My Lai Massacre Research Paper

On March 16, 1968, over 300 unarmed civilians were killed in South Vietnam during an indiscriminate, mass murder event known as the My Lai Massacre. Conducted by a unit of the United States Army, the My Lai Massacre ranked one of most appalling atrocities carried out by US forces in an already savage and violent war. All victims involved were unarmed civilians, many of which were women, children, and the elderly. Victims were raped, tortured and beaten, even mutilated before being killed. The massacre was forever seared into the hearts and minds of the American people as the day “the American spirit died.”

Before we ask about My Lai Massacre, we need to know what is My Lai Massacre the My Lai massacre is My Lai massacre has indiscriminately shot unarmed civilians during the Vietnam War. The genocide was the duty of an officer of Charlie Company in the United States to lead a team in search of Vietnam. Their teams occupied a place called My Lai and slaughtered civilians under the direction of the high commander. Charlie Company entered South Vietnam in December 1967. In the first month there was no fighting, but in mid-March, five members of the team were killed by booby traps. Moreover, Vietnam’s 48th Battalion attacked US forces in the South Vietnam. The place of the incident occurred not far from where civilians live. This time, the US military was very angry and determined a massive counterattack the villages. Colonel Oran K Henderson orders Charlie Company to commit a massacre. The civilians who lived there were mainly woman, children and the elderly. American soldiers cruelly murdered and mocked them after receiving get permission. In the massacre more than 500 civilians were slaughtered and many women were raped and murdered. They attempted to conceal the events they had committed and led to an antisense sentiment that further divided the United States during the Vietnam War. However, some US military testimonies make their world known to their cruelty, including genocide and rape. In this paper, I will write down things about the behavior of the US

On May 4, 1970 at approximately 12:24 PM members of the Ohio National Guard shot at and killed several unarmed Kent State University students. These students were protesting President Nixon’s decision to invade Cambodia. While some of the students who were shot at were actively protesting at the time of the shooting, others were simply walking by or casually observing the protest from a distance. How could an appalling incident like this occur? What possessed the members of the Ohio National Guard to shoot at unarmed students?

The student body at Kent State numbered about 20,000 and had been considered conservative, but not overly political. In fact they were thought of as rather passive politically. The shootings were a culmination of four days of demonstrations by members of the student body. The students were protesting the invasion of Cambodia by American forces.

On March 5, 1770, two regiments of British soldiers that were stationed in Boston opened fire on a mob of bystanders that wanted the British out of Boston. This protest was for the ending of the quartering of soldiers in people’s homes. On May 4, 1970, the National Guardsmen fired upon the unarmed students of Kent State University who were protesting against fighting in the Vietnam War. The result of this was a change in the policies of the National Guard and to use rubber bullets. These two shootings in American history are examples of Military Representatives actively firing on unarmed citizens. Also, examples of the civilians provoking the Military Representatives for them to shoot. We can use these examples for today’s society to further the developments in non-lethal actions against protesters. But before the lessons learned with these two shootings are highlighted, the history and significance of these events need to be understood.

Governor Ronald Reagan, whose military experience was exclusively playing soldiers in the movies, said that “if it takes a bloodbath to silence the demonstrators, let’s get it over with.”[3] All of this culminated in the Kent State protests and the Kent State massacres. Kent State was the first time Americans were killed for protesting the war. Several days after the Kent state shootings, two students were killed by local and state police in Jackson State University. Police fired more than 460 rounds of ammunition into the window of the

Jamestown, VA was an English settlement founded in 1607 that was funded by the Virginia company. The first few years were known as the Starving years because people were in famine and there were even claims of cannibalism. It is also where Captain John Smith, a councillor in Jamestown, claimed to have been saved by Pocahontas, which is important because it created one of the first good relationships between settlers and Native Americans.

In a students’ perspective, the Kent State Shootings were for a horrible reason and the protest was not wild at all. The students believed that their protest was for a good cause and that they should not have to break it up. An article says, "They were informed that a ban on student gatherings had been called. They were then ordered to disperse by the National Guard and police. When they failed to do so, tear gas was launched, and the guardsmen moved in. Several students were beaten and even bayoneted as the guardsmen dispersed the crowd"(“The Kent State Shootings: May 4, 1970"). They believed the protest was under control, so they continued. However, this resulted in the National Guard taking matters to the extreme by beating and using weapons on the students. When the National Guard was called in to calm the protest, they were very aggressive and angry. They also came in looking for violence and one article says, "Sunday, May 3rd was a day filled with contrasts. Nearly 1000 Ohio National Guardsmen occupied the campus, making it appear like a military war zone"(“The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The search”). The National Guard came into the protest looking to break it up using violence. Their violence resulted in the deaths of four students and the injuring of many. The students view the Kent State Shootings as

In the town of My Lai on March 16, 1968 was not a day you would be wanting to visit. U.S troops were ordered to conduct a massacre killing 500 plus innocent old men, women, and children.

