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Pivotal Moments in American History
My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness
During the summer of 1971, in the midst of protests and demonstrations in the United States against the Vietnam War, it became evident that something horrific had happened in the remote South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai. Three years previously, in March 1968, a unit of American soldiers engaged in seemingly indiscriminate violence against unarmed civilians, killing over 500 people, including women and children. News filtered slowly through the system, but was initially suppressed, dismissed or downplayed by military authorities. By late 1969, however journalists had pursued the rumors, when New York Times reporter Seymour Hirsch published an expose on the massacre, the story became a national outrage.
Howard Jones places the events of My Lai and its aftermath in a wider historical context. As a result of the reporting of Hirsch and others, the U.S. army conducted a special inquiry, which charged Lieutenant William Calley and nearly 30 other officers with war crimes. A court martial followed, but after four months Calley alone was found guilty of premeditated murder. He served four and a half months in prison before President Nixon pardoned him and ordered his release.
Jones' compelling narrative details the events in Vietnam, as well as the mixed public response to Calley's sentence and to his defense that he had merely been following orders. Jones shows how pivotal the My Lai massacre was in galvanizing opposition to the Vietnam War, playing a part nearly as significant as that of the Tet Offensive and the Cambodian bombing. For many, it undermined any pretense of American moral superiority, calling into question not only the conduct of the war but the justification for U.S. involvement.
Jones also reveals how the effects of My Lai were felt within the American military itself, forcing authorities to focus on failures within the chain of command and to review training methods as well as to confront the issue of civilian casualties--what, in later years, came to be known as "collateral damage."
A trenchant and sober reassessment, My Lai delves into questions raised by the massacre that have never been properly answered: questions about America's leaders in the field and in Washington; the seeming breakdown of the U.S. army in Vietnam; the cover-up and ultimate public exposure; and the trial itself, which drew comparisons to Nuremberg. Based on extensive archival research, this is the best account to date of one of the defining moments of the Vietnam War.
"
Howard Jones places the events of My Lai and its aftermath in a wider historical context. As a result of the reporting of Hirsch and others, the U.S. army conducted a special inquiry, which charged Lieutenant William Calley and nearly 30 other officers with war crimes. A court martial followed, but after four months Calley alone was found guilty of premeditated murder. He served four and a half months in prison before President Nixon pardoned him and ordered his release.
Jones' compelling narrative details the events in Vietnam, as well as the mixed public response to Calley's sentence and to his defense that he had merely been following orders. Jones shows how pivotal the My Lai massacre was in galvanizing opposition to the Vietnam War, playing a part nearly as significant as that of the Tet Offensive and the Cambodian bombing. For many, it undermined any pretense of American moral superiority, calling into question not only the conduct of the war but the justification for U.S. involvement.
Jones also reveals how the effects of My Lai were felt within the American military itself, forcing authorities to focus on failures within the chain of command and to review training methods as well as to confront the issue of civilian casualties--what, in later years, came to be known as "collateral damage."
A trenchant and sober reassessment, My Lai delves into questions raised by the massacre that have never been properly answered: questions about America's leaders in the field and in Washington; the seeming breakdown of the U.S. army in Vietnam; the cover-up and ultimate public exposure; and the trial itself, which drew comparisons to Nuremberg. Based on extensive archival research, this is the best account to date of one of the defining moments of the Vietnam War.
"
504 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2017
78 people are currently reading
879 people want to read
About the author
Howard Jones
132 books15 followersA specialist in the history of American foreign policy, Howard Jones was Distinguished University Research Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama.
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June 24, 2022
In his book, Howard Jones presents his own take on the chilling event that occurred in the South Vietnamese village of My Lai in the spring of 1968.
Two Army companies, Charlie and Bravo, which were part of the 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, 23rd Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frank A. Barker, entered villages known to the Army by the collective name Pinkville and murdered somewhere between 360 and 504 old men, women, children, and babies, while also raping twenty women and girls. There were not any Viet Cong men hiding in the village, as was believed before the mission. No one fired back at the Americans. It was a day of horrible crimes and profound disgrace for the American soldiers that became war criminals.
Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, a forgotten hero of that day, a brave pilot who saved the lives of many Vietnamese civilians, immediately reported the killings up the chain of command, but his report was discounted. As Jones narrates, the cover-up began with a series of egregious lies. The official report from the operation claimed that American soldiers killed 128 Viet Cong and captured six weapons. Officers who preferred not to know about the dark things that happened in My Lai or did not want to investigate took that lie at face value, which led to more lies and the effacement of evidence.
My Lai would have probably been successfully covered up like earlier atrocities committed by American soldiers in Vietnam if not for Ron Ridenhour, a soldier who was not present at My Lai, but had heard disturbing stories about it from other soldiers. On March 29, 1969, he wrote a detailed, five-page letter to thirty Washington officials about what he had heard from those who had been there, demanding an investigation. Colonel William Wilson of the Inspector General's Office began an investigation that he would complete on July 17, 1969 after interviewing thirty-six witnesses. According to the author, the most important witness proved to be remorseful Paul Meadlo, who readily admitted to murders that he had committed under orders from his platoon leader, then Second Lieutenant William Calley. Wilson, who "had prayed to God that this thing was fiction," now realized that the horrible stories were true.
The Army's Criminal Investigation Division took over the investigation on August 4th, and a month later William Calley was charged with multiple murders. Four days later, Army Chief of Staff General William Westmoreland appointed Lieutenant General William R. Peers to investigate the Mỹ Lai cover-up and eventually the massacre itself. The Peers Commission issued its report on March 17, 1970. It had not found evidence of a conspiracy to cover up what happened, but many officers and enlisted men had "suppressed information.” The Peers Commission drafted charges to be forwarded to the local staff judge advocate against fourteen officers, including the division commander, Major General Samuel Koster, assistant division commander, Brigadier General George H. Young, and brigade commander Colonel Oren K. Henderson for dereliction of duty, false swearing, and false testimony. In the end, four officers and seven enlisted men were charged with murder, a fifth officer was charged with assaulting and maiming a prisoner, and two other enlisted men were charged with intent to commit murder and rape. However, eventually either the charges were dropped or the charged were acquitted.
Calley was the only one convicted, although his company commander, Ernest Medina, confessed that he knew what his company did and had failed to tell the truth to Henderson. Calley received a life sentence, but President Nixon's immediate intervention forestalled his incarceration in an army prison and eventually led to a considerable reduction of his sentence. Public outrage surrounding Calley's conviction was so huge that even a popular country-western song, "Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley" appeared, selling over two hundred thousand copies in three days. Although Calley was by no means a scapegoat – he had voluntarily ordered and participated in the My Lai atrocities – the Army's failure to punish the rest of the war criminals is an outrageous sin.
Jones tells the distrubing story of the massacre at My Lai and its aftermath comprehensively. His interviews with a Vietnamese witness to Bravo Company's killings are a contribution to the My Lai scholarship because they offer information about the less well-known killings that Bravo Company committed in My Khe. However, although after reading the author's work I thought that it was great, I later came to the conclusion that it lacks depth of analysis.
For instance, he acknowledges that Calley's biographer John Sack was Calley's defender, but still cites his work as a credible source. This demonstrates an absence of critical thinking. The same goes for Jones's retelling of a story told by Charlie Company's member Eusebio Santellana to writer Wayne Greenhaw. According to Santellana, an unnamed fellow soldier of his was skinned alive by Viet Cong guerrillas in January 1968, and his comrades all saw the remains. This sounds like a typical pathetic attempt to excuse the crimes Santellana had committed. If true, a story like that would have been told over and over by members of Charlie Company, and the soldier would have been named and remembered.
Furthermore, the author short-sightedly dismisses one of the three main explanations for why My Lai happened. The three explanations are a mental breakdown of the American soldiers, a failure of command leadership, and the way America fought the Vietnam conflict. There is truth in all three, so it seems strange to me that the author ignores the second one and, by comparing Calley to Thompson, concludes that the atrocities were committed because the former lacked moral principles. This is an overly simplified conclusion. Although many high-ranking officials actively promoted this version of events, it is clear that My Lai was not only about Calley's going crazy. The two American companies who committed horrible war crimes were sent into battle by a senior officer, Barker, who did not put his orders into writing and were overseen by a division commander, Koster, whom General Bruce Palmer called " most inexperienced commander," and "least qualified to be a division commander." That Jones does not examine this is surprising, considering that he is an experienced historian.
MY LAI is a well-written but rather superficial account of the massacre and the subsequent cover-up and investigation that does not go deeper than accounting for the events. I did not like the fact that Jones does not discuss whether the atrocities in My Lai represented the American war effort in Vietnam. This book is inferior to Michael Bilton's and Kevin Sim's Four Hours in My Lai, which is both compelling and insightful.
Two Army companies, Charlie and Bravo, which were part of the 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, 23rd Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frank A. Barker, entered villages known to the Army by the collective name Pinkville and murdered somewhere between 360 and 504 old men, women, children, and babies, while also raping twenty women and girls. There were not any Viet Cong men hiding in the village, as was believed before the mission. No one fired back at the Americans. It was a day of horrible crimes and profound disgrace for the American soldiers that became war criminals.
Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, a forgotten hero of that day, a brave pilot who saved the lives of many Vietnamese civilians, immediately reported the killings up the chain of command, but his report was discounted. As Jones narrates, the cover-up began with a series of egregious lies. The official report from the operation claimed that American soldiers killed 128 Viet Cong and captured six weapons. Officers who preferred not to know about the dark things that happened in My Lai or did not want to investigate took that lie at face value, which led to more lies and the effacement of evidence.
My Lai would have probably been successfully covered up like earlier atrocities committed by American soldiers in Vietnam if not for Ron Ridenhour, a soldier who was not present at My Lai, but had heard disturbing stories about it from other soldiers. On March 29, 1969, he wrote a detailed, five-page letter to thirty Washington officials about what he had heard from those who had been there, demanding an investigation. Colonel William Wilson of the Inspector General's Office began an investigation that he would complete on July 17, 1969 after interviewing thirty-six witnesses. According to the author, the most important witness proved to be remorseful Paul Meadlo, who readily admitted to murders that he had committed under orders from his platoon leader, then Second Lieutenant William Calley. Wilson, who "had prayed to God that this thing was fiction," now realized that the horrible stories were true.
