How many soldiers were involved in the My Lai massacre?
My Lai Massacre, also called Pinkville Massacre, mass killing of as many as 500 unarmed villagers by U.S. soldiers in the hamlet of My Lai on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War. Vietnamese citizens photographed during the My Lai Massacre, March 16, 1968.
Who ordered the Mai Lai massacre in 1968?
Captain Medina told his troops that this was their chance to avenge their fallen comrades. One private, Dennis Bunning, later claimed that Captain Medina ordered them to kill everyone; their intelligence briefing claimed that all My Lai’s women and children would be at the market that morning.
What was the name of the unit of the US Army that committed the massacre in My Lai?
In March 1968, Charlie Company—part of the Americal Division’s 11th Infantry Brigade—received word that VC guerrillas had taken control of the neighboring village of Son My. Charlie Company was sent to the area on March 16 for a search-and-destroy mission.
What caused the Mai Lai massacre?
The My Lai Massacre stemmed from previous events in the Vietnam War. The Tet Offensive, which occurred during the first two months of 1968, was a large military invasion of South Vietnam by North Vietnam. Regardless, many Vietnamese were gathered and executed in ditches, homes were burned and crops destroyed.
Who is responsible for the My Lai massacre?
William Calley was the only American convicted of his role in the massacre of more than 500 innocent Vietnamese civilians in the village of My Lai during the Vietnam War.
Did American soldiers kill Vietnamese civilians?
listen)) was the mass murder of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops in Sơn Tịnh District, South Vietnam, on March 16, 1968 during the Vietnam War.
What eventually happened in Vietnam after the US pulled out?
Even before the last American troops departed on March 29, the communists violated the cease-fire, and by early 1974 full-scale war had resumed. On April 30, 1975, the last few Americans still in South Vietnam were airlifted out of the country as Saigon fell to communist forces.