My Lai Massacre - U.S. Soldiers Murder Between 347 and 504 Unarmed Vietnamese Civilians in War Crime

U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment massacre between 347 and 504 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians—mostly women, children, elderly men, and infants—in the village of My Lai during a search-and-destroy mission. Led by Lieutenant William Calley, approximately 100 soldiers enter the village expecting to encounter Viet Cong forces but face no resistance. Instead of conducting a legitimate military operation, the soldiers systematically murder civilians using automatic weapons, grenades, and bayonets, and commit widespread rape and torture.

Army helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson Jr. intervenes to stop the massacre, landing his aircraft between fleeing civilians and pursuing American soldiers. Thompson orders his door gunner to fire on U.S. troops if they attempt to harm the civilians he is protecting, rescuing approximately 10 Vietnamese people. Thompson immediately reports the atrocity to his superiors, but the Army initiates a cover-up that conceals the massacre for over a year. Initial military reports characterize the operation as a successful engagement against Viet Cong forces, claiming 128 enemy killed while omitting any mention of civilian casualties.

The massacre represents what retired Colonel Fred Borch, a military lawyer, later calls “the worst war crime in American history—certainly the worst war crime committed by soldiers in the American Army.” The atrocity and its systematic concealment expose fundamental failures in military discipline, command responsibility, and institutional accountability. The cover-up involves multiple levels of the chain of command, demonstrating how institutional loyalty supersedes legal and moral obligations to report war crimes.