The Army's Criminal Investigation Division took over the investigation on August 4th, and a month later William Calley was charged with multiple murders. Four days later, Army Chief of Staff General William Westmoreland appointed Lieutenant General William R. Peers to investigate the Mỹ Lai cover-up and eventually the massacre itself. The Peers Commission issued its report on March 17, 1970. It had not found evidence of a conspiracy to cover up what happened, but many officers and enlisted men had "suppressed information.” The Peers Commission drafted charges to be forwarded to the local staff judge advocate against fourteen officers, including the division commander, Major General Samuel Koster, assistant division commander, Brigadier General George H. Young, and brigade commander Colonel Oren K. Henderson for dereliction of duty, false swearing, and false testimony. In the end, four officers and seven enlisted men were charged with murder, a fifth officer was charged with assaulting and maiming a prisoner, and two other enlisted men were charged with intent to commit murder and rape. However, eventually either the charges were dropped or the charged were acquitted.
Calley was the only one convicted, although his company commander, Ernest Medina, confessed that he knew what his company did and had failed to tell the truth to Henderson. Calley received a life sentence, but President Nixon's immediate intervention forestalled his incarceration in an army prison and eventually led to a considerable reduction of his sentence. Public outrage surrounding Calley's conviction was so huge that even a popular country-western song, "Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley" appeared, selling over two hundred thousand copies in three days. Although Calley was by no means a scapegoat – he had voluntarily ordered and participated in the My Lai atrocities – the Army's failure to punish the rest of the war criminals is an outrageous sin.
Jones tells the distrubing story of the massacre at My Lai and its aftermath comprehensively. His interviews with a Vietnamese witness to Bravo Company's killings are a contribution to the My Lai scholarship because they offer information about the less well-known killings that Bravo Company committed in My Khe. However, although after reading the author's work I thought that it was great, I later came to the conclusion that it lacks depth of analysis.
For instance, he acknowledges that Calley's biographer John Sack was Calley's defender, but still cites his work as a credible source. This demonstrates an absence of critical thinking. The same goes for Jones's retelling of a story told by Charlie Company's member Eusebio Santellana to writer Wayne Greenhaw. According to Santellana, an unnamed fellow soldier of his was skinned alive by Viet Cong guerrillas in January 1968, and his comrades all saw the remains. This sounds like a typical pathetic attempt to excuse the crimes Santellana had committed. If true, a story like that would have been told over and over by members of Charlie Company, and the soldier would have been named and remembered.
Furthermore, the author short-sightedly dismisses one of the three main explanations for why My Lai happened. The three explanations are a mental breakdown of the American soldiers, a failure of command leadership, and the way America fought the Vietnam conflict. There is truth in all three, so it seems strange to me that the author ignores the second one and, by comparing Calley to Thompson, concludes that the atrocities were committed because the former lacked moral principles. This is an overly simplified conclusion. Although many high-ranking officials actively promoted this version of events, it is clear that My Lai was not only about Calley's going crazy. The two American companies who committed horrible war crimes were sent into battle by a senior officer, Barker, who did not put his orders into writing and were overseen by a division commander, Koster, whom General Bruce Palmer called " most inexperienced commander," and "least qualified to be a division commander." That Jones does not examine this is surprising, considering that he is an experienced historian.
MY LAI is a well-written but rather superficial account of the massacre and the subsequent cover-up and investigation that does not go deeper than accounting for the events. I did not like the fact that Jones does not discuss whether the atrocities in My Lai represented the American war effort in Vietnam. This book is inferior to Michael Bilton's and Kevin Sim's Four Hours in My Lai, which is both compelling and insightful.
January 13, 2018
“The sad truth of the matter is that most evil is done by people who never made up their minds to be or do either evil or good.” (Hannah Arendt reflecting upon the seemingly law-abiding and morally sound German citizens who followed Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann’s bidding to execute millions of Jewish people in Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, an article written during his 1965 trial.)
How could My Lai have happened? How could American soldiers have done such a thing? Have we learned anything from such an atrocity since then? Could anything like this happen again?
See above. Same. Yes and no. Unfortunately, yes.
Howard Jones in-depth examination of the 1968 My Lai Massacre is timely. This March will be the 50th anniversary and a half century should be enough time for some perspective on such a cataclysmic event as this, although additional years will certainly bring more relevant facts to light.
His book is thorough and looks at the political, military, legal, historical, and cultural aspects of this slaughter of innocent civilians. The first part of the story covers the day itself, the rest is about the ensuing cover-up, the reaction to the discovery, the trials and aftermath.
Jones does an impressive job of presenting such a controversial subject as the Vietnam War from its many different perspectives. He draws from seemingly endless documents, testimony, military files, court reports, and personal interviews with those still alive and willing to speak about My Lai to him. While it is not always easy to follow the labyrinth—given the huge cast involved in this calamity and the circuitous manner in which the truth finally came out—it is worth the effort and gave me an appreciation for the investigative work the author did researching and writing this book. The last half of the book is references, which make for engrossing reading as well.
Throughout the book, Jones presents the hopeful contrast between Calley (and his supervisor Captain Medina as well as others responsible) and the helicopter crew, Warrant Officer Hugh C. Thompson, Specialist-4 Glenn W. Andreotta, and Specialist-4 Lawrence M. Colburn*, who reached out to save a group of Vietnamese civilians at risk of their own lives.
Andreotta did not survive the war. Thompson and Colburn were made to suffer persecution for having stood up to their fellows on that day:
Both men were later nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. They made many trips back to My Lai for the annual survivor gathering on March 16th. Even so, Thompson died “morally wounded and despondent,” according to Colburn, who was at his bedside. Soon after Thompson’s death, Colburn received an increasing number of death threats, and more patrons than usual refused to do business with him in Atlanta.
And all for having protected the lives of a few innocents, saving them from certain death.
Calley never returned to My Lai.
*The author dedicates the book to Thompson, Colburn, and Andreotta, ‘for personifying the essence of good character in the midst of horrific circumstances’.
January 10, 2018: Just finished Ken Burn's documentary on the Vietnam War. Have always wanted to learn/read more about that war-the second most divisive in our nation's history-and it was a great introduction.
I remember first learning about this massacre and wondering how it could have happened. Now I don't wonder so much. The potential to commit great evil exists in all of us. So does the potential to do Great Good. Circumstances play a part certainly, but only a part.
How could My Lai have happened? How could American soldiers have done such a thing? Have we learned anything from such an atrocity since then? Could anything like this happen again?
See above. Same. Yes and no. Unfortunately, yes.
Howard Jones in-depth examination of the 1968 My Lai Massacre is timely. This March will be the 50th anniversary and a half century should be enough time for some perspective on such a cataclysmic event as this, although additional years will certainly bring more relevant facts to light.
His book is thorough and looks at the political, military, legal, historical, and cultural aspects of this slaughter of innocent civilians. The first part of the story covers the day itself, the rest is about the ensuing cover-up, the reaction to the discovery, the trials and aftermath.
Jones does an impressive job of presenting such a controversial subject as the Vietnam War from its many different perspectives. He draws from seemingly endless documents, testimony, military files, court reports, and personal interviews with those still alive and willing to speak about My Lai to him. While it is not always easy to follow the labyrinth—given the huge cast involved in this calamity and the circuitous manner in which the truth finally came out—it is worth the effort and gave me an appreciation for the investigative work the author did researching and writing this book. The last half of the book is references, which make for engrossing reading as well.
Throughout the book, Jones presents the hopeful contrast between Calley (and his supervisor Captain Medina as well as others responsible) and the helicopter crew, Warrant Officer Hugh C. Thompson, Specialist-4 Glenn W. Andreotta, and Specialist-4 Lawrence M. Colburn*, who reached out to save a group of Vietnamese civilians at risk of their own lives.
Andreotta did not survive the war. Thompson and Colburn were made to suffer persecution for having stood up to their fellows on that day:
‘Thompson came under bitter criticism for his actions that abated only after the (Calley) courts martial came to an end. When he walked into the officers’ club, it was often to calls of “traitor,” “communist,” and “sympathizer.” He received hate mail at his home in Louisiana, along with death threats over the phone at three in the morning and mutilated animals dumped on his doorstep. He said he was galled by the TV coverage of “rallies for Calley” that took place all over the country after the sentencing. How could I be “the bad guy,” he once asked a reporter. “Has everyone gone mad?”’Finally on March 6, 1998, the Pentagon awarded each of the three men (posthumously in Andreotta’s case) the Soldier’s Medal, the highest honor for valor bestowed on a soldier in a noncombat situation. In accepting this award Thompson thanked the Army and recognized all Vietnam Vets. Colburn declared it his “solemn wish that we all never forget the tragedy and brutality of war.” He then quoted General Douglas MacArthur: “The soldier, be he friend or foe, is charged with the protection of the weak and the unarmed. It is the very essence and reason for his being.”
Both men were later nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. They made many trips back to My Lai for the annual survivor gathering on March 16th. Even so, Thompson died “morally wounded and despondent,” according to Colburn, who was at his bedside. Soon after Thompson’s death, Colburn received an increasing number of death threats, and more patrons than usual refused to do business with him in Atlanta.
And all for having protected the lives of a few innocents, saving them from certain death.
Calley never returned to My Lai.
*The author dedicates the book to Thompson, Colburn, and Andreotta, ‘for personifying the essence of good character in the midst of horrific circumstances’.
January 10, 2018: Just finished Ken Burn's documentary on the Vietnam War. Have always wanted to learn/read more about that war-the second most divisive in our nation's history-and it was a great introduction.
I remember first learning about this massacre and wondering how it could have happened. Now I don't wonder so much. The potential to commit great evil exists in all of us. So does the potential to do Great Good. Circumstances play a part certainly, but only a part.
November 21, 2017
From the outset of his new book MY LAI: VIETNAM, 1968 AND THE DESCENT INTO DARKNESS notable historian Howard Jones argues that the massacre that took place on March 16, 1968 killing 504 Vietnamese villagers “laid bare the war, revealing that it was unwinnable and that, in the process of fighting for democracy and a way of life; America had lost its moral compass.” . When it comes to examining American opinion on My Lai one finds that it is split. On the one hand, during his four month trial Lt. William Calley argued that he was innocent and that he was just following orders. However, at the time Americans were polarized and the massacre fed opposition to the war, which addition to the Tet Offensive, the invasion of Cambodia, and the Kent State shootings helped unite Americans against the carnage in Southeast Asia and for many it had turned our young men into “baby killers.” On the other hand, many saw Calley as a scapegoat for a war gone wrong, with a flawed military approach that hindered the prosecution of the war correctly. Calley’s conviction would harden support for the war and no matter what one’s point of view is the fissures in American society were exacerbated by events at My Lai.
Jones is to be commended for attempting to produce the most balanced and accurate account of the massacre and its aftermath as possible. He employs all the tools of a good historian by exploring all documentation available, secondary sources on the topic, interviews, and film to present a fair representation as to what happened. As historians we are aware that total objectivity in reporting and analyzing historical events is almost an impossible task, but Jones comes very close in achieving his goal. What sets Jones’ effort apart is the availability of Vietnamese accounts which are skillfully integrated into the narrative that were not available for authors who have previously engaged this topic.
