Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot who rescued Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai massacre, reported the killings to his superior officers in a rage over what he had seen, testified at the inquiries and received a commendation from the Army three decades later, died yesterday in Alexandria, La. Hugh Thompson was a United States Army Major and a former warrant officer in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division who helped end the My Lai Massacre of the South Vietnamese village known as Sn M on March 16, 1968. In addition to scholarly publications with top presses, she has written for Atlas Obscura and Ranker. Now that the dynamics have changed with Hugh passing, I understand now how difficult it was for him, carrying it around in his gut, alone. It went on like that for another year and half until finally they agreed to award medals to all of us. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Im not that much of a man., I always questioned, in my mind, did anybody know we all arent like that? He angered some GIs as he tried to photograph them as they fondled the breasts of a fifteen-year-old Vietnamese girl. Traces the life of U.S. Army helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson, who tried to stop the infamous My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War Genres NonfictionHistoryWar BiographyMilitary HistoryMilitary Fiction 248 pages, Hardcover First published May 1, 1999 Book details & editions About the author Trent Angers 40 books6 followers Friends Following Some soldiers even jumped on the water buffalos, riding them around while trying to kill them with their bayonets. Genevieve Carlton earned a Ph.D in history from Northwestern University with a focus on early modern Europe and the history of science and medicine before becoming a history professor at the University of Louisville. I think I may have been in shock to some extent. In this exclusive interview with Vietnam magazine and VietMag.com, Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials, his journeys back to Vietnam and meetings with survivors and the Hugh Thompson Foundation, which he formed after Thompsons death in 2006. Thompson was the first to communicate back to headquarters about the killing occurring on the ground. The My Lai story and Hugh Thompsons role in it is really important, but do you find most people are unaware of it? Hugh Thompson was a volunteer officer in the Vietnam War who turned his squad's weapons on American soldiers to stop them raping and murdering more women and . He educatedhis children to act with discipline and integrity. Thompson had a famous emotional outburst upon returning to base? It was in their hands. We thought that was good, that they would be out of the way. Company C (Charlie Company), 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Barker, led by Captain Ernest Medina, moved into Sn M. Harry's phone-hacking testimony contained 'troubling factual inconsistencies', hacking judge says. Harry claimed a 'secret agreement' stopped him bringing hacking claims earlier I walked in and told Henderson we saw unnecessary killing of many civilians. They were shooting women and children just like anybody else.. Two young infantrymen in Iraq came upon a situation where a number of civilians were questionable and the men werent sure whether to engage or not. Hugh told me that was what was going through his mind, he was thinking of Nazi Germany, people digging trenches, forced to march into those trenches, mass graves. Id received death threats over the phone, Thompson said in 2004. . And then she finished her sentence: she said, So we could forgive them. Im not man enough to do that. They killed everything. He told the story of what happened that day, when he and his two-man crew flew over My Lai, in support of troops who were looking for Viet Cong fighters. The My Lai massacre of March 16, 1968, stands as one of the darkest moments in U.S. military history. On the morning of March 16, 1968, the people of M Lai were making breakfast when soldiers stormed in. Possibly we could have stopped things earlier. I now know why he wanted me to come with him to events. Hugh Thompson on his way to testify against William Calley on November 23, 1970. But it was mostly done with a machine gun. That was a point of no return for Thompson? We were the closest and should have been able to communicate, but thats the way it was structured. Does it worry you that it was, and remains, in our capacity to excuse or rationalize an atrocity like My Lai committed by Americans? Exactly what you saw. Since we were sitting shoulder to shoulder, we saw virtually the very same things. Meet Hugh Thompson, The Hero Who Stopped The M Lai Massacre And Was Branded A Traitor For It. The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and his surviving crew member helped convict Calley at a court-martial. Larry Colburn was a door gunner with crew chief Glenn Andreotta and Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson as pilot of a small scout . 199 0 obj <>stream Thats what keeps me going. Thompson continued to fly and was hit eight times, in four of which incidents the aircraft was lost. I wish we could have done more to thank him. Medina and maybe higher. You were a witness for the prosecution in the trials that followed? We started thinking what might have happened, but you didnt want to accept that thought, Thompson said in a 2000 interview, because if you accepted it, that means your own fellow Americans, people you were there to protect, were doing something very evil.. Nicholas Goldberg: Is God on the side of blasphemy laws? To this day I cant remember exactly about that day reporting to Henderson. Thompson spent the rest of his life wondering if he could have saved more lives. California cities shouldnt be deterred. There are those hardcore people who do still say we shouldnt have told the truth, that we should have covered for those guys in the