Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. He educatedhis children to act with discipline and integrity. William Calley, the officer in charge of Charlie Company, ordered American soldiers to round up the villagers and open fire. Calley was convicted, and Medina was acquitted. And when Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley, the officer who ordered the massacre, Thompson received death threats. Probably not. Hugh said, Im going to take him on the right, which meant he was my target. Hugh Thompson was a United States Army Major and a former warrant officer in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division who helped end the My Lai Massacre of the South Vietnamese village known as Sn M on March 16, 1968. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Except for the boy, it appeared the rest were already dead. Hugh Thompson, the hero who stopped a massacre committed by US - Reddit I testified in the trials of Henderson, Medina and Calley. He is still tiny, but he remembers everything. They awarded him the Soldiers Medal for heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy., On the 30th anniversary of the massacre, Thompson went back to My Lai and met some of the people whose lives he had saved. Indeed, for a time, Thompson himself feared court-martial. This ended his combat career in Vietnam. I said, Thank you, sir, and went back to work. Nixon and the My Lai massacre coverup - New York Post I have accompanied Hugh when he has spoken at West Point, the Naval and Air Force Academies, to the Red Cross, in Norway, Australia and elsewhere. They could communicate with the command craft that was flying at altitude. The truth of the M Lai massacre did not come out until a year and a half later when a soldier whod seen reports on the massacre contacted a journalist. And it turned out, after we dropped him off with the nun at the hospital, he didnt stay 24 hours. Upon entering Sn M, officers and soldiers of Company C moved through the Song My Village and vicinity, murdering civilians, raping women, and setting fire to huts. Nick Turse investigated violence in Vietnam against noncombatants for his book Kill Anything that Moves. He concluded after a decade of research in Pentagon archives and more than 100 interviews with American veterans and Vietnamese survivors that Americans killing civilians in Vietnam was pervasive and systematic. One soldier told him there had been a My Lai a month.. I imagine he wants to get right with God; hes not a young guy anymore. I was raised with a sense of duty. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. It was absurd, but you have to be willing to pay the price. Glenn said, If we are going to do something, we better do it right now! So Hugh lands right between the approaching squad and the bunker. We started thinking what might have happened, but you didnt want to accept that thought, Thompson said in a 2000 interview, because if you accepted it, that means your own fellow Americans, people you were there to protect, were doing something very evil.. Hugh told me that was what was going through his mind, he was thinking of Nazi Germany, people digging trenches, forced to march into those trenches, mass graves.. Letters to the Editor: Hey, leave linoleum out of the DeSantis-Disney fight. When it was all over, hundreds of unarmed civilians had been murdered by American forces. Im Irish so Im to suffer. This is not what Im here for. After the trial, Hugh Thompson received death threats. Acadiana People: Angers writes new chapter in Hugh Thompson story Since Hughs death, I have become the recipient of some of the hate mail he used to get. Thats unlikely to improve anyones mental health, Letters to the Editor: Yes, we need to talk about Bidens age. Upon coming home, he got death threats and the like. Prepared Testimony and Statement for the Record of Hugh Thompson Chief Technology Officer Hearing on "Bolstering the Government's Cybersecurity: Lessons Learned from WannaCry" Before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Oversight and Subcommittee on Research and Technology You saw him again in 2008? Ill never fly again, he vowed. Thompson was later promoted to Major, but Thompson was a Warrant Officer in his heroic acts. You and Thompson must have been good mutual support. How many men were in squad and were they threatening? I was back at Ft. What happened next was one of the most remarkable events of the entire war, and perhaps unique: Thompson told the American troops that, if they opened fire on the Vietnamese civilians in the bunker, he and his crew would open fire on them. When Hugh gave his order, I distinctly remember pointing my weapon directly down at the ground, so there was no question. You can imagine the emotions that surfaced. In late December 1967, at the age of 25, Hugh Thompson was ordered to Vietnam and assigned to Company B, 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division. Like the trials, it was forced. Hood to give testimony in the basement war room of the Pentagon. They were finally recognized for the heroic act they did. An American Hero - CBS News The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story - Goodreads That morning, Hugh said, This is supposed to be a VC stronghold, but you know G2. Usually, when intelligence said an area was hot, it wasnt, and visa versa. Anyone can read what you share. View Hugh Thompson's professional profile on LinkedIn. I went back in 2008 for the 40th anniversary. You know, you think everybody feels you and you can ignore your own symptoms. Meet the Participants | American