Jones does an excellent job in setting the scene of the area known as “Pinksville” where the My Lai villages were located. It is clear that events leading up to March 16th were fraught with booby traps, land mines, snipers, and other obstacles that resulted in the death of many soldiers. Jones captures the mindset of men who were ordered to take part in the sweep that targeted the 48th Viet Cong Battalion that dominated the area. Men were told that Vietnamese civilians would be absent in large part as they usually walked to the market in Quang Nai City, and that the Vietcong force would be double the size of the American units. The instructions given to American troops by Captain Ernest Medina, Lt. Calley, and other higher ups was poorly conceived and left a number of gaps for troops to deal with. Jones stresses the relationship between Medina and Calley as a major issue as Medina held a very low opinion of his Platoon commander and often humiliated him in front of the troops. Jones further stresses the weak intelligence that was provided and orders that zeroed in on a “search and destroy” mission that applied to anything that could possibly be used by the Viet Cong (anything, including civilians who supported the VC).
Jones describes what feels like a minute by minute account of the slaughter that took place. The actions of certain soldiers receives greater attention as they were actively involved in the killings. Jones has mined trial transcripts, Army reports, and interviews and with a historians eye for detail and lays out that happened on March 16, 1968 in a cogent fashion. He explores the command structure, personalities involved, as well village life for Vietnamese peasants. Captain Medina is center stage whose orders were to kill any Vietnamese present, because if they were in the villages they must be Viet Cong. For Medina “search and destroy” meant burning the villages and killing its inhabitants. Since the troops were told no civilians would be present, for the soldiers once the killing started it could not be controlled. For Platoon One under Calley another component was his need to prove himself to Medina. For Calley the way to impress Medina was the body count. Taken with racism and fear infused in the men, and Calley’s psychological needs it was a disaster waiting to happen.
At times the reader will become sickened by what Jones describes. Wanton murder, gang rapes, sadism are all present as Jones relates the actions of deprived men like SP4 Gary Roschevitz, PFC Robert T’Souva, PFC Paul Meadlo and numerous others, a list that is too long to reproduce. Calley as the officer in charge saw himself as judge, jury, and executioner. Eventually a number of men refused to continue to take part or refused from the outset. Men became concerned as Stars and Stripes reporter Jay Robert and photographer Ronald Haberle were present and creating a record of events.
One of the most important characters that Jones introduces is Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot who flew over the battlefield, landed and confronted the perpetrators, and even got into an argument with another officer that almost turned violent. Once the massacre ended Thompson would report what he witnessed which takes the reader into the second part of the book entitled “Aftermath and Cover up” which is exactly what took place. Jones does a good job following the trail of “investigations,” written reports, denials, and collusion that was designed to cover up the actions taken by those in charge. Men like Colonel Frank Barker, Colonel Oran Henderson, and their commander Major General Samuel Koster are seen pursuing an investigation with blinders on. First, trying to discredit Thompson; Second, obfuscating and fabricating as much as possible in the hopes that the evidence would not produce war crimes; lastly, arguing that 128 Viet Cong were killed, however it could never explain why only 3 weapons were captured, which made no sense and reflected their disparate reasoning. Jones pinpoints the strategy used to white wash events and zeroes in on the lack of accountability taken by those in command from General William Westmoreland on down.
Perhaps the most important person in pursuing the truth was helicopter gunner Ronald Ridenhour who came in contact with PFC Charles “Butch” Gruver who was present at My Lai in April, 1968. Gruver told Ridenhour what had happened which conformed to what he saw on the ground during a fly over of the region. Ridenhour would continue to run into men who were at My Lai, but fearing retribution would wait a year before sending out a five page description of what really occurred to military, administrative, and congressional leaders. This would finally lead to a series of contacts within the government, one of which was the Inspector General’s Office. Colonel William Wilson was charged with investigating Ridenhour’s allegations. Jones follows Wilson’s journey across the United States and as he interviewed a number of former soldiers who had been present on March 16, 1968. Based on his information General Westmoreland directed Chief Warrant Officer Andre Feher of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division to conduct an inquiry as to what happened in My Lai. Jones reproduces important aspects of his conversations with Calley, Thompson, Meadlo and others as well as the Army’s attempt to keep the charges against Calley out of the media.
Throughout the narrative Jones’ presentation is impeccable and it continues as he presents and analyzes the results of the Peers Commission which found that American troops had massacred between 175 and more than 400 Vietnamese civilians. The commission blamed Major-General Samuel Koster for suppressing information, falsely testifying, and initiating a conspiracy to withhold facts. Further, it found evidence that Medina and Calley were guilty of war crimes.
The role of the Nixon administration fits the pattern of illegal actions they were engaged in at the time. Nixon personally became involved as he tried to discredit witnesses to the massacre and believed that Calley was “getting a bum rap.” Nixon set up “Task-Force My Lai” under H.R. Haldeman to undermine negative press reports. Nixon’s strategy was to reduce opposition to the war as My Lai was causing the opposite. He would pressure Senator Mendel Rivers, who headed the Senate Arms Services Committee investigation to discredit witnesses, and the Sub-Committee headed by Senator F. Edward Herbert which zeroed in on Thompson and Colburn.
Jones follows the legal trail that led to a series of trials, though fewer than recommended. Since many witnesses were unavailable or refused to cooperate, in addition to the defense argument that you could not convict someone for obeying an illegal order held sway making it very difficult to obtain convictions. The result was that the Army dropped the charges against numerous individuals. The trials that receive the most attention are those of Calley, Henderson, and Medina. Jones has carefully examined the trial transcripts and reconstructed the courtroom scenes of each, in addition to the public and military reactions to the verdicts. In Calley’s case many saw him as a scapegoat for a war no one wanted to fight. For President Nixon, the verdict was superfluous as he decided to “commute” the sentence before it was even imposed.
Much of what Jones has written reads like a “Grisham” type novel as rape, murder, deceit are all on full display inside and outside the courtroom. My Lai was the worst massacre in American military history and it deeply affected American politics and society for the years that followed. One must ask the question was My Lai an aberration or one of many atrocities American troops engaged in. The answer based on available evidence is no, as there are numerous examples of this type of behavior, but were not on the level of My Lai because of the numbers involved – over 500 dead, a result of the actions of at least 40 American soldiers. Jones brings his study to a conclusion by talking about the lives of many soldiers including Hugh Thompson, Lawrence Colburn, and many others and how it affected their lives following military service. The conclusion that can be drawn is we still do not know why allows why people that appear to be normal commit such acts of horror. Jones has written the penultimate book on My Lai and its historical implications and it should be read by all considering a military career and those civilians who are in charge of the military and are involved in the conduct of foreign policy.
Jones is to be commended for attempting to produce the most balanced and accurate account of the massacre and its aftermath as possible. He employs all the tools of a good historian by exploring all documentation available, secondary sources on the topic, interviews, and film to present a fair representation as to what happened. As historians we are aware that total objectivity in reporting and analyzing historical events is almost an impossible task, but Jones comes very close in achieving his goal. What sets Jones’ effort apart is the availability of Vietnamese accounts which are skillfully integrated into the narrative that were not available for authors who have previously engaged this topic.
Jones does an excellent job in setting the scene of the area known as “Pinksville” where the My Lai villages were located. It is clear that events leading up to March 16th were fraught with booby traps, land mines, snipers, and other obstacles that resulted in the death of many soldiers. Jones captures the mindset of men who were ordered to take part in the sweep that targeted the 48th Viet Cong Battalion that dominated the area. Men were told that Vietnamese civilians would be absent in large part as they usually walked to the market in Quang Nai City, and that the Vietcong force would be double the size of the American units. The instructions given to American troops by Captain Ernest Medina, Lt. Calley, and other higher ups was poorly conceived and left a number of gaps for troops to deal with. Jones stresses the relationship between Medina and Calley as a major issue as Medina held a very low opinion of his Platoon commander and often humiliated him in front of the troops. Jones further stresses the weak intelligence that was provided and orders that zeroed in on a “search and destroy” mission that applied to anything that could possibly be used by the Viet Cong (anything, including civilians who supported the VC).
Jones describes what feels like a minute by minute account of the slaughter that took place. The actions of certain soldiers receives greater attention as they were actively involved in the killings. Jones has mined trial transcripts, Army reports, and interviews and with a historians eye for detail and lays out that happened on March 16, 1968 in a cogent fashion. He explores the command structure, personalities involved, as well village life for Vietnamese peasants. Captain Medina is center stage whose orders were to kill any Vietnamese present, because if they were in the villages they must be Viet Cong. For Medina “search and destroy” meant burning the villages and killing its inhabitants. Since the troops were told no civilians would be present, for the soldiers once the killing started it could not be controlled. For Platoon One under Calley another component was his need to prove himself to Medina. For Calley the way to impress Medina was the body count. Taken with racism and fear infused in the men, and Calley’s psychological needs it was a disaster waiting to happen.
At times the reader will become sickened by what Jones describes. Wanton murder, gang rapes, sadism are all present as Jones relates the actions of deprived men like SP4 Gary Roschevitz, PFC Robert T’Souva, PFC Paul Meadlo and numerous others, a list that is too long to reproduce. Calley as the officer in charge saw himself as judge, jury, and executioner. Eventually a number of men refused to continue to take part or refused from the outset. Men became concerned as Stars and Stripes reporter Jay Robert and photographer Ronald Haberle were present and creating a record of events.
One of the most important characters that Jones introduces is Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot who flew over the battlefield, landed and confronted the perpetrators, and even got into an argument with another officer that almost turned violent. Once the massacre ended Thompson would report what he witnessed which takes the reader into the second part of the book entitled “Aftermath and Cover up” which is exactly what took place. Jones does a good job following the trail of “investigations,” written reports, denials, and collusion that was designed to cover up the actions taken by those in charge. Men like Colonel Frank Barker, Colonel Oran Henderson, and their commander Major General Samuel Koster are seen pursuing an investigation with blinders on. First, trying to discredit Thompson; Second, obfuscating and fabricating as much as possible in the hopes that the evidence would not produce war crimes; lastly, arguing that 128 Viet Cong were killed, however it could never explain why only 3 weapons were captured, which made no sense and reflected their disparate reasoning. Jones pinpoints the strategy used to white wash events and zeroes in on the lack of accountability taken by those in command from General William Westmoreland on down.
