An American Atrocity: The My Lai Massacre Concretized in a Victim's Face

Claude Cookman

Some people think that the Japanese committed atrocities, that the Germans committed atrocities, that the Russians committed atrocities, but that the Americans don't commit atrocities. Well, this just isn't so. American troops are as capable as any other of committing atrocities.1 —Robert Rheault, 1970, former commander of U.S. Special Forces, Vietnam
Few military operations have been documented as thoroughly as the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. Documents from army investigations and congressional hearings, court-martial transcripts, articles, books, and documentaries—all based on interviews with the soldiers who perpetrated it and the villagers who survived it—detail how American soldiers murdered more than 500 unarmed women, children, and old men on March 16, 1968.2	1
It might have been the most forgotten operation. The officers of Charlie Company and their superiors in the Americal Division covered up the massacre, and it would have remained buried, except for Spec. Ron Ridenhour, who learned of the event from friends who participated. After his discharge from the army, Ridenhour reported the killings in a letter to President Richard M. Nixon, several senators and representatives, and Pentagon officials in March 1969. He quoted one sergeant who said, "They were slaughtering the villagers like so many sheep."3	2
Despite Ridenhour's letter and the investigations it launched, the massacre would probably have made little public impact, had it not been for photographs taken by Sgt. Ron Haeberle. (On that same day another company massacred at least ninety women and children a mile away in My Khe—an atrocity few have heard of.) The publication of Haeberle's photos in Life and Time magazines in late November and early December 1969 propelled the story to national and international attention.4	3
By themselves, photographs are never enough to explain the past. Combined with verbal and statistical accounts, however, they enrich our historical understanding. Haeberle's photographs—especially the one that shows seven villagers seconds before they were slain—can teach us important lessons about our shared humanity and our duty as citizens. (See figure 1.) Using Haeberle's pictures to remember that American soldiers committed that atrocity has value in itself, and using that memory to formulate a personal stance—pro or con—toward our government's use of military force is an act of mature citizenship.	4
Figure 1. Army sergeant Ron Haeberle photographed these women and children in My Lai, Vietnam, seconds before American soldiers shot and killed them. They were among more than 500 unarmed women, children, and old men massacred by American troops on March 16, 1968. Photo by Ron Haeberle. Courtesy Getty Images.   . . . There are about 4503 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.