What Was 'My Lai'?

My Lai was the name of a Vietnamese village whose inhabitants were massacred by U.S. forces in 1968. Approximately 500 people were killed in all, mostly women, children and old men because the assault took place early in the morning when the young men were away at an agricultural market. U.S. forces were not fired on in the course of their attack, and seem to have been angered by the deaths of some of their men in the previous days.

One American helicopter pilot, Hugh Thompson, who was present that day was appalled by what he witnessed and, at one point, landed his helicopter in between a group of U.S. troops and some innocent Vietnamese they intended to kill, threatening to shoot his fellow Americans if they did not back off.

Some of the participants in the operation were haunted by what they had experienced and talked to journalists and politicians when they returned to the United States. Despite their testimony, the stories were regarded as too incredible to be believed and it took some time for what had really happened to be reported and investigated. Only a handful of soldiers were ever charged with a crime. All were acquitted or faced minimal sentences.