Perhaps the most important person in pursuing the truth was helicopter gunner Ronald Ridenhour who came in contact with PFC Charles “Butch” Gruver who was present at My Lai in April, 1968. Gruver told Ridenhour what had happened which conformed to what he saw on the ground during a fly over of the region. Ridenhour would continue to run into men who were at My Lai, but fearing retribution would wait a year before sending out a five page description of what really occurred to military, administrative, and congressional leaders. This would finally lead to a series of contacts within the government, one of which was the Inspector General’s Office. Colonel William Wilson was charged with investigating Ridenhour’s allegations. Jones follows Wilson’s journey across the United States and as he interviewed a number of former soldiers who had been present on March 16, 1968. Based on his information General Westmoreland directed Chief Warrant Officer Andre Feher of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division to conduct an inquiry as to what happened in My Lai. Jones reproduces important aspects of his conversations with Calley, Thompson, Meadlo and others as well as the Army’s attempt to keep the charges against Calley out of the media.
Throughout the narrative Jones’ presentation is impeccable and it continues as he presents and analyzes the results of the Peers Commission which found that American troops had massacred between 175 and more than 400 Vietnamese civilians. The commission blamed Major-General Samuel Koster for suppressing information, falsely testifying, and initiating a conspiracy to withhold facts. Further, it found evidence that Medina and Calley were guilty of war crimes.
The role of the Nixon administration fits the pattern of illegal actions they were engaged in at the time. Nixon personally became involved as he tried to discredit witnesses to the massacre and believed that Calley was “getting a bum rap.” Nixon set up “Task-Force My Lai” under H.R. Haldeman to undermine negative press reports. Nixon’s strategy was to reduce opposition to the war as My Lai was causing the opposite. He would pressure Senator Mendel Rivers, who headed the Senate Arms Services Committee investigation to discredit witnesses, and the Sub-Committee headed by Senator F. Edward Herbert which zeroed in on Thompson and Colburn.
Jones follows the legal trail that led to a series of trials, though fewer than recommended. Since many witnesses were unavailable or refused to cooperate, in addition to the defense argument that you could not convict someone for obeying an illegal order held sway making it very difficult to obtain convictions. The result was that the Army dropped the charges against numerous individuals. The trials that receive the most attention are those of Calley, Henderson, and Medina. Jones has carefully examined the trial transcripts and reconstructed the courtroom scenes of each, in addition to the public and military reactions to the verdicts. In Calley’s case many saw him as a scapegoat for a war no one wanted to fight. For President Nixon, the verdict was superfluous as he decided to “commute” the sentence before it was even imposed.
Much of what Jones has written reads like a “Grisham” type novel as rape, murder, deceit are all on full display inside and outside the courtroom. My Lai was the worst massacre in American military history and it deeply affected American politics and society for the years that followed. One must ask the question was My Lai an aberration or one of many atrocities American troops engaged in. The answer based on available evidence is no, as there are numerous examples of this type of behavior, but were not on the level of My Lai because of the numbers involved – over 500 dead, a result of the actions of at least 40 American soldiers. Jones brings his study to a conclusion by talking about the lives of many soldiers including Hugh Thompson, Lawrence Colburn, and many others and how it affected their lives following military service. The conclusion that can be drawn is we still do not know why allows why people that appear to be normal commit such acts of horror. Jones has written the penultimate book on My Lai and its historical implications and it should be read by all considering a military career and those civilians who are in charge of the military and are involved in the conduct of foreign policy.
June 13, 2017
I get free history books for review, but am I grateful? Nah. Am I respectful? Not for a moment. I especially enjoy ridiculing the unfairly-maligned publishing industry, which has never been anything other than perfectly nice to me, for launching an avalanche of books on important anniversaries of major historical events or, like the recently-passed 100th anniversary of World War I, or the upcoming half-millennium since Martin Luther glued (or maybe nailed) his 95 (or maybe 87) theses. Call me a great unpleasant crank (you won't be the first), but I just don't think the theses have more or less significance and meaning on their 500th anniversary than they had on, say, their 473rd, or will have on their 514th.
I know, I know, publishers have to earn their crust, too. Nice divisible-by-ten anniversaries get the attention of the pompous media blowhards who pass for opinion-shapers in our benighted era because they can write thumb-sucking content for their site (for slow news days) and have a snappy, I'm-smarter-than-you riposte to the inevitable question “And why exactly should I care about the Diet of Worms now?” And, if you are a publisher and can actually get aforementioned pompous etc who pass etc in our benighted etc to mention your book on the topic as well, so much the better.
The My Lai Massacre will have its fiftieth anniversary on March 16, 2018.
A fiftieth anniversary may actually be one worth paying attention to. With increased longevity, anybody writing about a 50-year-old event stands a fighting chance of finding participants who might have been reticent to go on the record at the time but are now looking to set the record straight before going to meet their reward. For example, a recent book about the so-called ”Secret War in Laos” had a boatload of interesting information from those who kept mum for decades.
This book about My Lai does not contain any new headline-making bombshells about the massacre or the subsequent trial of William Calley. Those survivors who could really set the record straight can't or won't talk, but it's clear that the author did his damnedest to compile the mountain of the official documents into a coherent narrative. He also added a few new interviews to create as clear a version of events as the circumstances allow.
New interviewees in this book include two Vietnamese survivors (Kindle locations 1730, 7023, and elsewhere), a post-Vietnam friend of Calley (l. 6325 and elsewhere), and a military historian and author of a book on the US Air Force in Vietnam (l. 6588 and elsewhere).
The most important interviewee, though, must be the late Lawrence Colburn (l. 1996 and elsewhere), who was the last surviving member of the helicopter crew who prevented the massacre from being worse than it was, ferried a few lucky survivors to safety, and reported the incident. (For their trouble, the crew was investigated for insubordination, had their names forged on official statements, and had a US Senator call for their court-martial. However, eventually they got the honor they deserved.) It's possible that Colburn talked to other historians before his death, but this is certainly one of the last occasions on which one of the few people who came out of the incident honorably will have a chance to testify.
Calley, the only person to serve a prison sentence in connection with the massacre, has been nearly silent for decades. He did not appear very contrite in 2007 when he unsuccessfully attempted to engage in checkbook journalism with the London Daily Mail. He appeared more apologetic when speaking to a sympathetic audience in his native Georgia in 2009. But clearly he did not speak to the author of this book. It doesn't feel like a big loss because, if this book is getting it right, much of Calley's early life and every movement connected with the massacre has gotten such intense scrutiny and documentation that there is simply no more relevant information to be gotten from Calley.
Calley's immediate superior, Ernest Medina, was acquitted of all charges and apparently went on to a prosperous post-military career working for a helicopter factory owned by the attorney who defended him at the trial. Medina seems to be still alive at age 81. People who are alive can sue for libel, so the author has to step very carefully. I got the impression that the author feels Medina is the real villain of the massacre and the subsequent cover-up, but there was no irrefutable evidence to connect Medina (or anyone else) to, for example, the possibly incriminating documents that mysteriously disappeared from official files or to convenient lapses of judgment and memory by participants.
The massacre takes only the first quarter of the book. The rest is taken up by the twist and turns of various investigations, cover-ups, revelations, and trials. Because of this, I think it will appeal more to the fan of the courtroom drama than the fan of military action.
Read the book. Things like this happen and people say “How could this happen?”, but that doesn't prevent it from happening again. You can't prevent it, but you can understand it.
I received a free unfinished electronic copy of this book for review. Thanks to Oxford University Press and NetGalley.
I know, I know, publishers have to earn their crust, too. Nice divisible-by-ten anniversaries get the attention of the pompous media blowhards who pass for opinion-shapers in our benighted era because they can write thumb-sucking content for their site (for slow news days) and have a snappy, I'm-smarter-than-you riposte to the inevitable question “And why exactly should I care about the Diet of Worms now?” And, if you are a publisher and can actually get aforementioned pompous etc who pass etc in our benighted etc to mention your book on the topic as well, so much the better.
The My Lai Massacre will have its fiftieth anniversary on March 16, 2018.
A fiftieth anniversary may actually be one worth paying attention to. With increased longevity, anybody writing about a 50-year-old event stands a fighting chance of finding participants who might have been reticent to go on the record at the time but are now looking to set the record straight before going to meet their reward. For example, a recent book about the so-called ”Secret War in Laos” had a boatload of interesting information from those who kept mum for decades.
This book about My Lai does not contain any new headline-making bombshells about the massacre or the subsequent trial of William Calley. Those survivors who could really set the record straight can't or won't talk, but it's clear that the author did his damnedest to compile the mountain of the official documents into a coherent narrative. He also added a few new interviews to create as clear a version of events as the circumstances allow.
New interviewees in this book include two Vietnamese survivors (Kindle locations 1730, 7023, and elsewhere), a post-Vietnam friend of Calley (l. 6325 and elsewhere), and a military historian and author of a book on the US Air Force in Vietnam (l. 6588 and elsewhere).
The most important interviewee, though, must be the late Lawrence Colburn (l. 1996 and elsewhere), who was the last surviving member of the helicopter crew who prevented the massacre from being worse than it was, ferried a few lucky survivors to safety, and reported the incident. (For their trouble, the crew was investigated for insubordination, had their names forged on official statements, and had a US Senator call for their court-martial. However, eventually they got the honor they deserved.) It's possible that Colburn talked to other historians before his death, but this is certainly one of the last occasions on which one of the few people who came out of the incident honorably will have a chance to testify.
Calley, the only person to serve a prison sentence in connection with the massacre, has been nearly silent for decades. He did not appear very contrite in 2007 when he unsuccessfully attempted to engage in checkbook journalism with the London Daily Mail. He appeared more apologetic when speaking to a sympathetic audience in his native Georgia in 2009. But clearly he did not speak to the author of this book. It doesn't feel like a big loss because, if this book is getting it right, much of Calley's early life and every movement connected with the massacre has gotten such intense scrutiny and documentation that there is simply no more relevant information to be gotten from Calley.
Calley's immediate superior, Ernest Medina, was acquitted of all charges and apparently went on to a prosperous post-military career working for a helicopter factory owned by the attorney who defended him at the trial. Medina seems to be still alive at age 81. People who are alive can sue for libel, so the author has to step very carefully. I got the impression that the author feels Medina is the real villain of the massacre and the subsequent cover-up, but there was no irrefutable evidence to connect Medina (or anyone else) to, for example, the possibly incriminating documents that mysteriously disappeared from official files or to convenient lapses of judgment and memory by participants.
The massacre takes only the first quarter of the book. The rest is taken up by the twist and turns of various investigations, cover-ups, revelations, and trials. Because of this, I think it will appeal more to the fan of the courtroom drama than the fan of military action.
Read the book. Things like this happen and people say “How could this happen?”, but that doesn't prevent it from happening again. You can't prevent it, but you can understand it.
I received a free unfinished electronic copy of this book for review. Thanks to Oxford University Press and NetGalley.
