On March 16, 1968, the My Lai Massacre took place in Vietnam,

**On March 16, 1968, the My Lai Massacre took place in Vietnam,

during which around 500 unarmed villagers were brutally murdered by U.S. troops.** (Content note: sexual violence.)

The massacre began when U.S. forces shelled the village. Ground troops then entered, encountering no resistance. Nevertheless, they began systematically killing the villagers—rounding up women, children, and the elderly, shooting them, and raping many of the women.

One U.S. serviceman, **Hugh Thompson**, was flying a helicopter over the area when he witnessed the atrocities unfolding. Seeing a group of soldiers advancing toward a group of women and children, Thompson and his crewmates—**Lawrence Colburn** and **Glenn Andreotta**—prepared their weapons, landed their helicopter in front of the soldiers to block their path, and called for additional helicopters to help evacuate survivors to safety.

The perpetrators later falsely claimed that they had killed dozens of National Liberation Front guerrillas. In reality, there had been no resistance, and only one U.S. soldier was injured during the massacre—when he accidentally shot himself in the foot.

Although Thompson reported the massacre to his superiors, the U.S. Army initially declared the My Lai operation a major success and accused Thompson of filing a false report. As a result, Thompson was assigned a series of dangerous missions as punishment. He was shot down five times and sustained a broken back.

Another U.S. serviceman, **Ronald Ridenhour**, launched an independent investigation into the massacre and widely distributed his findings. His efforts helped expose the truth and fueled growing opposition to the Vietnam War, including resistance among serving soldiers.

Ultimately, only one officer—**Lieutenant William Calley**—was convicted for the massacre. He was sentenced to life in prison but was released after serving just three years under house arrest.