The My Lai massacre was one of the most horrific events that took place towards unarmed citizens during the Vietnam War. A group of American soldiers mercilessly slaughtered the majority of the population of the village My Lai on March 16th, 1968. It is estimated that more than 500 people were murdered in the My Lai massacre, including the young and old. Many of the young women were violated by the soldiers before being executed.
The United States army covered up the event for about a year before it was leaked to the press, sparking international outrage. The brutality of the event and the official cover-up of it further divided the United States when it came to the Vietnam War.
It all began when William Calley gave the order to start killing as many people as possible. It is believed that Calley himself fired the first shots. The details of the murders are going to be omitted, as they are far too gruesome and devastating to describe, but if you wish to read more about this topic, you may read about the event in more detail in the link below. Suffice to say, the tragedy was horrific and gruesome and we should be glad that there are far more measures taken to prevent this sort of thing from happening.
Fast Facts:
- Not a single shot was fired at Calley or his men.
- The massacre only ended when Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot on a mission, threatened to open fire if they continued to attack.
- Amazingly, Calley's men received medical care as if they were the ones under attack. Utterly despicable.
An image will not be included due to the extreme nature of the event.
