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While a U.S. Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, on March 16, 1968, Chief Warrant Officer Thompson witnessed U.S. troops shooting and killing unarmed civilians. To stop the carnage, he landed his aircraft between the troops and the civilians. Then, covered by his crew chief, Glenn Andreotta, and his door gunner, Lawrence Colburn, Thompson got out and confronted the troops' commanding officer. Then, he helped evacuate the injured civilians to hospitals. He was just 24 years old. "These people were looking at me for help and there was no way I could turn my back on them," he said years later. What he stopped is now simply known as the My Lai Massacre; more than 500 civilians died. Yet Thompson was pilloried for his actions: he was shunned by fellow officers, told by a U.S. Congressman that only one soldier deserved to be punished for My Lai -- Thompson himself -- and saw the murderers' commanding officer serve just three years in prison. It wasn't until 1998 that the Army, under public pressure once Thompson's role became clear, decorated Thompson, Andreotta and Colburn, awarding them the Soldier's Medal, the highest honor for bravery not involving enemy conflict. Andreotta died in combat shortly after My Lai. Thompson died from cancer on January 6 at age 62. From This is True for 8 January 2006 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Michael BiltonKevin Sim List Price: $17.00 Amazon Price: $11.56  By: James S. OlsonRandy Roberts Amazon Price: $15.95  By: Heonik Kwon List Price: $19.95 Amazon Price: $19.95 Editorial Review: Though a generation has passed since the massacre of civilians at My Lai, the legacy of this tragedy continues to reverberate throughout Vietnam and the rest of the world. This engrossing study considers how Vietnamese villagers in My Lai and Ha My--a village where South Korean troops committed an equally appalling, though less well-known, massacre of unarmed civilians--assimilate the catastrophe of these mass deaths into their everyday ritual life. Based on a detailed study of local history and moral practices, After the Massacre focuses on the particular context of domestic life in which the Vietnamese villagers interact with their ancestors on one hand and the ghosts of tragic death on the other. Heonik Kwon explains what intimate ritual actions can tell us about the history of mass violence and the global bipolar politics that caused it. He highlights the aesthetics of Vietnamese commemorative rituals and the morality of their practical actions to liberate the spirits from their grievous history of death. The author brings these important practices into a critical dialogue with dominant sociological theories of death and symbolic transformation.  By: Trent Angers List Price: $22.95 Amazon Price: $15.61  By: Michal R. Belknap List Price: $15.95 Amazon Price: $15.95 Editorial Review: The military trial of William Calley for his role in the slaughter of five hundred or more Vietnamese civilians at My Lai shocked a nation already sharply divided over a controversial war. In this superb retelling of the My Lai story through the prism of the law, Michal Belknap provides new perspectives and keen insights into core issues about the war that still divide Americans today. One of the most highly publicized trials of its day, the Calley case emerged at a time when protests against the war were growing larger, louder, and more intense. Well aware of this, the Nixon administration sought to downplay the My Lai incident, which military officers in Vietnam had tried to cover up in order to protect their own careers and reputations. It might never have come to light had it not been for the efforts of Vietnam veteran Ron Ridenhour and journalist Seymour Hersh. Their investigations revealed the full extent of the My Lai tragedy, further inflamed the antiwar movement, and brought to trial Lieutenant William Calley. Unfolding the Calley case step by step, Belknap shows how our system of military justice actually works. His dramatic reenactment takes readers through every stage of the trial, from pre-trial investigations to actual courtroom exchanges among prosecutors, defenders, witnesses, and judges. In the process, he reveals how a court-martial conducted within the public eye transformed a purely legal proceeding into a political debate about the conduct of the war. Calley's trial clearly demonstrated both how deeply the Vietnam War had divided our nation and how difficult it was for any court to deliver justice under such intense media coverage. Scrupulously fair to all parties involved, Belknap portrays Calley as both criminal and victim—guilty of the crimes of which he stood accused, but also an unintended scapegoat of the American military machine. His court-martial, for hawks and doves alike, epitomized all that was wrong with our involvement in Vietnam. By reopening the Calley case, Belknap helps a new generation of readers better understand why the Vietnam War was so controversial and damaging to national unity. His book, however, also provides insights that apply well beyond events of a particular war, suggesting that the grim lessons of My Lai will continue to shadow the conduct of America's present and future wars. This book is part of the Landmark Law Cases and American Society series. |
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