My Lai The Rest Of The Story!!!!!!!!!!

[Arrow]

Army cites heroes of My Lai

Helicopter crew 'set standard'

by Michael Norris
Pentagram staff writer

Three soldiers were recognized Friday for heroism in saving Vietnamese civilians from attack by U.S. troops in the village of My Lai in 1968. The pilot, Hugh C. Thompson Jr., and Lawrence Colburn, door gunner of an Army scout helicopter supporting an infantry operation in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, received Soldiers Medals. The Soldiers Medal will be awarded the family of crewchief Glenn U. Andreotta, who was later killed in action during the war. Thompson was a warrant officer at the time, and Coburn and Andreotta were specialists fourth class. Thompson and Colburn stood side by side during the outdoor ceremony near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as citations for the medal were read by Maj. Gen. Michael W. Ackerman. Ackerman, commander of Fort Gordon and the U.S. Army Signal Center there, presented Thompson and Colburn with awards that reflected them saving 11 Vietnamese villagers from American soldiers. Ackerman, who commanded a gunship platoon in the Americal Division two years after the events for which Thompson, Colburn and Andreotta were being honored, praised them as embodying the best of Army values and for "setting the standard" on a day that was "one of the most shameful chapters in the Army's history." The awarded medals replace the Distinguished Flying Cross that Thompson earlier received and the Bronze Star medals awarded to Colburn and Andreotta. Those awards were premised on the crew having saved villagers during combat with the enemy, rather than from American troops.

Citations read at the ceremony described how on March 16, 1968, Thompson, Colburn and Andreotta saved 10 civilians "during the unlawful massacre of noncombatants by American forces" by placing themselves between the American soldiers and the fleeing villagers. The observation helicopter was present to draw fire from the Viet Cong, but did not receive any fire. They observed U.S. soldiers apparently firing on Vietnamese noncombatants, women and children. Thompson landed and spoke to a lieutenant to find out what was going on and then argue with him about what was occurring, according to Bilton and Sim's book. They took off but then landed again. According to Thompson's citation, he placed his helicopter between a group of soldiers and civilians they were pursuing "to prevent their murder. He then personally confronted the leader of the American ground troops and was prepared to open fire on those American troops should they fire upon the civilians." Colburn and Andreotta trained their weapons on the American troops as Thompson confronted the soldiers. Thompson then went forward of the U.S. lines to coax the frightened villagers out of a bunker where they had sought refuge and the crew helped facilitate their evacuation. Leaving the area, the three observed movement in a pile of execution victims. Landing again, Andreotta rescued a child from the pile, who was evacuated to a nearby hospital. Thompson's radio reports of the massacre and a subsequent report to his section leader and commander finally brought about a cease-fire order "and the end to the killing of innocent civilians." Thompson and Colburn later testified at courts- martial resulting from what would later be known at the My Lai Massacre.

Lt. William L. Calley Jr., a platoon leader, was court-martialed and convicted on 22 counts of premeditated murder, for which he spent three years of a five-year sentence under house arrest. Other officers were censured and demoted for their part in the subsequent cover-up, but Company Commander Capt. Ernest Medina was found not guilty. Army Chief of Staff Gen. William S. Westmoreland ordered an investigation that was completed by Lt. Gen. W.R. Peers in 1969.

[DMZ-LT]

From one old ex platoon leader to another. If I ever met Calley I'd beat him near to death

[Boats]

Ditto,

He was one sick puppy. He and a few other's made life miserable for many x-vets.

[Arrow]

Hugh C. Thompson Jr., and Lawrence Colburn,Glenn U. Andreotta,

The next time you run into a freak mouthing off about My Lai...

Tell their story...

[SuperScout]

Re: opening up a can of WhupAss on Calley: get in line. From one ol' III Corps LT to my northern brother!

[reconeil]

Even though witnessed long ago on TV,...I thought justice had been done on the matter. Still, and now finding-out that only three years "House arrest" had been served for producing 22 civilian bodies,...certainly doesn't seem like very much justice to me.

Just out of curiosity,...is being tried for the same crime in both a Military Court and then afterwards in a Civilian Court considered: "Double Jeopardy"?

Neil

[SuperScout]

To my knowledge, Calley was never brought to trial in a civilian court. There were no crimes against US civilians, not committed on US soil or property, and when the crime was committed, he was still in the Army. As I have said in other posts, had I been on the MF's court martial, I would have voted for hanging, as he was guilty of multiple murders, the gutless scumbag. I also fault his higher up for covering up the event, and then for trying to whitewash the entire thing as "no big deal." And I would level the same criticism to the members of his court martial, as spineless panderers. No, justice definitely was not served in this case.