It took several weeks of time, and several volumes of testimony to satisfy the United States pen<rion bureau that "Old Reliable" was the identical soldier who had enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Ohio volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and who was last reported "wounded and missing In battle of . Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. In front of Lt. Calley,Hugh Thompson was outranked. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? He didnt want to appear to be frantic; he wanted to be taken seriously by Henderson. A defendant charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, who testified that he believed he was "following presidential orders" from President Donald Trump when he stormed the building. The My Lai story and Hugh Thompsons role in it is really important, but do you find most people are unaware of it? I am sorry this world has lost you. Jon Wiener is professor emeritus of history at UC Irvine, and working, with Mike Davis, on a book on Los Angeles in the 1960s. But despite Thompsons heroic actions, the Army tried to cover up the massacre. Hugh Thompson was a volunteer officer in the Vietnam War who turned his squad's weapons on American soldiers to stop them raping and murdering more women and . At the age of 62, after extensive cancer treatment, Thompson was removed from life support and died on January 6, 2006, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pineville, Louisiana. Mr. Thompson landed twice in an effort to determine what was happening, finally coming to the realization that a massacre was taking place. In mid-March 2022, posts about a warrant officer named Hugh Thompson and his role in the My Lai massacre circulated on social media, including a tweet describing that time period as the 50-year anniversary of that incident:. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a49bccbef3b55dea5fdfe48a500a42a9" );document.getElementById("c08a1a06c7").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Content on this website is free to use and share, but please provide a link back to Spec Ops Magazine as a source. Through the years, he continued to speak out, having been invited to West Point and other military installations to tell of the moral and legal obligations of soldiers in wartime. They waited until the sun went down and they crawled out of that ditch. I would be there from December 67 to December 68. Afterwards Thompson testified at the trial of Lt. William Calley, the commanding officer during the massacre. Hugh Thompson in his Army uniform, c. 1966. Thompson felt obliged to return to military service when the Vietnam War began. For hours, they raped, mutilated, and slaughtered innocent civilians until a helicopter pilot named Hugh Thompson Jr. put his own life on the line to stop the massacre. Im sorry. Calley told Thompson that he was following orders, presumably from Capt. You started out on an OH-23 scout helicopter? Interview - Larry Colburn: Why My Lai, Hugh Thompson Matter. View Hugh Thompson's professional profile on LinkedIn. They were taking volunteers for the 11th Brigade. I wanted to survive and get home. These were infants, two-, three-, four-, five-year-olds, women, very old men, no draft-age people whatsoever.. On March 16, 1998, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Colburn attended a service at My Lai marking the 30th anniversary of the massacre. They were shooting women and children just like anybody else.. They also led as many surviving civilians as they could to shelter. And we did, the best we could. I have mine put away somewhere, but I think Hugh threw his away one night. Everywhere wed look, wed see bodies. Innocent people didnt die that day They didnt just fly off the handle and engage a target that was borderline. You are not comfortable with being called a hero, either? We are inundated with information but we are not very well informed. . ' Thompson recalled. Hugh was the generals personal pilot. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. And the people guilty of committing war crimes should have been dealt with. Justice, if it could ever be achieved in this case, would have been to line each and every one of them up in front of a firing squad and start shooting from the knees up. You and Hugh had a pretty low profile during and after the trials? Wed 11 Jan 2006 08.06 EST. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and his surviving crew member helped convict Calley at a court-martial. "I threatened never to fly again. He retired as a VA counselor in Louisiana. Nicholas Goldberg: Is God on the side of blasphemy laws? Upon seeing that, Hugh Thompson landed the helicopter, approached Calley, and talked to him. Im not going to let this happen, weve got to do something. A list of his survivors was not immediately available. It was time to stop it, and I figured, at that point, that was the only way the madness, or whatever you want to call it, could be stopped.. In November 1970, the M Lai trials started and Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley. It was denial on the part of the public. While the massacre took place, helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and his crew flew over the jungle, offering air support. Among those numbers were 17 pregnant women and 56 infants. Hugh transmitted what he could to the low gun in hopes that it would get up to the commander and someone would make a decision to stop it. We know that Americans committed a massacre 50 years ago today; and we also know that an American stopped it. %PDF-1.6 % If you are an American who thinks all of our foreign policy and actions over the years is as pure as the driven snow, well that is just not reality. Finally, the Army launched an inquiry. They were not listening, so he did the unbelievable, he drew his own sidearm and pointed it at them. Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. Hugh Thompson died in 2006, when he was only 62. After learning about the heroism of Hugh Thompson Jr. during the M Lai Massacre, read about the Gulf of Tonkin incident that started the Vietnam War. In 1998, 30 years after the massacre, Hugh Thompson and the two other crew members, Andreotta and Colburn, were awarded the Soldiers Medal (Andreotta posthumously), the United States Armys highest award for bravery not involving direct contact with the enemy. He had to make sure his mother, brother and sister, killed in the ditch, were buried properly. Thompson landed his helicopter next to a ditch that contained 150 people many dead, but many others wounded and trying to escape. I think Task Force Barkers intent was to create panic and drive the enemy forces out of the area. As United States citizens, as representatives of the one country in this world that is supposed to protect human life, they are ones to be ashamed of, to be shunned, to be branded traitors. What led you to enlist in the Army? Mr. Thompson told of what he had seen when he returned to his base. We started noticing these large numbers of bodies everywhere, he told me, people on the road dead, wounded. I wish we could have done more to thank him. We even started marking the wounded with smoke, thinking the men on ground would come assist them. Typically, when we post testimonies here on truthsaves, we're detailing conversion experiences. Today is the 50th anniversary of the My Lai Massacre, when US soldiers raped and murdered 500 Vietnamese civilians and burned their homes. I have a few lined up at some universities this year. Hugh told me that was what was going through his mind, he was thinking of Nazi Germany, people digging trenches, forced to march into those trenches, mass graves.. To see people herded up like so many animals, marched into a ditch and machine-gunned? Colburn said. We are developing the concept of a Hugh Thompson Medallion to do that. Out of the blue, our unit was called out onto the tarmac for an awards and decoration ceremony. I know its great copy, but Ive tried to correct the record many times: No one pointed any weapons at anybody. That aspect of it made me feel real good.. I walked in and told Henderson we saw unnecessary killing of many civilians. Now we saw them again, but they were all lying on the road, dead or dying. One of the ladies that we had helped out that day came up to me and asked, Why didnt the people who committed these acts come back with you? We kept flying back and forth, Thompson recalled, and it didnt take very long until we started noticing the large number of bodies everywhere. Wed done what we could. The . Nearby, a squad of soldiers approached with weapons drawn. So, he decided to do something. We came in from altitude down to low level. I dont know who did what. 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. It was women, children and elders we saw. Letters to the Editor: Should speed humps be put around all L.A. elementary schools? Ill never fly again, he vowed. Then, in 1998, the Army awarded him the Soldiers Medal for heroism. Interestingly, there are those toying with the idea of inviting him to make the trip back to My Lai to ask for the people there for forgiveness. I was back at Ft. There was a sergeant standing by the ditch by himself. Youve been back a few times? Mr. Thompson remained in combat, then returned to the United States to train helicopter pilots. Hugh struggled, but you see the people who survived are still in the same village, doing what they do. If Hugh knew that, it would have made everything he went through worthwhile for him. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Many fellow GIs still dont think you did the right thing? He was very helpful to General Peers and it seemed like he wasnt just going through the motions, it was like he really wanted to know what happened. Then came the backlash. He said youre a plant arent you. How did you and Hugh reconcile what you knew happened with the outpouring of public support for Calley and his men? Thompson testified about the massacre in the U.S. government's military trials, but according to author Trent Angers, two Congressmen who were working in concert with Nixon, managed to seal that. Id received death threats over the phone, Thompson said in 2004. Calley had many supporters, who condemned and harassed Thompson. When Hugh realized it was our people doing this killing, he knew he had to take drastic measures. You had no radio contact with the men on the ground? Hugh told me that was what was going through his mind, he was thinking of Nazi Germany, people digging trenches, forced to march into those trenches, mass graves. The military was forced after an eight-year letter writing campaign by David Egan, a professor at Clemson University, and a businessman named William Cavanaugh. The