field; that we didnt know what it was like on the ground. So he gave me prescriptions for several psychotropic drugs. They also led as many surviving civilians as they could to shelter. We came across a ditch, with probably 150 or more people in it and the wounded trying to crawl out. Hugh was being jovial. We were very protective of the men on the ground. So, what do you make of Calleys apology last year? He is still tiny, but he remembers everything. Somehow they trusted him and they came out. He studied mortuary science and became a licensed funeral director. I give credit to my sister Mary, who saw my condition when I came home. Did they know that somebody tried to help? As we flew around more, we started seeing small groups of people dead or dying in other parts of the village. Thats unlikely to improve anyones mental health, Letters to the Editor: Yes, we need to talk about Bidens age. Finally, the Army launched an inquiry. It took the Army 30 years, but in 1998, they finally acknowledged that Thompson had done something good. It is amazing to see the strength of the human spirit. Could you have just reported this and left, knowing youd at least made an effort? We went back to the ditch because we knew there were a lot of people there who could have been saved. In the midst of it, they had a conversation like this: Remember those old guys from Vietnam and what they told us back at Annapolis?. Central to the case prosecuted by the Civilian Complaint. And we did, the best we could. But still, who do you shoot? Everybody's heard of the My Lai massacre March 16, 1968, 50 years ago today but not many know about the man who stopped it: Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot. Court-martial me, and he left his weapon and walked away. Wed done what we could. Thompson told his crew, Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. He walked about 50 meters and encountered the lieutenant who was leading the squad. Billy Waugh, a fabled Special Forces Green Beret and CIA military operative, served in Vietnam and helped hunt for Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists. The conclusion Hugh and I came to was they were trying to keep us quiet by giving us a phony award. When Hugh gave his order, I distinctly remember pointing my weapon directly down at the ground, so there was no question. We didnt talk too much about it ourselves because we reported on it and we were, frankly, preoccupied with the next mission. Mr. Thompson told of what he had seen when he returned to his base. In 2001 we went back and were reunited with the boy in the ditch. What led you to enlist in the Army? Finally, when the sergeant said OK, Hugh thought hed convinced him and got back in the helicopter and we pulled out. Back at the base, Thompson threw his flight helmet on the ground. before the subcommittee, and then refused to release the transcripts of the testimony. He looked up and saw us and then took off for the tree line. "I threatened never to fly again. I had no idea what it was about. But I still dont think the topic really gets the exposure it really needs. The best therapy I got was in those four hours and seeing the people who were so broken physically. Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. Thompson left the Army in 1983 and became a private helicopter pilot in the South. So he called our low gunship, piloted by a friend of his, Dan Millans, and said: Danny, I need a favor. As he told The Associated Press in 2004: "Don't do the right thing looking for a reward, because it might not come. We also did a lot of recon missions and flying into free-fire zones to find enemy positions. Before the story broke, did you or Hugh consider going public with the story? He didnt want to appear to be frantic; he wanted to be taken seriously by Henderson. Whenever I felt discouraged about things, Hugh would remind me that if we get through to just one person, its worth it. At first, they only wanted to give it to Hugh at a private ceremony. All of the investigations led to nothing, Hugh and I felt like all three trials were just window dressing. On March 16, 1968, a company of U.S. soldiers stormed into the Vietnamese village of Sn M and began shooting. Thompson was vilified by many Americans for his testimony against United States Army personnel. His final term would have expired in December 2018; he retired in January 2017. Hes saved lives again. Thompson was buried in Lafayette, Louisiana, with full military honors, including a three-volley salute and a helicopter flyover. The outcome of the trails was disgraceful, and Hugh and I saw that it was a sham. Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. Hugh struggled, but you see the people who survived are still in the same village, doing what they do. I am sorry this world has lost you. Commentary: Opponents need to stop equating abortion with eugenics, Editorial: Polluters keep trying to block gas bans. . When he had a heart attack he said he would slow down, but he didnt. Calley pointed his weapon at him and threatened him with a court-martial. U.S. ArmyWilliam Calley, the officer who ordered the slaughter at M Lai. A defendant charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, who testified that he believed he was "following presidential orders" from President Donald Trump when he stormed the building. 1895), in United States testimony 1892, typescript, 247, Church History Library, Salt Lake City. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. He showed no reaction at all. Thompson and his crew stood in front of the bunker, protecting the civilians. Sorry thats not what we did and I dont care what they think of me. As he approached the soldiers, he told them to stop. Like the trials, it was forced. The daring act of a man in defiance of combat differences in saving unarmed civilians from being deliberately butchered by his own side while under combat orders.
Kaitlan Collins Measurements, Zanesville Times Recorder Court News, Articles H