Experience | Official Site | PBS He showed no reaction at all. Saw some advancing Americans coming that way. They were not listening, so he did the unbelievable, he drew his own sidearm and pointed it at them. TIE LOST SOLDIER Hugh Thompson's Strange Life Will Fill a Book Glenn shouted, Hes firing into the ditch again!, How did Hugh react when reason failed? The M Lai massacre started when the U.S. Army declared everyone in a broad region of Vietnam either part of the Viet Cong or sympathizers. Ever reflect about how you are part of an event of such historical significance? Had you ever seen anything even approaching this before? Hugh Clowers Thompson Sr. was an electrician who served in the United States Navy during World War II. And when Thomson reported the horrific actions, the Army tried to cover up the M Lai massacre. After the initial shock, I think some sort of a defensive mechanism kicked in. Innocent people didnt die that day They didnt just fly off the handle and engage a target that was borderline. How could I ever be prepared for something like that? How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Did you have a sense that what you had seen at My Lai was and isolated incident or did you suspect similar atrocities were happening elsewhere? Did you experience retaliation for what you did that day, or for talking to Henderson? We came to think we were indirectly killing these people ourselves by marking them with smoke. He looked up and saw us and then took off for the tree line. However, Ive spoken to survivors on different occasions who had been at the bottom of the pile. No, we had no knowledge of who they were, we just knew they were Americans on the ground and we would have done anything for them. When the American people responded as they did in defense of Calley, it was really hard, especially for Hugh. And I was just devastated. There are those hardcore people who do still say we shouldnt have told the truth, that we should have covered for those guys in the field; that we didnt know what it was like on the ground. You found later that that wasnt true? I flew with him dozens of times and saw sporadic action. Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials. Dead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up. We were the closest and should have been able to communicate, but thats the way it was structured. Thompson risked his life and career and had Lt. Calley shoot him. Hugh Thompson Jr. graduated from Stone Mountain High School on June 5, 1961. They were not running, but just slowly moving out of the village. As United States citizens, as representatives of the one country in this world that is supposed to protect human life, they are ones to be ashamed of, to be shunned, to be branded traitors. I wish I was, but I wont lie to anybody. According to Miriam-Webster.com, the word "testimony means: proof or evidence that something exists or is true, firsthand authentication of a fact, an open acknowledgment, a public profession of religious experience . Finally, when the sergeant said OK, Hugh thought hed convinced him and got back in the helicopter and we pulled out. We even started marking the wounded with smoke, thinking the men on ground would come assist them. PDF The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story At that point, Hugh realizes hes got an aircraft that wont accommodate them. Mr. Thompson worked as a veterans' counselor in Louisiana after leaving military service. Hugh Thompson was a United States Army Major and a former warrant officer in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division who helped end the My Lai Massacre of the South Vietnamese village known as Sn M on March 16, 1968. U.S. ArmyHugh Thompson in his Army uniform, c. 1966. Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot, had threatened to fire on the American troops in order to rescue Vietnamese women and children from the slaughter. Calley had many supporters, who condemned and harassed Thompson. And the Army company only stopped because Thompson literally put himself between the soldiers and the civilians and threatened to shoot them if they didnt end the killings. That aspect of it made me feel real good.. He walked about 50 meters and encountered the lieutenant who was leading the squad. He was 62. I want you to come down here and shuttle these people out of here. And thats what happened, but at that he had to make two trips. They landed their helicopter between the American forces and the civilians, and they trained their guns on the advancing Americans. I remember catching one of the soldiers eyes and I waved to him and he waved back. They were going to kill more, but they didnt because of what Thompson did. In the midst of it, they had a conversation like this: Remember those old guys from Vietnam and what they told us back at Annapolis?. Are you guys with me?. When the revelations about My Lai surfaced, he testified before Congress, a military inquiry and the court-martial of Lt. William L. Calley Jr., the platoon leader at My Lai, who was the only soldier to be convicted in the massacre. He started accusing me of being with CID. The Army covered it up. I thought Hugh would pull it off, when I saw some pull their rucksacks off and leave it to the lieutenant to have it out with Hugh. Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials, https://www.historynet.com/interview-larry-colburn-why-my-lai-hugh-thompson-matter/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot. In addition to scholarly publications with top presses, she has written for Atlas Obscura and Ranker. Many fellow GIs still dont think you did the right thing? When did you make your report of what happened? Did you get help? Some of Calleys men didnt follow Calleys orders and did nothing. Did you consider bringing gunships to ferry out others from the ditch? In 1964, Thompson received an honorable discharge from the Navy and returned to Stone Mountain to live a quiet life and raise a family with his wife. Testimony to the Truth: Smyth, Reverend Hugh P.: 9781163377390: Amazon He had to make sure his mother, brother and sister, killed in the ditch, were buried properly. When it was all happening, the feeling I had was, if this is how Im going to die, Im OK with it. I stayed on gunships for rest of my time in Vietnam. There could be a reason for doing it, or there could have simply been a complete breakdown in leadership. While the massacre took place, helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and his crew flew over the jungle, offering air support. The story of My Lai is well known: On the morning of March 16, 1968, a company of U.S. soldiers killed as many as 500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians in My Lai, a village in South Vietnam. Hugh P. Thompson was the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Were you prepared to fire on the squad? I got there and Ill never forget my mother taking me into the kitchen and telling me if I didnt want to tell these people anything, I didnt have to. And he was a character, a real joker. How did you and Hugh reconcile what you knew happened with the outpouring of public support for Calley and his men? When I moved to the East Coast, I stopped at a VA hospital and had a list of things I thought I should get out. Thompson continued to fly and was hit eight times, in four of which incidents the aircraft was lost. Would I have? The sergeant waited until Thompson left and then fired on the helpless civilians. 199 0 obj <>stream I dont know, at the time I thought about creating a diversion, discharging my weapon in another direction. Today theres a little museum in My Lai, where Thompson is honored, and which displays a list of the names and ages of people killed that day. I read the citation and thought what? Thompson was more experienced than Lt. Calley, more ethical, more talented, and brighter, and probably recognized Calley didnt know what he was doing. Wed done what we could. Digital History "Dead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up. Im giving interviews and working with students. I always thought the American people deserved to know what was going on and I just thought it was good the public got a color photo layout of what happened at My Lai. I remember wearing the same fatigues and they were pretty much covered with blood stains from carrying the boy and being in that ditch. I walked in and told Henderson we saw unnecessary killing of many civilians. He found 69 between the ages of 4 and 7, and 91 between the ages of 8 and 12. Nobody would be held responsible. "I cannot explain why it happened. We also want to carry on Hughs passionate advocacy for all veterans, not just Vietnam vets. The Army covered it up, but the facts eventually came to light and the responsible officer, Capt. PDF Prepared Testimony and Hugh and I were skeptical in 01, so we asked him a lot of questions and he told us things only he could have known. He said: They are coming this way. To do something like that in the whirlwind of war was downright insane, and thats exactly what he did. Thats what they want to do. ", Hugh Thompson, 62, Who Saved Civilians at My Lai, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/us/hugh-thompson-62-who-saved-civilians-at-my-lai-dies.html. Im not going to let this happen, weve got to do something. He kept the aircraft and himself in between these people and the squad. At the time, I figured he was 3 or 4 years old, he was tiny. Glenn Andreotta was killed just a few weeks after My Lai? hbbd``b`:$WXWkZ ["|Ab b:H2@#H@ ( 0 Hugh Thompsonsdefiance and courage with that of his crew had given a new lease of life to others that they saved and will be remembered by all in the face of Humanity and History. On March 6, 1998, the Army presented the Soldier's Medal, for heroism not involving conflict with an enemy, to Mr. Thompson; to his gunner, Lawrence Colburn; and, posthumously, to Mr. Andreotta, who was killed in a helicopter crash three weeks after the My Lai massacre. This is not what Im here for. Are you guys with me?. Hugh Clowers Thompson Jr. was born on April 15, 1943, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, to Wessie and Hugh Clowers Thompson. U.S. ArmyWilliam Calley, the officer who ordered the slaughter at M Lai. We were told by the prosecuting attorneys to keep our mouths shut, and I didnt advertise the fact I was at My Lai. Then, take a look through these declassified Vietnam War photos. Document points to Nixon in My Lai cover-up attempt - CBS News He just lateraled the ball to Medina. It was Hugh and he told me that I would be getting orders to report to Washington. That Is little Hugh!" It was "Little Hugh" sure enough. I am sorry this world has lost you. Hugh Thompson is a genuine, bone-fide hero of the Vietnam war, protecting hundreds from being massacred by US troops at My Lai. It was denial on the part of the public. I wish we could have done more to thank him. Remember, this was later in the morning approaching noon, most of the killing had already been done. Unfortunately, Lt. Calley and the rest of Company C never paid the price for the atrocities they committed. Friends I had on the division level told me they