My Lai Massacre

• My Lai Massacre took place

  March 16, 1968
• My Lai Massacre


  • Took place shortly after the TET Offensive, a brutal surprise attack by communist North Vietnamese and Vietcong guerrilla forces
  • US troops became increasingly angry, disillusioned and frustrated after the TET Offensive
• My Lai Massacre


  1. US helicopters landed in fields close to the village of My Lai

  2. US soldiers from Charlie Company opened fire on buildings, threw grenades into houses, and destroyed crops and livestock

  3. No Vietcong guerrillas were found, only women, children and elderly people

  4. Some US soldiers tortured and raped villagers
• US troops reported that 22 civilians had been killed by accident and the rest were Vietcong, and were praised by the US army for their actions
• Rumours about the truth of the massacre soon began to spread
• A soldier named Ronald Ridenhour wrote letters to 30 leading US officials about the massacre
• General Westmoreland, the main commander of US troops in Vietnam, received one of the letters but didn't believe his troops could have massacred villagers
• TIME magazine uncovered photographs of the massacre, taken by an official army photographer
• When a report on the massacre containing graphic images was published, the nation was horrified
• 11th Brigade, Americal Division


  The U.S. Army unit responsible for carrying out the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968.
• Viet Cong (VC)


  The communist guerrilla force in South Vietnam, which the U.S. Army believed to have a stronghold in My Lai village.
• Lieutenant William Calley


  The leader of the 11th Brigade, Americal Division unit responsible for the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968.
• March 16, 1968


  The date of the My Lai Massacre, when a large number of unarmed civilians were killed by U.S. Army soldiers.
• Anti-war movement


  The My Lai Massacre contributed to the growing anti-war movement in the United States, as it exposed the brutal nature of the war.
• Turning point


  The My Lai Massacre was a turning point in the Vietnam War, raising questions about the conduct of U.S. troops and the nature of the war itself.