July 11, 2017
An unrelenting, heavily researched exploration of the My Lai massacre, the military cover-up that followed, and then the eventual exposure, subsequent court-martials, and political aftermath. On March 16, 1968, American soldiers on a "search and destroy" mission in an area known as Pinkville slaughtered over 500 unarmed Vietnamese men, women, and children. Dr. Jones describes the enormous strain that Charlie Company was under in the weeks leading up to that terrible day, as they suffered increasing numbers of casualties to an unseen enemy from mines, snipers and booby traps, along with the infuriating realization that many of the civilian "noncombatants" were actively aiding the Viet Cong and were likely culpable for the injuries and deaths of their friends and fellow soliders. But there is no excuse - not combat fatigue and fear, not faulty intelligence that the civilians would have evacuated My Lai before the troops advanced and the only remaining Vietnamese were VC, not exceptionally poor leadership at the platoon and company level - for the carnage and savagery that followed. Soldiers engaged in cold-blooded murder, sexual assaults, and rapes. Officers either willfully ignored the slaughter or actively engaged it. Over 50 of the victims were no more than 3 years old. The cover-up by the military command that followed (where they actually had the nerve to describe My Lai as a great military victory) is almost as sickening. Jones' narrative is exhaustively researched and at times I got a bit lost in some the minutiae of the legal proceedings, but in general his writing is restrained, sensitive and insightful. Still, this was a particularly tough read for me about a very dark and shameful event in American history.
November 12, 2017
This is a well-researched, well-told new work on a dreadful and pivotal event in American history: the atrocity at My Lai in March 1968 and the subsequent cover-up, public revelation, investigation and national soul-searching. The book has been thorough in its research, to include contemporary news accounts, the first exposés by Seymour Hersh and others and the first books, the investigative reports (including the official and lengthy Peers inquiry), the congressional hearings and court-martial transcripts. I'm familiar with the sources on this event, and on its place in legal and military history, and can say that the author has been complete and meticulous in his research.
The account of the original atrocity is hard reading, but takes up less than half the book; it does bring out the fact that this was part of a larger offensive that day, and not limited to Lt. Calley's platoon. Most of the book traces My Lai's impact and long-term effect on the US military, society and psyche. The book's publication now -- the 50th anniversary is in March 2018 -- has the advantage of 50 years' discussion, books and national memory, and is well worth a prominent place among works on the Vietnam war and American 20th-Century history. Highest recommendation.
The account of the original atrocity is hard reading, but takes up less than half the book; it does bring out the fact that this was part of a larger offensive that day, and not limited to Lt. Calley's platoon. Most of the book traces My Lai's impact and long-term effect on the US military, society and psyche. The book's publication now -- the 50th anniversary is in March 2018 -- has the advantage of 50 years' discussion, books and national memory, and is well worth a prominent place among works on the Vietnam war and American 20th-Century history. Highest recommendation.
November 13, 2023
This was a truly exhaustive account of the My Lai Massacre from the Vietnam War, from 55 years ago.
Up until now, I have personally avoided reading any books on Vietnam and My Lai. Why? Because I know how badly it messed with my dad's head. All I know was that he knew Lt. Calley, and despised him. He wouldn't get VA benefits until my mother pushed him to, and once he finally went for an evaluation, the psychiatrist was convinced he was completely normal.
Until my mom asked her to please review his war record.
After about ten minutes, the psychiatrist had changed her mind - from "not disabled" to "100% fully mentally disabled." We'll never know what those records say, because everything has been redacted. If there were just 47-48 soldiers in Calley's unit that took place in the massacre, then it might be doubtful my father is one of them. But, considering all of the other atrocities that happened around Vietnam and nearby subhamlets, it wouldn't really be shocking to learn that his unit had been involved in some bad stuff.
Maybe that's why I was partially relieved that this book - horrific photographs aside - doesn't do that much of in-depth analysis of what happened? and why? I don't recommend it for anyone looking for a quick read because as professional historian of 39 years, let me make it clear again, Jones has done his research.
It's just that the book covers the events so meticulously, with three sections comprising the entire book (not including the prologue and epilogue). The first section and first five chapters are dedicated to Pinkville and the days leading up to the massacre itself. The second part is slightly shorter than the first and last parts, and is more in line with the first part, where it speaks about the Aftermath and Coverup.
I don't think Jones misses a single detail in making sure all versions of the story are accounted for, from claims to counterclaims, the military's backtracking, from the more absurd and easily unbelievable accounts to the more verifiable, persistent accounts. This is the bulk of part three, My Lai on Trial. I really think this is much more like a scholarly work than any expose or investigative journalism. So if that's not for you, steer clear of this account. The details are without a doubt all there and precise, but it goes very depth when speaking about military operations, as well as military justice and the judicial process itself.
As another reviewer said, I do wish that Jones had concluded his massive amount of research with some more conclusions as to why it all happened, rather than simplifying it with, "There remains a crucial difference between Calley and Thompson. Perhaps this difference involves 'character' that was most noticeably missing at My Lai. Thompson, Lawrence Colburn, and Glenn Andreotta leave us room for hope because unlike Calley (and others) they did not lose sight of ordinary human decency."
I do appreciate the exhaustive account and interviews that went into writing this book, though (over 150 pages of notes based off interviews, library research, books, memoirs, articles, essay, the works. It might not want to be the place you begin your research on Vietnam/My Lai, however. Although for me (because of reasons mentioned in the beginning) it was probably better that I started with this book. It did explain things in excruciating detail, but it was again very scholarly and to the point. Only some parts in the epilogue really tore at my heartstrings. It's easy to become detached from violence when it's so repetitive and just numbers on a page (unfortunately).
Up until now, I have personally avoided reading any books on Vietnam and My Lai. Why? Because I know how badly it messed with my dad's head. All I know was that he knew Lt. Calley, and despised him. He wouldn't get VA benefits until my mother pushed him to, and once he finally went for an evaluation, the psychiatrist was convinced he was completely normal.
Until my mom asked her to please review his war record.
After about ten minutes, the psychiatrist had changed her mind - from "not disabled" to "100% fully mentally disabled." We'll never know what those records say, because everything has been redacted. If there were just 47-48 soldiers in Calley's unit that took place in the massacre, then it might be doubtful my father is one of them. But, considering all of the other atrocities that happened around Vietnam and nearby subhamlets, it wouldn't really be shocking to learn that his unit had been involved in some bad stuff.
Maybe that's why I was partially relieved that this book - horrific photographs aside - doesn't do that much of in-depth analysis of what happened? and why? I don't recommend it for anyone looking for a quick read because as professional historian of 39 years, let me make it clear again, Jones has done his research.
It's just that the book covers the events so meticulously, with three sections comprising the entire book (not including the prologue and epilogue). The first section and first five chapters are dedicated to Pinkville and the days leading up to the massacre itself. The second part is slightly shorter than the first and last parts, and is more in line with the first part, where it speaks about the Aftermath and Coverup.
I don't think Jones misses a single detail in making sure all versions of the story are accounted for, from claims to counterclaims, the military's backtracking, from the more absurd and easily unbelievable accounts to the more verifiable, persistent accounts. This is the bulk of part three, My Lai on Trial. I really think this is much more like a scholarly work than any expose or investigative journalism. So if that's not for you, steer clear of this account. The details are without a doubt all there and precise, but it goes very depth when speaking about military operations, as well as military justice and the judicial process itself.
As another reviewer said, I do wish that Jones had concluded his massive amount of research with some more conclusions as to why it all happened, rather than simplifying it with, "There remains a crucial difference between Calley and Thompson. Perhaps this difference involves 'character' that was most noticeably missing at My Lai. Thompson, Lawrence Colburn, and Glenn Andreotta leave us room for hope because unlike Calley (and others) they did not lose sight of ordinary human decency."
I do appreciate the exhaustive account and interviews that went into writing this book, though (over 150 pages of notes based off interviews, library research, books, memoirs, articles, essay, the works. It might not want to be the place you begin your research on Vietnam/My Lai, however. Although for me (because of reasons mentioned in the beginning) it was probably better that I started with this book. It did explain things in excruciating detail, but it was again very scholarly and to the point. Only some parts in the epilogue really tore at my heartstrings. It's easy to become detached from violence when it's so repetitive and just numbers on a page (unfortunately).
December 24, 2017
What a Mess …
This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free copy of the book.
One rarely reads a book or watches a documentary of America’s involvement in Vietnam that doesn’t inevitably reference the massacre at My Lai in 1968. As easy as it is to highlight My Lai as representing all that was wrong with America’s involvement in Vietnam, the full story of My Lai is more complex than a group of Americans on a killing spree. With MY LAI, VIETNAM, 1968, AND THE DESCENT INTO DARKNESS, Howard Jones provides an exhaustive examination of My Lai that clearly illustrates the wrongdoing extended far beyond what occurred on the ground in Pinkville on March 16, 1968.
Honestly, it’s hard to read any account of a well-known atrocity with a “clear” mind as most simply reinforce an angle of the story we already know. I found Jones’ book admirably stepping into that rare neutral territory that lays out the whole picture for readers to analyze and draw their own conclusions based on a full presentation of the facts. The result is a better understanding of My Lai, not just the “who” and “what”, but more importantly, the convoluted “how” and “why” of the story.
Howard Jones arguably presents one of the more thorough examinations of My Lai available. Equally split into three parts (the attack on Pinkville, the cover-up and the trial), Jones dissects My Lai with a fine scalpel and leaves no angle uncovered. So exhaustive is Jones’ approach to the issue (the 450+ page book includes almost 100 pages of source notes), it is easy to assume reading this book would be tedious … it is not. The first section of the book is a tough read … the detailing of the indiscriminant killing of innocents (including elderly and very young children) is brutal, but critical in understanding how relatively disorganized and fractured the events of that day truly were. Jones doesn’t paint a picture of bloodthirsty young Americans unified in their lust for killing everything in sight, but a more complex situation involving fear and paranoia surrounding a recent deadly attack by an elusive Viet Cong unit attached to Pinkville and confusion over interpretation of orders. As simple as it would be for me to shake my head and dismiss at any “excuse” for killing innocents, Jones effectively puts you there and makes you realize the entire situation wasn’t so black and white. The accounts of the killing is both angering and heartbreaking and once you begin assigning guilt reading about it, Jones takes you back to square-one by presenting another angle. This is where I found the book to be so effective in illustrating the complexity of My Lai. Some of the more fascinating aspects of My Lai are the specific actions of individuals that day in March. The complicity of the man who famously photographed My Lai (without directly incriminating those involved), the actions of helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and his gun crew (who actually threatened to open fire on Americans to avoid more unnecessary killing) and much better understanding of universally maligned Lt. Calley (the American “face” of My Lai). As much as popular culture has branded Calley as being evil, the book makes it quite clear that the actions of others far eclipsed anything attributed to Calley.
