Aftermath
The massacre was kept a secret until April 1969, where Ron Ridenhour, a G.I. who had been with the 11th Brigade, wrote letters to the President, Secretary of defense, and Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff. In the letters, Ridenhour described some of the actions taken by the many of the soldiers sent to My Lai. Also, the incident was first covered up by high-ranking officers, but then was later brought to the public by former soldiers. Platoon leader, Lt. William Calley was accused of premeditated murder against the My Lai inhabitants in 1971 when a court-martial at Fort Benning convicted him. The massacre, along with other incidents, were revealed during trial while dividing the U.S. public and contributing to the growing disillusionment with the Vietnam War.
The Charges
Calley was charged with premeditated murder in violation of Article 118 of Uniform Code of Military Justice:
Art. 118. Murder
Any person subject to this chapter who without justification or excuse, unlawfully kills a human being when he--
1) has a premeditated design to kill
2) intends to kill or inflict great bodily harm
3) is engaged in an act which is inherently dangerous to others and evinces a wanton disregard of human life
4) is engaged in perpetration or attempted perpetration of burglary, sodomy, rape, robbery, or aggravated arson; is guilty of murder, and shall suffer such punishment as a court-martial trial may direct.
The charge came along with four specifications alleging premeditated murder:
Specification 1: In that First Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr. ...did, at My Lai 4, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of South Viet-Nam, on or about 16 March 1968, with premeditation, murder an unknown number, not less than thirty, Oriental human beings, males and females of various ages, whose names are unknown, occupants of the village of My Lai 4, by means of shooting them with a rifle.
Specification 2: In that First Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr...did, at My Lai 4, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of South Viet-Nam, on or about 16 March 1968, with premeditation, murder an unknown number, not less than seventy, Oriental human beings, males and females of various ages, whose names are unknown, occupants of the village of My Lai 4, by means of shooting them with a rifle.
Specification 3: In that First Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr...did, at My Lai 4, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of South Viet-Nam, on or about 16 March 1968, with premeditation, murder one Oriental male human being, whose name and age is unknown, by shooting him with a rifle.
Specification 4: In that First Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr...did, at My Lai 4, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of South Viet-Nam, on or about 16 March 1968, with premeditation, murder one Oriental human being, an occupant of the village of My Lai 4, approximately two years old, by shooting him with a rifle.
Art. 118. Murder
Any person subject to this chapter who without justification or excuse, unlawfully kills a human being when he--
1) has a premeditated design to kill
2) intends to kill or inflict great bodily harm
3) is engaged in an act which is inherently dangerous to others and evinces a wanton disregard of human life
4) is engaged in perpetration or attempted perpetration of burglary, sodomy, rape, robbery, or aggravated arson; is guilty of murder, and shall suffer such punishment as a court-martial trial may direct.
The charge came along with four specifications alleging premeditated murder:
Specification 1: In that First Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr. ...did, at My Lai 4, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of South Viet-Nam, on or about 16 March 1968, with premeditation, murder an unknown number, not less than thirty, Oriental human beings, males and females of various ages, whose names are unknown, occupants of the village of My Lai 4, by means of shooting them with a rifle.
Specification 2: In that First Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr...did, at My Lai 4, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of South Viet-Nam, on or about 16 March 1968, with premeditation, murder an unknown number, not less than seventy, Oriental human beings, males and females of various ages, whose names are unknown, occupants of the village of My Lai 4, by means of shooting them with a rifle.
Specification 3: In that First Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr...did, at My Lai 4, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of South Viet-Nam, on or about 16 March 1968, with premeditation, murder one Oriental male human being, whose name and age is unknown, by shooting him with a rifle.
Specification 4: In that First Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr...did, at My Lai 4, Quang Ngai Province, Republic of South Viet-Nam, on or about 16 March 1968, with premeditation, murder one Oriental human being, an occupant of the village of My Lai 4, approximately two years old, by shooting him with a rifle.
Testimony
William Calley was charged for premeditated murder in September 5, 1969. After 79 hours and 57 minutes in court, the jury returned a verdict. He was charged with four specifications of premeditated murder (listed above) for the deaths of 104 Vietnamese civilians in the area of My Lai. After seven hours, the jury sentenced Calley life of hard labor. However, he only served days in a Fort Benning stockade before being placed under house arrest. Although he was sentenced life imprisonment for the crimes he has done, he only served three years of house arrest when President Nixon reduced his sentence. He was paroled in November, 1974.
More than 500 villagers were killed during the massacre, Calley could have faced the death penalty. On the day of the trial by jury, Calley said, "Yesterday you stripped me of all my honor, please by your actions that you take here today, don'tstrip future soldiers of their honor-I beg you."
More than 500 villagers were killed during the massacre, Calley could have faced the death penalty. On the day of the trial by jury, Calley said, "Yesterday you stripped me of all my honor, please by your actions that you take here today, don'tstrip future soldiers of their honor-I beg you."