’s end. An estimated 95,000 South Vietnamese civilians died in the communist “re-education†camps, another 500,000 were involved in forced labor projects, which killed 48,000 civilians. Another 100,000 were executed. Finally, 400,000 people died while trying to flee Vietnam. This does not include the unknown fate of thousands of indigent people enslaved for laborious work on the Ho Chi Minh trail throughout the war.
I find it disturbing when everyone (se