My Lai Hero Hugh Thompson Jr. Dies at 62

[PatrickHenry]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/nati...-Thompson.html

Hugh Thompson Jr., a former Army helicopter pilot honored for rescuing Vietnamese civilians from his fellow GIs during the My Lai massacre, died early Friday. He was 62. Thompson, whose role in the 1968 massacre did not become widely known until decades later, died at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Alexandria, hospital spokesman Jay DeWorth said. Trent Angers, Thompson's biographer and family friend, said Thompson died of cancer. ''These people were looking at me for help and there was no way I could turn my back on them,'' Thompson recalled in a 1998 Associated Press interview. Early in the morning of March 16, 1968, Thompson, door-gunner Lawrence Colburn and crew chief Glenn Andreotta came upon U.S. ground troops killing Vietnamese civilians in and around the village of My Lai. They landed the helicopter in the line of fire between American troops and fleeing Vietnamese civilians and pointed their own guns at the U.S. soldiers to prevent more killings.

Here's the story on how Thompson rescued Viet civilians from US military killers:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doublei...s/thompson.htm

An honorable soldier in the midst of an imperial conflict. Are there any like him in Iraq or Afghanistan? Men who would halt atrocity at the risk of their own careers or even their own lives?

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: PatrickHenry An honorable soldier in the midst of an imperial conflict. Are there any like him in Iraq or Afghanistan? Men who would halt atrocity at the risk of their own careers or even their own lives?

I read the story some time ago. Thompson was an exceptional man and no, I don't think there are many in Iraq or Afghanistan like him. I would imagine the military learned their lesson from Vietnam and made sure independent thinking people would be weeded out.
If Thompson was in Iraq today and saw something like the My Lai massacre and did just what he did all those years ago I am sure he would be court-martialed and the pundits on FOX would be calling him a rogue soldier or something similar.

[tinybear]

Nah, I'm sure they will be dealt with the same way as the culprits in the My Lai massacre, only this time it'll even be more severe because they will first be crucified by the press and then court-martialled.

[Jack]

Perhaps you're too young to know, TB, but Lt. Calley and Ernest Medina were front page news here and abroad in 1971. If you feel media coverage is severe, Calley and Medina were treated severely by the international press.

By the way, who are you talking about?

[tinybear]

OK, then let's not assume that soldiers out in the field can massacre civilians and get away with it. America punishes criminals, even if those criminals are our own soldiers.

[RickSp]

There were over 80 soldiers either involved in the massacre of the 500 civilians or the immediate cover-up. Only Calley was convicted of any wrongdoing.

Thompson, rather than being treated like a hero, was treated shabbily by the military. Calley, even after his conviction was treated like a hero. Then Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter asked citizens to leave their car headlights on to show support for Calley and "Rallies for Calley" were held around the country.

At My Lai American soldiers got away with murder and just a few days ago an American Army captain in whose custody two Afghans had been beaten to death had all charges against him dropped. Not so much has changed.

It is no assumption that with support of the brass, soldiers, and particularly officers, can get away with murder. It is well documented.

We have far too few Hugh Thompsons.

[Nono]

Quote by: Rick Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter asked citizens to leave their car headlights on to show support for Calley (...).

Holy shit! Is that true?

Thompson was only 62. Ron Ridenhour also died well before his time (early 50s) seven or eight years ago. In the matter of My Lai-related heroes, there was also a guy named Michael Bernhardt, who was actually on the ground with Calley's unit and refused orders to take part in the massacre. For his trouble he was ordered by Ernest Medina to keep his mouth shut and thereafter never allowed out of the field, where he was given all the dangerous work. He finally escaped and provided Ridenhour with a lot of the info he needed to publicize the matter.

[RickSp]

From Pat's original link:

The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and Colburn proved crucial. But instead of thanking them, America vilified them. Many saw Calley as a scapegoat for regrettable but inevitable civilian casualties. "Rallies for Calley" were held all over the country. Jimmy Carter, then governor of Georgia, urged citizens to leave car headlights on to show support for Calley. Thompson, who got nasty letters and death threats, remembers thinking: "Has everyone gone mad?" He feared a court-martial for his command to fire, if necessary, on U.S. soldiers.

[Nono]

Sorry, missed that. My God! I wonder what Carter would say about that if reminded of it today. (Next we'll be learning that Carter campaigned for Lester Maddox LOL. )