villagers offered no resistance as U.S. soldiers shoved them into a ditch and opened fire with machine guns. I was encouraged in that there was an investigation going on and they were going after some people in a big way. The hero received death threats for speaking out about the massacre. Those on station knew something about it but not many saw it up close and personal except for the men on the ground and a couple of helicopter crews. There could be a reason for doing it, or there could have simply been a complete breakdown in leadership. .d,H2F Our purpose for being there was to protect them. Hugh Thompsonsdefiance and courage with that of his crew had given a new lease of life to others that they saved and will be remembered by all in the face of Humanity and History. I lost faith in the whole military organization and wanted to put it all behind me. Im a garden-variety human being and thats all there is to it. Thompson spent the rest of his life wondering if he could have saved more lives. They could communicate with the command craft that was flying at altitude. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. You must have had some post-traumatic stress after your experience in Vietnam. Now, if I had known then what I know now about some of the activity going on there, the rapes and barbarism. Anyway, they remembered our story about My Lai, and instead of just lighting up a target, they took the time to analyze and study the situation. We loved those guys in the field. Upon coming home, he got death threats and the like. Thompson was vilified by many Americans for his testimony against United States Army personnel. In addition to scholarly publications with top presses, she has written for Atlas Obscura and Ranker. Hugh Thompson, the hero who stopped a massacre committed by US troops in the Vietnamese village of My Lai by landing his helicopter in the line of fire, 1968. As the wounded tried to crawl out, they were fired on by someone who had been left there to do just that. He remembered Glenn picking him up, seeing me in the ditch. I was raised with a sense of duty. He has had an impact on many young minds in the military. Colburn came from Atlanta to be at his bedside. It is denial, a refusal to believe our young men could run amok the way they did. Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. Id never seen nor heard of anything like that before, except in World War II. 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. 199 0 obj <>stream They were finally recognized for the heroic act they did. I saw them shoot an M79 [grenade launcher] into a group of people who were still alive, said Sgt. I just wish our crew that day could have helped more people than we did.". No, but Hugh was sent on missions in his OH-23 with his back up another OH-23no gunshipsinto Dragon Valley, where there was rocket activity. And they recommended charging 28 officers for the massacre and coverup. The alternative was to be in an infantry unit, and I was told it would be a good idea to attach to an aviation company, better odds there. before the subcommittee, and then refused to release the transcripts of the testimony. Mr. Thompson radioed for a helicopter gunship to evacuate the group, and then his crew chief, Glenn Andreotta, pulled a boy from a nearby irrigation ditch, and their helicopter flew him to safety. I think that is probably what has helped me get through it all. We also did a lot of recon missions and flying into free-fire zones to find enemy positions. No. Like most 18-year-old males I was nave, had no idea what risks were. And it turned out, after we dropped him off with the nun at the hospital, he didnt stay 24 hours. They approached but because the aircraft was at flight idle they tended to stay back a little. The squad leader ordered Thompson and his men to get out of the way. The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and his surviving crew member helped convict Calley at a court-martial. 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. This fella stood up and said: Fuck you. As he told The Associated Press in 2004: "Don't do the right thing looking for a reward, because it might not come. Hugh landed and ran over and told the sergeant, These are civilians, we got to help them out. The sergeant agreed, telling Hugh hed help themout of their misery. Hugh continued to argue, said they were no threat, they had no weapons. It was unusual, the only time it happened while I was there. The Army covered it up. We were the closest and should have been able to communicate, but thats the way it was structured. "They said I was screaming quite loud," he told U.S. News & World Report in 2004. It was absurd, but you have to be willing to pay the price. Thank you both for being of upstanding and outstanding moral character and having the backbone to stand up for what you know is right! Thompson left the Army in 1983 and became a private helicopter pilot in the South. 