Who exposed the My Lai massacre?

Ronald L. Ridenhour
Ronald L. Ridenhour, an infantryman-turned-journalist who seared the world’s conscience with the first public account of the slaughter of 500 Vietnamese villagers at My Lai, has died. He was 52.

How gruesome was the Vietnam War?

The brutality has been well documented: American soldiers raped, mutilated, and tortured the villagers before killing them; families were dragged from their homes, thrown into ditches and executed.

What was the lifespan of a door gunner in Vietnam?

two weeks
Over 10% of Vietnam casualties were helicopter crew members, and most of those were the door gunners that protected the helicopter, its crew, and its transports, from their exposed position. The average lifespan of a door gunner on a Huey in Vietnam was just two weeks.

Who stopped My Lai massacre?

Hugh Thompson
Hugh Thompson, the helicopter pilot who stopped the My Lai massacre, later told the news program “60 Minutes” that he was ostracized and received death threats upon his return from Vietnam. But in 1998, Thompson attended a memorial service at My Lai on the 30th anniversary of the massacre.

What was the cause of the My Lai massacre?

In March 1968, soldiers from ‘Charlie’ Company were sent into areas believed to house Viet Cong soldiers and sympathisers. Operating under stress and with questionable intelligence and unclear orders, the soldiers entered the small hamlet of My Lai and began firing indiscriminately on people and buildings.

What was so traumatizing about Vietnam War?

Many Vietnam veterans still experience PTSD symptoms that vary from veteran to veteran including flashbacks to combat, feelings of alienation, major depression, loneliness, drug and/or alcohol problems, even suicidal feelings.

Who was punished for the My Lai massacre?

President Richard Nixon reduced Calley’s sentence to a light punishment—three years of house arrest. The My Lai massacre, the Army’s cover up, and the military courts’ abject failure to bring military leaders and GIs to justice further undermined the faith of some Americans in their political and military institutions.