Saturday, January 07, 2006
Protector of My Lai Civilians Dies
Fro the WSJ on-line:
Hugh Thompson Jr., who as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam protected civilians from U.S. troops at the My Lai massacre, died today at the age of 62. On the morning of March 16, 1968, a company of American soldiers under the command of Lt. William Calley began killing civilians, including women and children, in a hamlet called My Lai. When Mr. Thompson and his crew, who were buzzing the area looking for Viet Cong, realized what was happening, they tried several times to stop the killing, placing themselves between the soldiers and the civilians and moving several people to safety. At one point, they pulled a five-year-old girl out of a ditch of dead and dying victims. They were eventually able to stop the massacre, possibly saving hundreds of lives, though more than 500 civilians had already died. Only Mr. Calley was convicted of a crime in the matter, and President Nixon later reduced his sentence. Thirty years later, and only after a campaign by Clemson University professor David Egan, Mr. Thompson was awarded the Soldier's Medal. He suffered from cancer and was removed from life support earlier this week.
Hugh Thompson Jr., who as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam protected civilians from U.S. troops at the My Lai massacre, died today at the age of 62. On the morning of March 16, 1968, a company of American soldiers under the command of Lt. William Calley began killing civilians, including women and children, in a hamlet called My Lai. When Mr. Thompson and his crew, who were buzzing the area looking for Viet Cong, realized what was happening, they tried several times to stop the killing, placing themselves between the soldiers and the civilians and moving several people to safety. At one point, they pulled a five-year-old girl out of a ditch of dead and dying victims. They were eventually able to stop the massacre, possibly saving hundreds of lives, though more than 500 civilians had already died. Only Mr. Calley was convicted of a crime in the matter, and President Nixon later reduced his sentence. Thirty years later, and only after a campaign by Clemson University professor David Egan, Mr. Thompson was awarded the Soldier's Medal. He suffered from cancer and was removed from life support earlier this week.
