My Lai: The Massacre That Changed the Course of the Vietnam War
Trial of Calley
Image courtesy of Associated Press
Calley at his trial.
Sketch Courtesy of The Library of Congress / Howard Brodie
Image courtesy of TIME
The trial of Calley took place in March 1971. He was accused of murder and received a life sentence of hard labor. While many voiced that Calley was scapegoated to save the senior officers, others thought he was rightly punished.
Screenshot image courtesy of FamousTrials.com
Screenshot image courtesy of FamousTrials.com
In August 1972, the commanding officer at Fort Benning diminished Calley's sentence to 20 years. Afterwards, Nixon shortened it to three years of house arrest.
Aftermath