Lieutenant William Calley And The My Lai Massacre
"There is not involved day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai, I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry." Former lieutenant William Calley spoke these words at a Kiwanis Club, where he gave a public apology to the audience for his part in the My Lai Massacre 40 years overdue. A while after the massacre he was sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later commuted. Even though President Nixon reduced Calley’s sentence, the decision was unjustified because the jury found him guilty and he also confessed to the crime. Lieutenant William Calley was a United States Army officer that was convicted of murder …show more content…
A reporter by the name of Ronald Ridenhour heard rumors about the massacre and decided to investigate more into the rumors. He sent a report of his findings to President Nixon and sixteen congressmen, which resulted in a Pentagon Investigation. “Lieutenant William Calley was charged with premeditated murder of no less than 70 occupants of the My Lai village by means of shooting them with a rifle” (Eckhardt). During the trial, Calley attempted to use multiple arguments to defend himself completely innocent. The questions asked of Lt. Calley during the four-month-long trial showed that he was responsible for the deaths of the many that were killed during the massacre. When asked how to evacuate someone, Calley said,” I meant just - I meant only that the only means I could evacuate the people would be a hand grenade” (O'Brien 135). When asked about whether sex or age crossed his mind during the massacre he said,” I didn't discriminate between individuals in the village, sir. They were all the enemy, they were all to be destroyed, sir" (O'Brien 141). Calley tried to cover up his actions by saying that he was only following the orders of his command. He told the jury that Captain Ernest Medina gave the command to kill and destroy the enemy. “Like I said, I gave the order to take those people through the ditch and had also told Meadlo if he couldn't move them, to waste them, and I directly -- other than
Summary Of Vietnam Book One: Sharpshooter
106 Words | 1 PagesIn Vietnam Book One: Sharpshooter by Chris Lynch, Ivan, a teenager, joins the army to become a sniper. To begin with, Ivan has a friend named Rudi, and he gets drafted for the Vietnam War. Soon, Ivan decides he will volunteer to become a marksman. As expected, he gets put into a group of others that are training to be snipers. He gradually learns that being a sniper can be hard.
Martin Bryant: A Brief Background Of The Port Arthur Massacre
1469 Words | 6 PagesThe Port Arthur massacre of late April 1996, still remains clear in every Australian's mind. The worst mass shooting ever committed by a lone gunman in the English-speaking-world, this event resulted in the heavy gun-control laws put in place all across Australia. This indiscriminate killing of innocent men, women and children has seriously affected the Australian way of life. Martin Bryant, aged 28 at the time, killed 35 people and injured 23 using a variety of weapons, including a Colt AR-15 high-powered rifle, and a 12-gauge Daewoo self-loading shotgun.
Seung-Hui Cho: The Virginia Tech Mass Murderer
418 Words | 2 PagesThe Virginia Tech mass murderer “Seung-Hui Cho” is a mass murderer. He is a mass murderer because he killed more than four people at one location during one continuous period of time. Even though that Cho went into two class rooms it still counts as one location because he was still at the school. Cho killed thirty two people and wounded many more within an hour. He walked in the classroom closed the door and started a shooting rampage.
William Calley's Experience At My Lai Massacre And The Vietnamese Massacre
951 Words | 4 PagesCarter stated. Later that day Calley took the stand in his own defense. He was asked to explain his decision to gather and shoot many young, old, male, and female civilians. Calley simply stated “The order was to destroy the enemy… that was my job at that time. That was the mission given to me
My Lia Massacre, By Ron Haeberle
1522 Words | 7 PagesOf those twenty-five who stood to be convicted only five of them were tried resulting in four being acquitted of charges. One of the extreme examples of the resonating effects of those who partook in 1968 My Lia Massacre was soldier only referred to by his last name Simpson. Upon arriving back home to Mississippi his son was shot and killed accidently. In a 1989 televised interview trembling and shaking Simpsons pointed to a scrapbook with the photograph inside stating “This is my life, this is my past, this is my present, this is my future and I keep it to remind me.” He viewed the loss of his son as punishment for his involvement in the massacre.
George Atzerodt Conspiracy Essay
959 Words | 4 PagesAfter hearing the news of President Lincoln's assassination, the employee had made a report to which military police John Lee investigated. Officer Lee’s search of Atzerodt’s hotel room showed no traces of the room actually being used and the intended murder weapons found under his pillow along with a book of Mr. Booth’s leading to Mr. Atzerodt becoming a “prime conspiracy suspect.” (http://law2.umkc.edu/,Linder 2002). Six days later, in the home of his cousin, George Atzerodt was arrested and charged. Along with Mary Surratt, and Dr. Samuel Mudd, he was sentenced to
Captain Thomas Preston: Necessary Or Justified?