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 believe Glenn got a Bronze Star too. I think he broke his flight helmet, he threw it down so hard. Calley was paroled just three years later, in 1974, after Richard Nixon commuted his sentence. Company C (Charlie Company), 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Barker, led by Captain Ernest Medina, moved into Sn M. He was saying: Ill never fly again. When we first saw him in 2001, he said all he wanted was to get out of Ho Chi Minh City where he worked in a factory at low wages, and get back to village and find a wife. endstream endobj 172 0 obj <. He made some notes on a legal pad and excused me and I left. As murderous bloodlust unfolded on the ground below, Thompson and crew confronted fellow GIs to save numerous civilians from the fate of some 500 others that morning. Upon entering Sn M, officers and soldiers of Company C moved through the Song My Village and vicinity, murdering civilians, raping women, and setting fire to huts. Thompson ran over and said, These are civilians, we got to help them out.. But still, who do you shoot? In 1964, Thompson received an honorable discharge from the Navy and returned to Stone Mountain to live a quiet life and raise a family with his wife. You saw him again in 2008? When it was all happening, the feeling I had was, if this is how Im going to die, Im OK with it. And when Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley, the officer who ordered the massacre, Thompson received death threats. How could I ever be prepared for something like that? I flew from Ft. And on the 30th anniversary of the massacre, Hugh Thompson returned to M Lai. I just figured it was time to do something, to not let these people get killed. Then, as I was in this crowd, I turned around and there he waswith his beautiful wife and new baby boy. Like the trials, it was forced. Furious, Hugh Thompson landed again, this time in front of a bunker where civilians were hiding. Hugh Thompson on his way to testify against William Calley on November 23, 1970. Except for the boy, it appeared the rest were already dead. Months later you were surprised with a medal for action at My Lai? Hannah's Testimony. He was first appointed to the court on March 1, 1994, by Governor Zell Miller (D). As we flew around more, we started seeing small groups of people dead or dying in other parts of the village. And you want to instill the spirit of Thompson in others. On March 16, 1968, he was flying a mission in Vietnam and came across a large number of dead civilian bodies; and in pursuing surveillance, he discovered that those civilians had been killed, and the survivors were still under fire, by American forces. Glenn had a visual on some sort of movement in the ditch, so Hugh landed, and Glenn and I got out. Testimony to the Truth [Smyth, Reverend Hugh P.] on Amazon.com. California cities shouldnt be deterred. He looked up and saw us and then took off for the tree line. Did you experience retaliation for what you did that day, or for talking to Henderson? He threw his weapon down and said he wasnt going to do it. No Id never seen nor heard of anything like that before, except in World War II. On March 6, 1998, the Army presented the Soldier's Medal, for heroism not involving conflict with an enemy, to Mr. Thompson; to his gunner, Lawrence Colburn; and, posthumously, to Mr. Andreotta, who was killed in a helicopter crash three weeks after the My Lai massacre. But it turns out he was 8. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. How do you think your story, of an event now long in the past, can make a difference? Hugh Thompson was determined to stop the massacre. The My Lai Massacre was and still is a huge, shameful event that will be hard for several generations to get past. As far as a place in history, thats not something I dwell on. They tried to make arrangements to get him there, but couldnt find him. Whenever I felt discouraged about things, Hugh would remind me that if we get through to just one person, its worth it. Thompson and Colburn returned to Sn M to meet with survivors of the massacre at the Sn M Memorial in 1998. Whats going on? And we started thinking what might have happened, but you didnt want to accept that thought because if you accepted it, that means your own fellow Americans, people you were there to protect, were doing something very evil.. That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai . I figured, I was in the Army, so I should experience it where the action was. In about 10-15 minutes we were back to the same spot where we saw the villagers on the road leaving. I know who I am, Im no hero, I was scared shitless most of the time. Thompson was later promoted to Major, but Thompson was a Warrant Officer in his heroic acts. At 8 years old, he made his way about 10 miles through the jungle by himself to the village. He also wanted to be able to get out quickly if need be. As children ran for safety, soldiers gunned them down. Hugh Thompson Jr. graduated from Stone Mountain High School on June 5, 1961. Then he assumed the Army initiated an investigation. I said Im not really at liberty to say. And when Thomson reported the horrific actions, the Army tried to cover up the M Lai massacre. Did you know when the story was about to break? How did you feel about that? The dead were women, old men and children. It has turned me into a cynic philosopher. Hugh Thompsons actions may be unique. The high gun stayed in the air and circled. Ill have no part of this, Ill tear these wings off and never fly again! Fortunately, people calmed him down before he reported to Colonel Henderson. Saw some advancing Americans coming that way. She enticed me to move to east Oregon, near a ski area. U.S. ArmyWilliam Calley, the officer who ordered the slaughter at M Lai.
