"Hugh Thompson Jr. Saved Innocent Civilians During ..." Topic

…the Mỹ Lai Massacre – He Was Deemed a Traitor

"The Vietnam War saw the US military employ a number of controversial tactics in the name of protecting the American public. One of the worst incidents to occur during this time was the Mỹ Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, which saw US Army personnel slaughter hundreds of innocent Vietnamese civilians. The death toll might have risen even higher, if it hadn't been for the bravery of Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson Jr. and his helicopter crew…"

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Armand

Well my first reaction was to follow that link and that surely that helicopter type belonged in M.A.S.H. and Korea. But no.

Then my recall was that that the idea of the crew holding back homicidal US infantry at gunpoint was wildly exaggerated. Because that was what we told and I was only 15/16 at the time, and in the UK.

Now I think that if you get a bunch of poorly led kids, with powerful weapons, in a far away country, where they are facing guerilla warfare and the most innocent rice farmer is feeding your enemy, any country could do this.

and has. Any country.

Sorry to hear the chap died aged just 62 of cancer.

In any crisis, in an emergency, stepping in makes a huge difference. I experienced that so many times in my surgical career. When it is going totally to pieces in your hands, it is hard to keep calm. Step in from next door, no problem, let me take over for you. These guys were above the massacre and deserve their recognition. The kids on the ground were like Das Reich at Oradour sur Glane, but even the SS had a reason for their atrocity. It is called guerilla war.

Thanks my good friend…

Agree with you…

Armand