On the morning of March 16, 1968, At war with Vietnam, soldiers of Charlie Company, a unit of the American Division's 11th Brigade arrived in My Lai, the northern part of South Vietnam. They were on a “search and destroy” mission. The unit met no resistance in My Lai, which had about 700 citizens. Indeed, they saw no males of fighting age, they only found villagers eating breakfast. They posed no threat to the group, they killed them just for the statement. Killing hundreds of men, women, and children, taking there right to a life. News of the massacre did not reach the US until November 1969. One whole year after Lt. Calley ordered the killing of over 700 defenseless women, children, and elderly . In addition, Vietnamese women were raped;other civilians were beaten and stabbed. Some victims were imprinted with the signature "C Company" carved into the chest. One soldier would testify later, "I cut their throats, cut off their hands, cut out their tongues, scalped them. I did it. A lot of people were doing it and I just followed. I lost all sense of direction." Only one American was injured - a GI who had shot himself in the foot while clearing his pistol.
Lieutenant Calley
-He was born June 8, 1943 (age 70)
-Rank- Second Lieutenant in the US Amry
-Unit- Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division
-Calley was charged on September 5, 1969, with six specifications of murder for the deaths of 104 Vietnamese civilians near the village of My Lai, at a hamlet called Son My, more commonly called My Lai in the U.S. press. As many as 500 villagers, mostly women, children, infants and elderly, had been cold bloodily killed by American soldiers during a bloody rampage on March 16, 1968. Upon conviction, Calley could have faced the death penalty. Soon the report was leaked by a reporter, and On March 31, 1971, Calley was sentenced to life imprisonment and hard labor at Fort Leavenworth.
-He was born June 8, 1943 (age 70)
-Rank- Second Lieutenant in the US Amry
-Unit- Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division
-Calley was charged on September 5, 1969, with six specifications of murder for the deaths of 104 Vietnamese civilians near the village of My Lai, at a hamlet called Son My, more commonly called My Lai in the U.S. press. As many as 500 villagers, mostly women, children, infants and elderly, had been cold bloodily killed by American soldiers during a bloody rampage on March 16, 1968. Upon conviction, Calley could have faced the death penalty. Soon the report was leaked by a reporter, and On March 31, 1971, Calley was sentenced to life imprisonment and hard labor at Fort Leavenworth.