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On 16 March 1968, US troops led by Lieutenant William Calley targeted My Lai, a village of around 700 people in South Vietnam. Their aim was to find members of the Viet Cong. In the massacre that followed over 300 civilians died. At one point a helicopter pilot, named Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson Jr., stepped in to try to stop the violence, but he could only save a few civilians.

The cover-up

Calley’s commander was aware of the massacre at My Lai, but he took no action against the lieutenant. Instead, the army tried to cover the event up to avoid bad publicity. However, the story leaked out to a national newspaper, the New York Times. The magazine published the details in November 1969. This, along with colour pictures of the massacre in a magazine, shocked the public and forced the army to act.

The trial

In 1971, Calley was placed on trial and convicted of war crimes. His sentence was life imprisonment, but this was not carried out. Many members of the public believed that Calley was not to blame for his actions and that he was being made an example of.

President Richard Nixon made the controversial decision to release Calley from armed custody and place him under house arrest while his appeal was heard. His appeal was not successful but his sentence was later reduced to 20 years. He served three and a half years before being released on parole.

Many Americans believed that the war was dehumanising the young soldiers and that it was time to leave Vietnam.