were taking volunteers for the 123rd Aviation Battalion. Hugh Thompsons actions may be unique. Youve got to love this guy. In unison, all three of us shouted, You son of a bitch! That was Captain Ernest Medina. Hugh Thompson and My Lai - CounterPunch.org As he approached the soldiers, he told them to stop. I guess thats the $64,000 question isnt it? Likewise, what Hugh did has been ignored or glossed over in history texts, much the same way the incident has been. I told him everything and he didnt know how to respond, he had no idea how to deal with it. Having redeemed himself for other peoples mistakes, his heroic act was written in US Military history. Ive tried to put myself in their position, tried to empathize. From Testimony to Tragedy: My Lai in Personal Perspective When did you meet Hugh Thompson? The best therapy I got was in those four hours and seeing the people who were so broken physically. Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. From the air, Thompson and his two-person crew quickly realized American soldiers were slaughtering innocent civilians. Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. (April 15, 1943 - January 6, 2006) was a United States Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. Testimony in the case against Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis is scheduled for Tuesday, with follow-ups expected in May. It was fresh enough that things hadnt changed much. If they fire on these people, or fire on me while Im doing that, shoot em!. It took the Army 30 years, but in 1998, they finally acknowledged that Thompson had done something good. Hugh Thompson Profiles | Facebook I enjoyed that. 171 0 obj <> endobj Thompson kept testifying against the butchers of My Lai in hopes of securing justice for the civilians killed that day. Did you fly with him much before My Lai? On March 16, 1968, he was flying a mission in Vietnam and came across a large number of dead civilian bodies; and in pursuing surveillance, he discovered that those civilians had been killed, and the survivors were still under fire, by American forces. At some point they finally did call for a cease-fire, but by then it was too late. One of the ladies that we had helped out that day came up to me and asked, Why didnt the people who committed these acts come back with you? And I was just devastated. Thompson had a famous emotional outburst upon returning to base? Now, if I had known then what I know now about some of the activity going on there, the rapes and barbarism. Through the years, he continued to speak out, having been invited to West Point and other military installations to tell of the moral and legal obligations of soldiers in wartime. Were you glad you got it? We went back to the ditch because we knew there were a lot of people there who could have been saved. Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. Still, Thompson had saved civilians who would have been killed if he had not intervened. Id received death threats over the phone, Thompson said in 2004. But, after going through the process and seeing the ultimate outcome, I wasnt really surprised, but I was disillusioned. Andreotta died in action a few weeks later, but Thompson and Colburn were key witnesses in the investigations and trials to follow. %%EOF That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai . It took several weeks of time, and several volumes of testimony to satisfy the United States pen<rion bureau that "Old Reliable" was the identical soldier who had enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Ohio volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and who was last reported "wounded and missing In battle of . Mr. Thompson told of what he had seen when he returned to his base. An army helicopter piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson arrived in the My Lai vicinity about 9 a.m. Thompson noticed dead and dying civilians all over the village. An Account of the My Lai Courts-Martial - University of Missouri Was this part of the cover up? After we took the boy to Quang Nai, we went back to our base, and Hugh Thompson and I reported to Colonel Oran Henderson. Did the gunship crews know what was happening on the ground before this? The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story (First Edition For the sake of any kind of lame justice, they should have been put to death for their atrocities. We loved those guys in the field. California cities shouldnt be deterred. And you want to instill the spirit of Thompson in others. So, he decided to do something. Ernest Medina and Lt. William Calley were court-martialed. The My Lai Massacre was and still is a huge, shameful event that will be hard for several generations to get past. In mid-March 2022, posts about a warrant officer named Hugh Thompson and his role in the My Lai massacre circulated on social media, including a tweet describing that time period as the 50-year anniversary of that incident:. This is not how this military organization is supposed to conduct operations. There were real good highs, he told me, and very low lows. For a while we were going out on snatch missions, where wed basically kidnap draft-age males and take them in for interrogations. The second time, he touched down near a bunker in which a group of about 10 civilians were being menaced by American troops. We took him out of the area to a hospital and gave him to a nun. . She enticed me to move to east Oregon, near a ski area. You must have had some post-traumatic stress after your experience in Vietnam.
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