While the incidents at Pinkville lay the groundwork for the book, the bulk of the book is consumed by the subsequent cover-up and trial. If the details of killing elicit natural repulsion by the reader, the concerted effort to sweep the whole event under the carpet somehow appears worse. Jones really digs deep in his illustrating of how casually the military approached reports of My Lai from the very first mention of it (Thompson’s attempt to report it was universally dismissed for years). The latter 2/3 of MY LAI provide evidence of how flawed the military approach to Vietnam really was and how incidents like My Lai were arguably a by-product of that flawed approach. Jones’ research highlights a military system that emphasized and implemented a plan based on “body count” from the top of the command chain all the way down to the lowest private on the ground. Kill enough of the enemy and eventually those losses couldn’t be replaced and the enemy will quit. Added to that philosophy was the quality of the average front-line soldier in 1968 … no longer a volunteer, but a draftee forced to fight in a more and more unpopular war. Then there is the fact that no one knew which Vietnamese were friend or foe … they all looked and dressed alike. Even peasant farmers could be Viet Cong sympathizers who fed, provided information or stored weapon caches … children were often pressed into service by the Viet Cong as well. While Jones does not exonerate anyone, the evidence provided certainly does not make the incident so cut-and-dry. It is easy to cast casual judgment curled on the couch reading about My Lai; Jones takes you out of that comfort zone and puts you in the mindset of what each man encountered that day in March 1968 and the confusion that ensued over interpretation of orders and whether or not the enemy was in the villages of Pinkville. From this perspective, it was quite clear that someone had to bear the brunt of guilt and while there was plenty of guilt to share, Calley was an easy target. It is not hard to see that wartime politics bears the biggest blame in the mess of Vietnam.
MY LAI is a surprisingly thorough and authoritative examination and presentation of a controversial part of American history. It is not an easy read and I believe Jones does an excellent job simply presenting the facts and not jumping on one side of the issue. I found myself going back and forth on who was to blame throughout reading the book. It is easy to blame the soldier pulling the trigger, but Jones’ book proves that simple logic doesn’t yield the most accurate answers. I found MY LAI to be a definitive resource on the issue … a must-have volume on the Vietnam War.
This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free copy of the book.
One rarely reads a book or watches a documentary of America’s involvement in Vietnam that doesn’t inevitably reference the massacre at My Lai in 1968. As easy as it is to highlight My Lai as representing all that was wrong with America’s involvement in Vietnam, the full story of My Lai is more complex than a group of Americans on a killing spree. With MY LAI, VIETNAM, 1968, AND THE DESCENT INTO DARKNESS, Howard Jones provides an exhaustive examination of My Lai that clearly illustrates the wrongdoing extended far beyond what occurred on the ground in Pinkville on March 16, 1968.
Honestly, it’s hard to read any account of a well-known atrocity with a “clear” mind as most simply reinforce an angle of the story we already know. I found Jones’ book admirably stepping into that rare neutral territory that lays out the whole picture for readers to analyze and draw their own conclusions based on a full presentation of the facts. The result is a better understanding of My Lai, not just the “who” and “what”, but more importantly, the convoluted “how” and “why” of the story.
Howard Jones arguably presents one of the more thorough examinations of My Lai available. Equally split into three parts (the attack on Pinkville, the cover-up and the trial), Jones dissects My Lai with a fine scalpel and leaves no angle uncovered. So exhaustive is Jones’ approach to the issue (the 450+ page book includes almost 100 pages of source notes), it is easy to assume reading this book would be tedious … it is not. The first section of the book is a tough read … the detailing of the indiscriminant killing of innocents (including elderly and very young children) is brutal, but critical in understanding how relatively disorganized and fractured the events of that day truly were. Jones doesn’t paint a picture of bloodthirsty young Americans unified in their lust for killing everything in sight, but a more complex situation involving fear and paranoia surrounding a recent deadly attack by an elusive Viet Cong unit attached to Pinkville and confusion over interpretation of orders. As simple as it would be for me to shake my head and dismiss at any “excuse” for killing innocents, Jones effectively puts you there and makes you realize the entire situation wasn’t so black and white. The accounts of the killing is both angering and heartbreaking and once you begin assigning guilt reading about it, Jones takes you back to square-one by presenting another angle. This is where I found the book to be so effective in illustrating the complexity of My Lai. Some of the more fascinating aspects of My Lai are the specific actions of individuals that day in March. The complicity of the man who famously photographed My Lai (without directly incriminating those involved), the actions of helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and his gun crew (who actually threatened to open fire on Americans to avoid more unnecessary killing) and much better understanding of universally maligned Lt. Calley (the American “face” of My Lai). As much as popular culture has branded Calley as being evil, the book makes it quite clear that the actions of others far eclipsed anything attributed to Calley.
While the incidents at Pinkville lay the groundwork for the book, the bulk of the book is consumed by the subsequent cover-up and trial. If the details of killing elicit natural repulsion by the reader, the concerted effort to sweep the whole event under the carpet somehow appears worse. Jones really digs deep in his illustrating of how casually the military approached reports of My Lai from the very first mention of it (Thompson’s attempt to report it was universally dismissed for years). The latter 2/3 of MY LAI provide evidence of how flawed the military approach to Vietnam really was and how incidents like My Lai were arguably a by-product of that flawed approach. Jones’ research highlights a military system that emphasized and implemented a plan based on “body count” from the top of the command chain all the way down to the lowest private on the ground. Kill enough of the enemy and eventually those losses couldn’t be replaced and the enemy will quit. Added to that philosophy was the quality of the average front-line soldier in 1968 … no longer a volunteer, but a draftee forced to fight in a more and more unpopular war. Then there is the fact that no one knew which Vietnamese were friend or foe … they all looked and dressed alike. Even peasant farmers could be Viet Cong sympathizers who fed, provided information or stored weapon caches … children were often pressed into service by the Viet Cong as well. While Jones does not exonerate anyone, the evidence provided certainly does not make the incident so cut-and-dry. It is easy to cast casual judgment curled on the couch reading about My Lai; Jones takes you out of that comfort zone and puts you in the mindset of what each man encountered that day in March 1968 and the confusion that ensued over interpretation of orders and whether or not the enemy was in the villages of Pinkville. From this perspective, it was quite clear that someone had to bear the brunt of guilt and while there was plenty of guilt to share, Calley was an easy target. It is not hard to see that wartime politics bears the biggest blame in the mess of Vietnam.
MY LAI is a surprisingly thorough and authoritative examination and presentation of a controversial part of American history. It is not an easy read and I believe Jones does an excellent job simply presenting the facts and not jumping on one side of the issue. I found myself going back and forth on who was to blame throughout reading the book. It is easy to blame the soldier pulling the trigger, but Jones’ book proves that simple logic doesn’t yield the most accurate answers. I found MY LAI to be a definitive resource on the issue … a must-have volume on the Vietnam War.
May 31, 2018
An excellent though review of this awful part of our lives. The book is the go to book on the topic. Students at the University of Alabama have a world class teacher in American history.
I reread this work in 2018. It is a through, fair-minded, and important history of what apparently was not unique during the Viet Nam War or other American wars. Howard Jones is a fine researcher and a writer of lucid, well composted prose. The narrative covers background to the massacres, the massacres, aftermath of the killings, trials with problems in prosecution, and later observations by competent military veterans about the morality and the failures of holding responsible those who committed the crimes.
I reread this work in 2018. It is a through, fair-minded, and important history of what apparently was not unique during the Viet Nam War or other American wars. Howard Jones is a fine researcher and a writer of lucid, well composted prose. The narrative covers background to the massacres, the massacres, aftermath of the killings, trials with problems in prosecution, and later observations by competent military veterans about the morality and the failures of holding responsible those who committed the crimes.
November 25, 2017
I was in Vietnam when this incident happened but was not aware of it. So when I got out of the Army I was very interested in what happened. Although this book was a little tedious on the facts, it was very enlightening after all these years. I learned many facts and in some cases changed my mind.
December 10, 2017
You wouldn't learn this fucking crazy shit in your brainwashing schools. Recalling most that is written in the influenced media of America's, movies, - they say nothing, everything was and is censored. And if not, then brainwashing is pretty successful. What else, I' have said long ago, America is full of idiots, but most importantly - aggressive idiots. Did this American empire's dead after Vietnam? No, just recall their war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fucking world police with their fucking brainwashing movies...
The result of useless, idiotic "defense of capitalism"? It turns out communist Vietnam loves capitalism more than the US does.
So, when "prominent" figures in the U.S. call some countries as "failed", actually they probably should say that U.S. is a failed country - full of aggressive screaming idiots, war criminals and crook capitalism, no healthcare every other country has and not even true democracy.
Is America a Failing State?
P.S. Besides, you always can call everything you disagree with "a Russian bot".
July 22, 2018
I have to stop reading books about the Vietnam Civil War and our involvement in it, it only makes me very angry. I have Hue, The McMasters book and now My Lai and all I went is the US Army and Marine General staff to be court martialed and as well as half the middle staff. The fact the Calley was the only person to be convicted for these crimes, of which he was no doubt guilty, is shameful. The fact that his sentence was commuted is shameful, the fact the American public thought he should not be in jail is shameful. Every officer and enlisted man involved in the My Lai incident should have been in jail. There should be no statute of limitation and there should be a way to have those that have left the service face repercussions.
Mr. Jones does an admirable job of explaining the situation and the awful lot and experience of the average combat soldier/marine in Vietnam. The terrible situations that the senior staff put these soldiers in and the total lack of understanding that they all had of how to fight this guerrilla/civil war is appalling. I guess I had a very different basic training in 1966 then these young officers and solders had, since I was never taught that the enemy was the devil and our job was to kill. Maybe that was because I was not in the infantry, but none the less there were others in basic that would be and they were never presented with this proposal. The Vietnamese were never called gooks, etc.
WAR SUCKS and for civilians, no matter which side they are on, it SUCKS MORE. MY Lai was a tragedy,
a war crime, and there were many committed by both sides....but all these ground level war crimes do not compare to war crimes we committed from the air and which we are not interested in addressing, and not only to the Vietnamese, both sides, but to Cambodians and Laotian who were not combatants.
I wonder if we held our General Staff to the same standards we held the German and Japanese General Staff maybe there would be less USA involvement in wars were we do not belong....Okay I am lectured out....
