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I walked in and told Henderson we saw unnecessary killing of many civilians. Exactly what you saw. Since we were sitting shoulder to shoulder, we saw virtually the very same things. Hugh Thompson was a helicopter pilot in 1968, on a day American soldiers gunned down more than 500 unarmed civilians in a village called My Lai. DOC HUGH THOMPSON'S TESTIMONY: - Social Studies with Miss Daniel the testimony he gave to the House Committees and the courts-martial of the . With Hugh, usually the more tense the situation, the more comical he would be. No, we had no knowledge of who they were, we just knew they were Americans on the ground and we would have done anything for them. If its not sincere, it doesnt mean anything. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Central to the case prosecuted by the Civilian Complaint. He was presumably mindful of the ostracism he had faced and the long wait for that medal ceremony in Washington. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? I believe Glenn got a Bronze Star too. But eventually the journalist Seymour Hersh found out about the massacre, and his report made it worldwide news and a turning point in the war. Everybody walked. Testimony to the Truth And then she finished her sentence: she said, So we could forgive them. Im not man enough to do that. My Lai massacre hero Hugh Thompson on being shunned - BBC News Everybody's heard of the My Lai massacre March 16, 1968, 50 years ago today but not many know about the man who stopped it: Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot. That is completely false, there was no backstabbing going onwe were right in their face at My Lai, we were ready to confront those people then and there. How could I ever be prepared for something like that? When the orders came down, the CO called me into his office and demanded to know what they were for. On March 16, 1968, Chief Warrant Officer Thompson and his two crewmen were flying on a reconnaissance mission over the South Vietnamese village of My Lai when they spotted the bodies of men, women and children strewn over the landscape. Hugh Thompson, a pilot of the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Americal Division, flew an observational helicopter supporting Task Force Barker on March 16, 1968. Spec Ops Magazine 2023 All Rights Reserved. My father landed on Normandy Beach and as a kid I watched the television series Victory at Sea and went to bed praying never to have to face the fire like those men on Normandy. Did you fly with him much before My Lai? In 2001 we went back and were reunited with the boy in the ditch. I was aghast at hearing how Lt William Calley got away with cold blooded murder, spending one day behind bars as a convicted criminal. Were you talking about this at the time? He is best known for his role in stopping the My Lai Massacre, in which a group of US Army soldiers tortured and killed several hundred unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mutilating their bodies after they had been murdered. When it was all happening, the feeling I had was, if this is how Im going to die, Im OK with it. Ultimately, it was a pubic relations move, they had to give the medal. My Lai Massacre: Vietnam War & Colin Powell - HISTORY But Ive had my episodes. We are developing the concept of a Hugh Thompson Medallion to do that. Meet the Soldier Who Prevented More Killings During the My Lai Massacre As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. They landed their helicopter between the American forces and the civilians, and they trained their guns on the advancing Americans. Wed talk a lot and if I was stressing I could always pick up the phone and Hugh could always talk me down. Then he assumed the Army initiated an investigation. Upon returning from the mission, Thompson reported what he had seen and experienced to his. I looked at them and the first thing I saw was, Reason: to conduct necessary military business. So thats all I would tell the CO. I give credit to my sister Mary, who saw my condition when I came home. Hood were returnees, but no one really zeroed in on what was happening. But when he returned to his Stateside home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Thompson. He just said I was a prime candidate for PTSD. I was back in Mount Vernon, outside Washington, and I got a call from my mother saying there were some people at the house who wanted to talk to me. We knew something seemed wrong. I was 17 when I enlisted in 1966 with some friends. Of course anyone thinking of making a career in the military probably pretended they never heard anything. Hood to give testimony in the basement war room of the Pentagon. The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and his surviving crew member helped convict Calley at a court-martial. It is denial, a refusal to believe our young men could run amok the way they did. And he was a character, a real joker. At that point, no one had a clue beside you and Hugh? Hugh Thompson Jr (1943-2006) - EA Forum But I really didnt know what was going to happen or how to react. He studied mortuary science and became a licensed funeral director. I testified in the trials of Henderson, Medina and Calley. Harry claimed a 'secret agreement' stopped him bringing hacking claims earlier Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer.

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