It was an event that shocked the American conscience, bruised and weary though it was from the horror and destruction of the Vietnam War. In 1968, a platoon of U.S. Army soldiers led by Lt. William Calley opened fire on the unarmed citizens of the village of My Lai, killing well over 500 men, women, and children. The only officer convicted for his role in the massacre, Lt. Calley was found guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison, although he served only a few months in the stockade and three years under house arrest, thanks to the intervention of President Richard Nixon.
The Calley trial is credited with helping accelerate the American withdrawal from Vietnam, but perhaps more importantly; it opened a window onto the process of military justice and the important work of military lawyers. Lt. Calley recently spoke for the very first time about the events of 1968, expressing his remorse for those killed, their families, and the American soldiers he led that day.
Host Pam Hardy looks back at the lessons of My Lai with California Western Professor Michal Belknap, author of “The Vietnam War on Trial: the My Lai Massacre and the Court-Martial of Lieutenant Calley.”
