The My Lai massacre

• The My Lai massacre was carried out by a group of young American soldiers called the Charlie Company
• Charlie Company had been ordered to destroy the village called My Lai
• Charlie Company thought that they had been ordered to kill everyone
• Charlie Company had been told that all villagers would have left for market
• Charlie Company killed around 400 people - mainly women, children and old men
• no Viet Cong were found in My Lai and only 3 weapons were found
• Initially it was treated as a success but later there were investigations
• William Calley, the officer in charge of Charlie Company was charged with mass murder
• the revelations were deeply shocking to the American people