Lieutenant William Calley found guilty of My Lai massacre

Historical Context Note

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Domains

Massacres, purges

Dates

Date of occurrence 1971-03-29

Places

United States (Location)

Resources

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On 29 March 1971, U.S. Army Lieutenant William Calley was found guilty by a military court for his role as leader of a platoon that carried out a devastating mass killing of some 500 person in a village called My Lai. The story, once revealed, contributed to American dissatisfaction and disillusionment back home. My Lai, located in the Quang Ngai province, was thought to be a Viet Cong stronghold. On 16 March 1968, a troop of U.S. soldiers raided My Lai after receiving intelligence that substantial Viet Cong personnel were in the area. However, no armed VC soldiers were discovered. Nevertheless, the U.S. platoon, led by Calley, killed nearly 500 women and children as well as elderly persons. Afterward, the incident was covered-up in a calculated manner by top Army officials but the story…

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202 words

Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "Lieutenant William Calley found guilty of My Lai massacre". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=3529, accessed 23 April 2024.]

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