Mr. Jones does an admirable job of explaining the situation and the awful lot and experience of the average combat soldier/marine in Vietnam. The terrible situations that the senior staff put these soldiers in and the total lack of understanding that they all had of how to fight this guerrilla/civil war is appalling. I guess I had a very different basic training in 1966 then these young officers and solders had, since I was never taught that the enemy was the devil and our job was to kill. Maybe that was because I was not in the infantry, but none the less there were others in basic that would be and they were never presented with this proposal. The Vietnamese were never called gooks, etc.
WAR SUCKS and for civilians, no matter which side they are on, it SUCKS MORE. MY Lai was a tragedy,
a war crime, and there were many committed by both sides....but all these ground level war crimes do not compare to war crimes we committed from the air and which we are not interested in addressing, and not only to the Vietnamese, both sides, but to Cambodians and Laotian who were not combatants.
I wonder if we held our General Staff to the same standards we held the German and Japanese General Staff maybe there would be less USA involvement in wars were we do not belong....Okay I am lectured out....
December 15, 2021
Amazing research work!
Is ridiculous how the US army covered up this massacre, but well, a lot of people in the US still think that Calley is a hero. And if that was not enough, it is not that My Lai was an isolated event, there are reports of similar episodes all over Vietnam during the war, but they either never came out nor were prosecuted.
Is ridiculous how the US army covered up this massacre, but well, a lot of people in the US still think that Calley is a hero. And if that was not enough, it is not that My Lai was an isolated event, there are reports of similar episodes all over Vietnam during the war, but they either never came out nor were prosecuted.
May 21, 2017
War is madness. My Lai is a tragic piece in our U.S. military history. It was a mistake to think I might be interested in this accounting.
April 5, 2023
I am not squimish at all, but at times, I had to leave this book for a while.
In a nutshell, it marks the moment the moral compass of the American military and foreign policy failed (the cover up) and has not recovered ever since.
In a nutshell, it marks the moment the moral compass of the American military and foreign policy failed (the cover up) and has not recovered ever since.
October 8, 2020
My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness by Howard Jones is a study of one of the darkest moments in American military history. Jones is University Research Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Alabama, where he chaired the Department of History for eight years and received the John F. Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award and the Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award.
Having served in the Marines we were taught the standards of war and the rules of engagement. We had leadership that was experienced and committed to standards. The Vietnam War was different. Officer's were pulled from the ranks. The ranks were drafted into service. Those in Vietnam simply wanted to do their twelve months and get out alive. Most didn't rush in and volunteer to fight. Some did though and that combination between aggressive and those who just wanted to make it out alive created a dangerous situation. The aggressive leaders wanted a body high body count. Those wanting to live saw it advantageous to shoot first and ask questions later. It was difficult to tell friend from foe so viewing everyone as the enemy was a survival tactic. Soon any native was a "gook." One of my colleague's father was a helicopter door gunner in the war. He remembers asking his father how could you shoot people like that. His father said, "They weren't people."
There has always been a dehumanizing of the enemy. In World War I, it was the Huns. In World War II it was the Japs and later it was the Commies. Vietnam took it extremes. The hidden enemy was frustrating. Not being able to retaliate against an enemy killing your friends was a heavy burden on many fighting the war. There was a lashing out at what is to be known as My Lai massacre.
Unclear orders, incompetent leadership (Calley was called Lt Shithead by his company commander), built up aggression and contributed to the atrocity. Through the chain of command, it came down to the people remaining in the village were enemy combatants. At the end, 347 Vietnamese were dead this included old men, women, and children. There were no American deaths and three weapons were captured. Although, there was much firing and artillery fire it was coming from the American forces. My Lai was not armed. The 48th Battalion of the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) was reported to be in My Lai; they were not. Calley's Charlie Company was responsible for much of the massacre. What makes My Lai so horrible is more than the killing of civilians of all ages, is the rape at gunpoint that took place. This was not a military operation. This is something invading hoards did in the middle ages.
Howard goes into graphic detail of the search and destroy mission and the atrocities committed. He goes into the cover up, trial, and eventual freedom for Lt Calley. This book has to be one of the most disturbing books I have read and ranks with WWII atrocities by the Axis powers. The Abu Ghraib torture incident in Iraq caused quite a stir in 2003. This was a drop in a bucket compared to My Lai and the cover up. Howard does include those who refused orders to kill civilians and those who worked to stop the massacre. A frightful history and a very dark chapter in the history of the US military.
Having served in the Marines we were taught the standards of war and the rules of engagement. We had leadership that was experienced and committed to standards. The Vietnam War was different. Officer's were pulled from the ranks. The ranks were drafted into service. Those in Vietnam simply wanted to do their twelve months and get out alive. Most didn't rush in and volunteer to fight. Some did though and that combination between aggressive and those who just wanted to make it out alive created a dangerous situation. The aggressive leaders wanted a body high body count. Those wanting to live saw it advantageous to shoot first and ask questions later. It was difficult to tell friend from foe so viewing everyone as the enemy was a survival tactic. Soon any native was a "gook." One of my colleague's father was a helicopter door gunner in the war. He remembers asking his father how could you shoot people like that. His father said, "They weren't people."
There has always been a dehumanizing of the enemy. In World War I, it was the Huns. In World War II it was the Japs and later it was the Commies. Vietnam took it extremes. The hidden enemy was frustrating. Not being able to retaliate against an enemy killing your friends was a heavy burden on many fighting the war. There was a lashing out at what is to be known as My Lai massacre.
Unclear orders, incompetent leadership (Calley was called Lt Shithead by his company commander), built up aggression and contributed to the atrocity. Through the chain of command, it came down to the people remaining in the village were enemy combatants. At the end, 347 Vietnamese were dead this included old men, women, and children. There were no American deaths and three weapons were captured. Although, there was much firing and artillery fire it was coming from the American forces. My Lai was not armed. The 48th Battalion of the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) was reported to be in My Lai; they were not. Calley's Charlie Company was responsible for much of the massacre. What makes My Lai so horrible is more than the killing of civilians of all ages, is the rape at gunpoint that took place. This was not a military operation. This is something invading hoards did in the middle ages.
Howard goes into graphic detail of the search and destroy mission and the atrocities committed. He goes into the cover up, trial, and eventual freedom for Lt Calley. This book has to be one of the most disturbing books I have read and ranks with WWII atrocities by the Axis powers. The Abu Ghraib torture incident in Iraq caused quite a stir in 2003. This was a drop in a bucket compared to My Lai and the cover up. Howard does include those who refused orders to kill civilians and those who worked to stop the massacre. A frightful history and a very dark chapter in the history of the US military.
April 6, 2018
As we pass the 50 year mark of the events in My Lai, it is important for Americans to know and understand what happened in one of the worst atrocities ever committed by American forces. As the situation in Vietnam started to deteriorate after the Tet Offensive, and as more Americans died and became disillusioned with the war, it is perhaps not surprising that something like My Lai might occur. The Army did not have some of the best and brightest in uniform, especially in the officer corps, which bore out in the events leading up to and following the massacre. Yet, it was not only the officers. The US has not done well in counter-insurgency style warfare, and the situation in Vietnam proved especially frustrating for American forces. The Americans going into Vietnam did not have the training or understanding of the situation in the country, and that led to the frustrations and anger that bore out at My Lai.
The events of that day took place over four separate villages, most of which were only populated with old men, women and children. The US forces, working under the assumption that the people in the villages were Viet Cong, engaged in actions that would not have seemed strange to the Japanese or Nazis in World War II. Yet, as bad as the crime, the cover up was just as awful. It took years for the truth to get out, and while Lt William Callay received the brunt of the punishment (much of which was justified), a lot of people got away with a serious crime.
This was an informative book and an incredible disheartening one to read. Americans pride themselves on being the good guys, the ones who wouldn't do something like this. Unfortunately, America has its dark side. This work tried to take a balanced approached to discussing the events of that day and beyond, the good, bad and the ugly. Yet, the facts are just painful to read. The narrator does a great job with the book. I would like to say that America learned from this, and all the measures put in place to prevent a recurrence worked, but Iraq showed that it didn't completely take. Still, this should be mandatory reading for all future military personnel. War is hard, and can push people to the breaking point and beyond, but that does not excuse the type of actions that happened at My Lai.
The events of that day took place over four separate villages, most of which were only populated with old men, women and children. The US forces, working under the assumption that the people in the villages were Viet Cong, engaged in actions that would not have seemed strange to the Japanese or Nazis in World War II. Yet, as bad as the crime, the cover up was just as awful. It took years for the truth to get out, and while Lt William Callay received the brunt of the punishment (much of which was justified), a lot of people got away with a serious crime.
This was an informative book and an incredible disheartening one to read. Americans pride themselves on being the good guys, the ones who wouldn't do something like this. Unfortunately, America has its dark side. This work tried to take a balanced approached to discussing the events of that day and beyond, the good, bad and the ugly. Yet, the facts are just painful to read. The narrator does a great job with the book. I would like to say that America learned from this, and all the measures put in place to prevent a recurrence worked, but Iraq showed that it didn't completely take. Still, this should be mandatory reading for all future military personnel. War is hard, and can push people to the breaking point and beyond, but that does not excuse the type of actions that happened at My Lai.
May 13, 2022
Book 28 of 2022 (audio)
Very pleased with the writing and narration of this book. While I had vaguely heard of My Lai and I've consumed various Vietnam War-related docs and books, this one was really detailed about a very finite amount of time.
While the atrocities at My Lai speak for themselves, Mr. Jones also does a nice job of painting the picture about the reaction to the reaction. To me, that was almost more troubling than the actual event. It really seems like if "your side" does this or that, there are umpteen reasons why your side is evil and needs to be punished. But if "my side" does the very same thing, why there must be a legitimate reason. Not only did that happen in this case regarding some very terrible things, but it was...100 to 1! Only one thing can describe that level of brainwash: nationalism. Indeed, John Lennon, Imagine there's no country...
Much of the book is repetitive but in a good way. In taking in the various accounts from those hours, a lot of information is duplicated but this is how the blank spots are filled in. Jones writes about it almost like an investigator piecing together a case. Very effective and persuasive.
Not enough can be said about the balls on the pilot Thompson. What a man to take a stand in that situation. And what did the nation do to him? Embarrassing. I think a documentary touched on it but the book did not...Thompson was made to fly in some bad situations after this. As if those in charge hoped he would die and be silent. But the men who committed the atrocities were also dumped into the deep woods for long periods of time, likely for the same reason.
It's the age-old question about which is worse: the crime or the cover-up? Damn, I can give an ounce of empathy to men in the heat of the moment. Men who saw buddies blown to bits. Men who, as instructed, were following orders. There is no explanation for the bull afterward. From Nixon all the way down to the lowly bum who left a carcass on Thompson's doorstep. These are the people who make events like this all but guaranteed to happen again. And again.
Very pleased with the writing and narration of this book. While I had vaguely heard of My Lai and I've consumed various Vietnam War-related docs and books, this one was really detailed about a very finite amount of time.