Imagine, waking up to your neighbors and family being brutally murdered. You manage to escape, and later find out that those responsible for the massacre of your community have gotten off, scot free. When people commit a horrible crime, we expect there to be consequences. Son My is a village that had been heavily mined by the Viet Cong, a communist organization that fought against the South Vietnamese government, many American soldiers had been killed or injured by those mines. Seeking “revenge”, on March 16, 1968, American soldiers from the C Company division went into a smaller part of Son My called My Lai and murder over 400 innocent people. The My Lai massacre was a horrible crime committed by U.S soldiers from C Company division, they

The massacre at My Lai 4, often referred to as the “Pinkville Operation” by military officials, quickly became an event surrounded by outrage on the behalf of anti-war activists and soldiers alike. As stories leaked from letters sent to congressmen, and interviewed soldiers, outrage quickly boiled and conservatives and liberals were forced to ask: how could American soldiers commit atrocities so detestable? Newspapers, magazines, and tabloids presented stories all with a similar title. Headlines such as, “First Photos of Mass Viet Slaying” and, “One Hundred Killed; Calley To Blame” helped draw attention to Charlie Company, the soldiers involved, while the spotlight fell on one particular soldier, Lt. Calley, who many blamed as the main instigator of the massacre. While Lieutenant Calley and his fellow members of Charlie Company are responsible for many of their actions during the massacre, the policies instituted by the American government and military are responsible as well, due to the helped violent and detesting nature of American soldiers against the Vietnamese they fostered that caused My Lai.

This historical event is related to C.P. Snow ’s quote, because there are people following orders and does not know what they are doing is wrong. We have committed many hideous crimes out of obedience instead of rebellion. The soldiers that was in the My Lai Massacre were just following the orders that were given to them. They do not know that those innocent women and children are not the Viet Congs and the soldiers believed that they were the Viet Congs.

I support protesting gun violence in public schools because it has become a serious issue in this country and student’s lives matter enough to take the time to protest.The events described in this article are important because, the March 14th walkout was the first national test of teenage activism against gun violence. The walkout was partly a protest to push lawmakers to pass gun reform and partly a memorial to honor victims killed by firearms. Teenage organizers said the protest was to highlight Congress’ inaction against the gun violence plaguing their schools and neighborhoods. The marches ranged in size in all 50 states and an estimated 185,000 people participated in the nationwide walkout. This fight for change could be called a revolution

On the morning of March 16th the company moved in. They were instructed by Lieutenant William Calley to shoot every living thing in sight, from animals to babies, for the animals would feed the Vietcong and the babies would one day grow up to be them. From many soldiers’ accounts, non-of the people shot that day seemed to pose any threat to the American soldiers. In fact, women, children and old men made up a huge majority of the victims. Barely any weapons were found and according to most of the soldiers the Vietnamese people were trying to cooperate but there was the barrier of language. When the soldiers yelled things in Vietnamese they weren’t even sure if they were saying the right thing because Vietnamese is a language based on inflection in the voice. LT Calley ordered his soldiers to kill all of the Vietnamese in massive slaughters. They were herded into big groups, and some groups were forced into ditches and then fired upon. “The few that survived did so because the were covered by the bodies of those less fortunate.” (Linder) After the massacre was over there was an extensive cover-up, the commanders even reported My Lai as a success with 123 enemy deaths and some weapon recoveries. It wasn’t until a man named Ronald Ridenhour,

Soldiers are trained to always follow orders, and to never question orders. But that belief is somewhat illogical. Soldier's are to obey any lawful order given. But the training involved, the often chaotic nature of battle, and the need to follow authority to maintain survival can lead to a very blurred vision of what is right or wrong. One's animalistic instincts may take over. Sometimes there are such situations when you've stepped over the line. Such as the horrendous act that took place on March 16, 1968 in the village of Son My.