My Lai: The Massacre That Changed the Course of the Vietnam War
My Lai
American soldiers landing in My Lai to carry out their 'Search and Destroy' order from Medina.
Image courtesy of Ronald Haeberle / The LIFE Images Collection / Getty Images
Shortly before 7:30am, March 16, 1968, the village of My Lai was met by the first wave of attacks from the U.S. army. The CC, led by Calley, devastated the village. They killed hundreds of villagers despite meeting no resistance.
U.S soldiers rest just before entering My Lai (left). Image courtesy of Ronald Haeberle / the Library of Congress
Civilians are rounded up in the village center before they are killed (right). Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
The soldiers became heartless and brutal. A soldier from the massacre testified, “I cut their throats, cut off their hands, cut out their tongues, scalped them. I did it. A lot of people were doing it so I just followed” (Explorations, The Vietnam War).
Private First Class Delpone sets fire to a hut (left). Image courtesy of the My Lai Massacre Museum
"An officer feeds the fire that he had set on a villager's home" (right). Image and caption courtesy of Ronald Haeberle
"War is delightful to those who have no experience of it.”
~ Desiderius Erasmus
About 20 or so women were raped, mothers protecting their children were shot and the children who tried to run away were killed.
Image courtesy of Ronald Haeberle
"Dead bodies lie by a home, set on fire by American troops."
Image courtesy of Ronald Haeberle / Getty Images
Images courtesy of Ronald Haeberle (left) and the Library of Congress (right)
Calley ordered women, both pregnant and with infants, into a ditch and commanded his comrades to shoot them. There were bodies flying on top of each other, mostly women trying to save their children. Revenge had brought destruction.
"The road out of My Lai, littered with dead bodies."
Image and caption courtesy of Ronald Haeberle
Background
Saving My Lai