While the atrocities at My Lai speak for themselves, Mr. Jones also does a nice job of painting the picture about the reaction to the reaction. To me, that was almost more troubling than the actual event. It really seems like if "your side" does this or that, there are umpteen reasons why your side is evil and needs to be punished. But if "my side" does the very same thing, why there must be a legitimate reason. Not only did that happen in this case regarding some very terrible things, but it was...100 to 1! Only one thing can describe that level of brainwash: nationalism. Indeed, John Lennon, Imagine there's no country...
Much of the book is repetitive but in a good way. In taking in the various accounts from those hours, a lot of information is duplicated but this is how the blank spots are filled in. Jones writes about it almost like an investigator piecing together a case. Very effective and persuasive.
Not enough can be said about the balls on the pilot Thompson. What a man to take a stand in that situation. And what did the nation do to him? Embarrassing. I think a documentary touched on it but the book did not...Thompson was made to fly in some bad situations after this. As if those in charge hoped he would die and be silent. But the men who committed the atrocities were also dumped into the deep woods for long periods of time, likely for the same reason.
It's the age-old question about which is worse: the crime or the cover-up? Damn, I can give an ounce of empathy to men in the heat of the moment. Men who saw buddies blown to bits. Men who, as instructed, were following orders. There is no explanation for the bull afterward. From Nixon all the way down to the lowly bum who left a carcass on Thompson's doorstep. These are the people who make events like this all but guaranteed to happen again. And again.
April 2, 2024
I found this book, “My Lai” by Howard Jones after a reference to the My Lai ( pronounced Me Lie) massacre in the latest Kristen Hannah novel , “The Women”. While like many non- Fiction books, it is loaded with facts, details and innumerable characters, it provided a thorough and balanced account of what happened in this slaughter of over 500 Vietnamese civilians ( including babies, elderly, and women) shortly after the Tet offensive. Comparisons to the Nazi’s treatment of Jews during WWII were valid and necessary. You hear from and learn from many of the soldiers who took part in the killing and learn of the cover-up by the US military and the US government ( Richard Nixon at his lowest) and are reminded how wars distort peoples thinking. You learn of how few soldiers were tried and held accountable and how much sympathy there was for Lt. William Calley who did little to explain or show remorse for his actions (seemingly through till today). Author Jones does a good job of having you try to understand how US men could be so cruel and inhumane given the nature of our enemy in the Vietnam war (Viet Cong rebels who were often mixed in with the innocent South Vietnamese and thus hard to distinguish). You also come away with a better understanding of how US citizens support for the war was weakened so much by this one incident). Jones ends the book with information on what has changed in the military since these events and how there have been few times in the US military history for such extraordinary events to occur. Though one must wonder is that only because such events have been successfully covered up. Reading helps educate one to be on the “lookout “ for such events.
September 29, 2022
The year of My Lai was the same year I registered for the draft. This was a very good book at relating the events of My Lai and the subsequent cover up, exposure, politics, and trial. This was another black mark on the U.S. A disgraceful shameful war crime, crime against humanity committed by regular army grunts. Equally disgraceful was the politics built up around My Lai. The Army ranks covering their own ass. The soldiers that committed the murders and the rapes and rape murders denying their own actions. The American populace that supported Calley and what he did. Nobody was executed or sentenced to life for this crime. Calley was placed under house arrest, his sentenced reduced to 20 years then paroled. No justice for the 500 men, women, and children, slaughtered in My Lai. I think back on those days and recall how effectively the Vietnamese were dehumanized to the Americans. Mostly referred to as gooks, slopes, dinks, V.C, when most were just simple rice farmers of fishermen. Historically this is just one more in a long list of crimes against humanity committed by Americans or American armed forces. So much for American exceptionalism. The effectiveness of the propaganda of the time is demonstrated over and over in the praise and honor we pay the fifty-eight thousand Americans that died in that war, the Vietnam veterans, and we should, but I rarely here any remorse or honor for the one to three million Vietnamese that died in that war. I would recommend that this be taught in school along with the Vietnam war.
September 9, 2023
The historian Howard Jones is a professor emeritus at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Jones published a book entitled My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness in 2017. The book is part of the Pivotal Moments in American History series. The book contains black-and-white illustrations along with maps. Baker’s book includes a section of Notes, a bibliography, and an index. The book is dedicated to a warrant officer Hugh C. Thomson and his crew. His crew were named Glenn W. Andreotta, and Lawrence W. Colburn. Thomson, Andreotta, and Colburn risked their careers and maybe their life to protect Vietnamese citizens during the My Lai Massacre in March 1968. The book at the beginning has a song entitled “The Last Train to Nuremberg” written by Pete Seeger which was his response to the My Lai Massacre. The book has three sections. The first section is about the My Lai Massacre in March 1968. The second section is about the cover-up by the American military. The third section is about the trial and press coverage when the story broke during the first term of President Richard Nixon. Jones includes some of the voices of Vietnamese survivors, but the book is largely focused on the American response to the My Lai Massacre. The book is a very well-done account of the My Lai Massacre and the American response. I thought this book was an excellent study of the My Lai Massacre and the American response.
Works Cited:
Pete Seeger-Topic. “Last Train to Nuremberg” Pete Seeger-Topic. June 20, 2019. Last Train to Nuremberg - YouTube
Works Cited:
Pete Seeger-Topic. “Last Train to Nuremberg” Pete Seeger-Topic. June 20, 2019. Last Train to Nuremberg - YouTube
October 31, 2021
The My Lai massacre was a major news item from my teenage years... just another disgusting chapter of an already disgusting waste of life and resources, the war in Vietnam. There was a reference to My Lai in The Last of the President's Men, so I did a search on Hoopla to see if an audiobook regarding the incident might be available, as most of what I already knew about it was based on news articles, television reports, or documentaries from fifty years ago.
My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent Into Darkness seems to be a pretty thorough report on the incident, and if there's one thing that the book has left with me, beyond the details of the incident and the politics surrounding it, is how little human life means to other human beings, and how easily we accept war as a solution; how easily we find rationale for killing innocent people; how readily our government attempts to sweep such atrocities under the rug (see Abu Ghraib).
My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent Into Darkness seems to be a pretty thorough report on the incident, and if there's one thing that the book has left with me, beyond the details of the incident and the politics surrounding it, is how little human life means to other human beings, and how easily we accept war as a solution; how easily we find rationale for killing innocent people; how readily our government attempts to sweep such atrocities under the rug (see Abu Ghraib).
October 23, 2025
Howard Jones’ My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness is an unflinching, meticulously researched account of one of the most haunting chapters in American military history. Through extensive archival work and a calm but unrelenting narrative style, Jones reconstructs not only the events of the My Lai massacre but the broader moral collapse it revealed both in the field and in the institutions meant to hold power accountable.
What makes this book exceptional is its balance of historical rigor and moral clarity. Jones neither sensationalizes nor sanitizes the violence; instead, he confronts readers with the stark reality of what happens when duty and humanity diverge. His contextualization tracing the chain of command, the suppression of truth, and the eventual media exposure transforms My Lai into more than a historical recounting; it becomes a study in conscience, leadership, and the devastating consequences of denial.
A definitive and sobering chronicle, My Lai stands as a vital work of history one that challenges readers to reckon with the ethical dimensions of war and the enduring importance of accountability.
What makes this book exceptional is its balance of historical rigor and moral clarity. Jones neither sensationalizes nor sanitizes the violence; instead, he confronts readers with the stark reality of what happens when duty and humanity diverge. His contextualization tracing the chain of command, the suppression of truth, and the eventual media exposure transforms My Lai into more than a historical recounting; it becomes a study in conscience, leadership, and the devastating consequences of denial.
A definitive and sobering chronicle, My Lai stands as a vital work of history one that challenges readers to reckon with the ethical dimensions of war and the enduring importance of accountability.
February 5, 2022
When I visited the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, I found two exhibition areas that were really shocking. The first one I knew some things about, the second one I knew nothing about. The first area contained the pictures that showed the effects of Agent Orange and the second one was dedicated to the My Lai massacre.
Of course, while it is difficult to defend or excuse the behaviour of those soldiers, it is also difficult to be truthful to ourselves when we say: "I would have never done such a thing". Of course, there is no undoing the massacre, but out of this disaster something positive could have emerged if justice were served.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen and the cover-up extended to the highest level. A captivating book, definitely not easy to read, but well researched, with meticulous coverage of the cover-up.
Of course, while it is difficult to defend or excuse the behaviour of those soldiers, it is also difficult to be truthful to ourselves when we say: "I would have never done such a thing". Of course, there is no undoing the massacre, but out of this disaster something positive could have emerged if justice were served.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen and the cover-up extended to the highest level. A captivating book, definitely not easy to read, but well researched, with meticulous coverage of the cover-up.
February 12, 2018
Grim reading, but now the definitive history of a major atrocity that significantly altered the course of the American phase of the protracted Vietnam Wars, and marked a change in perception of American soldiers both at home and abroad. Notable for its rare balance, for well-researched and documented accounts of the massacre and the deep cover-up that followed, but also of rare moral heroism among a handful of American soldiers who insisted on bringing the damning truth to light.
February 23, 2018
This is a difficult book to read & a difficult book to "consider." The events of March 16, 1968 are brutal. The cover-ups are unbelievable. The trials are inconclusive. The author's over-reliance on detail doesn't lend authority & at times detracts from it. Having visited Vietnam a few years ago I was expecting/hoping this book to yield some sort of [emotional] connection with what I had seen & learned. It didn't.
May 9, 2024
Wow. That was awful. I do not understand how anyone could do those things. I do, however, understand the difficulty in charging and convicting anyone when the witnesses don’t want to admit their part or be punished themselves and the case could set a precedent for convicting too many people.
I wasn’t there and I cannot understand the mindset that caused this cruelty. Luckily God is in charge of making the judgment on each person involved.
I wasn’t there and I cannot understand the mindset that caused this cruelty. Luckily God is in charge of making the judgment on each person involved.
June 12, 2023
While I felt this had a lot of repetition, and could’ve been half the size; I think that it brought home the point of how many people knew what was happening during My Lai, and didn’t speak up. Definitely a book to read to help showcase the tragedy that was Vietnam. Gave one less star for the repetition.
December 6, 2017
3.5 stars. The author researched the subject almost to a fault. He inserted too many comments instead of allowing the compelling story to speak for itself. More showing; less telling. Nevertheless, many portions of this book are mindblowing.
June 19, 2024
A tragic part of our military history. Hopefully we have put the right safety measures in place to minimize these types of atrocities during war. We need to weed out those persons with low moral character in the Military.
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