1400 Words | 6 PagesThe reality of what truly happened that night are ambiguous; some witnesses claim that Captain Thomas Preston ordered the soldiers to fire into the crowd while others say that he did not. After reviewing the testimonies given by witnesses, it is unquestionable that Captain Thomas Preston was innocent since witnesses place the Captain in the front of the soldiers, one of the soldiers is observed being hit by an object resulting in his firing of the first shot and
Analysis Of The Lawrence Massacre By Thomas Goodrich
591 Words | 3 PagesThomas Goodrich masterfully tells the story of the Lawrence Massacre with details that take the reader to chaotic streets of Lawrence, Kansas on August 21, 1863. This town of only 3,000 residents was attacked by four hundred pro-Confederate “raiders” from Missouri led by William Quantrill. The bloody massacre that ensued left over 150 citizens dead and 200 buildings destroyed. Goodrich’s account of the Lawrence Massacre epitomized how violent and barbaric guerilla fighting was in the Civil War. Goodrich used multiple primary sources such as newspapers and eye-witness testimony as well as contemporary studies done on the events at Lawrence to tell the complete story of the massacre.
My Lai Massacre Research Paper
1185 Words | 5 PagesEven if those claims made by Calley about the massacre were incorrect, since international law and the military code of conduct expressly forbade the killing of civilians, it was still the responsibility of the chain of command to ensure that Calley knew those policies. (Bodenner) It said that by covering up the deaths of all but 20 civilians, but the officers hid a much greater war crime. The commissioner did not learn what Seymour Hersh discovered later; U.S. officers in South Vietnam destroyed papers describing the massacre.
Ethical Issues In The Vietnam War
1101 Words | 5 PagesThe Vietnam war took a major death toll in Vietnam, United States, South Korea, Thailand, New Zealand, and Australia. Just in the U.S., “more than 58,000 American soldiers were killed while more than 150,000 others wounded”. On both sides, there were almost 2 million civilians dead and 1.1 simply on the Vietnamese side. The My Lai Massacre, where soldiers brutally killed Vietnamese children and mothers, presents an example where the war mentally changed the soldiers in the war in a very horrendous way. On the other hand, the United States took brutal losses in the Tet Offensive, where the Vietcong slaughtered over 100 towns and twelve United States air bases.
The Doves During The Vietnam War
516 Words | 3 PagesDuring the Vietnam War, there were 2 American college students shot walking to class by a national guard. The doves were one of the controversial groups during the war, and they protested against the war. The Hawks were the other controversial group and supported the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. My opinion is not supported either if I were alive during the war. Two groups formed during the Vietnam War, the Hawks and the Doves.
A Summary Of Philip Caputo's A Rumor Of War
1500 Words | 6 PagesThe two Viet Cong men were found and killed. Caputo and his men would go to court to possibly be put in prison for murder. They were not found guilty and were
Injustice In The Village Of My Lai By Seymour Hersh
226 Words | 1 PagesReading Seymour Hersh 's article, there is a ditch in the village of My Lai. Crowded with dead bodies, dozens of women, old people and children by the American soldiers. Those people fighting in armed conflict. I feel like every war in the past and every war in the future is all the same, but if war resulted in peace now it would be better after hundreds years of death and wars. The crazy part of the war is that people went and made the same mistake over and over again.
The Horrific Murder Of James Schlosser Of Great Falls
2053 Words | 9 PagesStroup wasn't the mastermind of this horrific murder. Stroup's partner, Stanley Dean Baker, claimed he wreaked all this disturbance by himself. In a American Revolutionary leader room in 1970, the jury did not swallow Baker's claim. They found Stroup guilty of homicide.
What Is The My Lai Massacre A Military Crime Of Obedience By Ian Parker
1189 Words | 5 PagesIan Parker, author of “Obedience”, provides accurate depictions of the immediate and long-term effects of Dr. Stanley Milgram’s Experiment. In addition, he includes that under complex situations, individuals are easily induced to react through a destructive manner (Parker103). Americans commonly underestimate the influences of a situation; however, Parker thoroughly delineates the consequences behind blind obedience (Parker 104). Herbert C. Kelman and V. Lee Hamilton, authors of “The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of Obedience” construe the atrocity of blind obedience committed by the United States Military. In March of 1968, crimes of obedience occurred due to an elusive order commanded by a higher ranked officer (Kelman&Hamilton 131).
More about Lieutenant William Calley And The My Lai Massacre
Summary Of Vietnam Book One: Sharpshooter
106 Words | 1 PagesMartin Bryant: A Brief Background Of The Port Arthur Massacre
1469 Words | 6 PagesSeung-Hui Cho: The Virginia Tech Mass Murderer
418 Words | 2 PagesWilliam Calley's Experience At My Lai Massacre And The Vietnamese Massacre
951 Words | 4 PagesMy Lia Massacre, By Ron Haeberle
1522 Words | 7 PagesGeorge Atzerodt Conspiracy Essay
959 Words | 4 PagesCaptain Thomas Preston: Necessary Or Justified?
1400 Words | 6 PagesAnalysis Of The Lawrence Massacre By Thomas Goodrich
591 Words | 3 PagesMy Lai Massacre Research Paper
1185 Words | 5 PagesEthical Issues In The Vietnam War
1101 Words | 5 PagesThe Doves During The Vietnam War
516 Words | 3 PagesA Summary Of Philip Caputo's A Rumor Of War
1500 Words | 6 PagesInjustice In The Village Of My Lai By Seymour Hersh
226 Words | 1 PagesThe Horrific Murder Of James Schlosser Of Great Falls
2053 Words | 9 PagesWhat Is The My Lai Massacre A Military Crime Of Obedience By Ian Parker
1189 Words | 5 Pages