In the words of Varnado Simpson, a member of Second Platoon who was interviewed for the bookFour Hours in My Lai, I cut their throats, cut off their hands, cut out their tongue, their hair, scalped them. Since his marriage, he has simply withdrawn from the public eye. In the hamlet where U.S. troops killed hundreds of men, women and children, survivors are ready to forgive the most infamous American soldier of the war, Shaun Raviv, photography by Aaron Joel Santos. I wanted to get firsthand reports from other Charlie Company men who were at Son My, so I started making calls and writing letters. I know today I dont have anything to apologize for. His hands were small, soft, fleshy. Were going in there, were killing everything thats alive. His story dominated headlines, along with the Apollo 12 moon landing and the trial of Charles Manson. If Mr. Calley does not return to Vietnam to repent and apologize to the 504 spirits who were killed, Cong told me, he will always be haunted, constantly obsessed until he dies, and even when he dies, he wont be at peace. Remarkably, initial press reports presented the "battle" of My Lai in a positive light. 60 court search results for people named "William Calley" in the United States. I did it. I went to Vietnam and I served two tours and I served honorably. The sentiment to free Calley and ignore My Lai was strongest in the conservative South. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. No Cong were found, but his platoon, already decimated by the guerrilla enemy, went berserk. An enlisted soldier from the same division was so disturbed by the accounts he heard of My Lai that he carried out his own investigation. William has resided with Penelope in a single family house in Columbus, GA. Search for birth, death, marriage, divorce, US Census, and military records. He said Calley told him, two days after the massacre, I can still hear them screaming. Medina himself was charged, tried and found innocent. He might have got sidetracked.. Its still unclear exactly what Capt. Uncover William's photos, videos, and more , Personal details for William may include . Bronze Star Purple Heart Disorderly Conduct allowed his train to block four traffic intersections during rush hour, Fort Lauderdale, FL (1963), acquitted Murder Song My, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam (16-Mar-1968), charged with 109 counts (24-Nov-1969), convicted of 22 counts (29-Mar-1971) Dishonorable Discharge 1971 House Arrest Ft. Benning, GA (1971-74), Do you know something we don't? Producers Knowing that 85 percent of the Vietnamese people supported Ho Chi Minh, Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, nevertheless, deceptively sold the war as one to protect a "democratically elected government" in South Vietnam. Compelling, comprehensive, and haunting, based on both exhaustive archival research and extensive interviews, Howard Jones's My Lai will stand as the definitive book on one of the most devastating events in American military history. I am still emotional. Spokeo's database, while extensive, does not contain all U.S. warrant, arrest, court, or other related records. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. And I wake up and Im just shaking and I just cant hardly cope with it. When I met Fleming in Columbus over a steak dinner, one of the first things he told me was, Im not going to say anything bad about Rusty Calley.He and I were the best of friends for a long time. Calley was held in his own apartment near the main gate of Ft. Benning. The trial lasted 18 months and in March 1971, William Calley was found guilty of murdering at least 22 civilians. He was the only one found guilty out of the 26 others who had been initially charged, and was given life imprisonment. There was, however, a lot of public support for Calley. Sadly, other similar atrocities occurred on other days that were kept hidden. They never let me believe it was just a philosophy in a mans mind. Discover work experience, company details, and more. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. I have reached two conclusions: First, Americas war in Vietnam was fought for the wrong reason, at the wrong time, in the wrong place, against the wrong enemy and in the wrong way. Your input and suggestions will be appreciated. There just was no inner change of heart, Jones told me. I lay there, horrified, he said. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Calley tried to enlist in the U.S. Army in 1964 but was rejected because of hearing problems. Mom, Im bleeding a lot, Le remembers her daughter saying. By March 16, Charlie Company alone had suffered 28 casualties, five dead and many others permanently maimed, without once engaging directly with an enemy combatant. William Calley currently lives in Gainesville, FL; in the past William has also lived in Atlanta GA. William L Calley, William L Calley, William Laws Calley, W L Calley and William L Calley are some of the alias or nicknames that William has used. A half-hearted handshake and he spun around and retreated into a small office off the jewelry store showroom. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. In a hotel room in Ohio, before a stunned investigator, Haeberle projected on a hung-up bedsheet horrifying images of piled dead bodies and frightened Vietnamese villagers. Even more disheartening is that we, as a people, continue to ignore the lessons of the Vietnam War. WebWilliam Laws Calley III, Age 79 aka Laws Calley Current Address:LECCNW 43rd St, Gainesville, FL Past Addresses:Columbus GA, Williamsburg VA +3 more Phone His military defense counsel, Maj. Kenneth Raby, who spent 19 months working on the court-martial, told me Calley received so much mail that he had to be moved to a ground-floor apartment at Fort Benning where the deliveries didnt have to be carried up the stairs. He was short, round, almost portly. Many Americans would say that it was the horrors wrought by this young platoon leader and his men--the cold slaughter of between 175 and 400 women, children and old men, according to the Army--that poisoned their support of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. | READ MORE. Kenneth Henson, a Columbus lawyer involved in Calley`s appeals and a friend, said Calley He and his co-counsel called about 100 witnesses to testify against Calley. Worst of all, they were fighting a war which their political and military leaders had long recognized could not be won. J. Houston Gordon, a trialattorney in Covington, Tenn., is writing a book on the My Lai Massacre and the Vietnam War. WebFull Name- William Laws Calley Jr. Born- June 8, 1943 (Miami, Florida) Age- 71 Years old (Currently Alive) Parents- William Laws Calley Sr. & Mother deceased 1966 (Cancer) I am torn. William Calley (1943- ) was a United States Army officer and the only person convicted and imprisoned for involvement in the My Lai massacre. No reporters were invited, but a retired local newsman surreptitiously blogged about it online and the local paper picked up the story. I mean it just wasnt there. Vick jewelry store i What happened to those US soldiers who massacred Vietnamese at My Lai in 1968 - Page 3 William Laws Calley, Jr. is a former United States Army officer found guilty of murdering 22 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War. Paul Meadlo. 60 court search results for people named "William Calley" in the United States. The day the verdict came down, Calley defended his actions in a statement to the court: My troops were getting massacred and mauled by an enemy I couldnt see, I couldnt feel and I couldnt touchthat nobody in the military system ever described them as anything other than Communism. During his high school years he attended Florida Military and Georgia Military Academies before graduating from Miami Edison Senior High School in 1962. Of the 26 officers and soldiers first charged for their part in the My Lai Massacre or the cover-up, only Calley was convicted. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: The 1960s. On March 16, 1968, Calley was in charge of the lead infantry platoon as it swept through the hamlet of My Lai, a suspected stronghold of the Viet Cong in the coastal province of Quangngai. The day after the massacre, Meadlo stepped on a land mine and his right foot was blown off. ''People of Columbus were behind him,'' explained Jack Mickel, the former mayor and still a close friend of Calley. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. William C. Westmoreland His sentence was reduced to 20 years. William departed this 321 bed / 313 bath condo in 2013. He wasnt there himself, but a few weeks after the operation, his friends from Charlie Company told him about the mass killing of civilians. But others never saw crime in the acts of this fun-loving, baby-faced officer from Miami. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, ten young men were drinking beer and smoking cigarettes at the side of one of those roads. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. 200 soldiers who were dropped into the village that day, 24 were later charged with criminal offenses, and only one was convicted, Calley. Only Nam made it out physically unscathed. Web1. Perhaps, by demanding the truth and holding them accountable, we can avoid making our children walking targets and turning them into murderous automatons. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Its residents lives are linked to Fort Benning, which has served as the home of the U.S. Infantry School since 1918 and today supports more than 100,000 civilian and military personnel. ." He also pointed out an estate nearby that had appeared inThe Green Berets, a pro-war 1968 film starring John Wayne. Just over a year after the massacre, Ridenhour sent a letter to about two dozen members of Congress, the secretaries of state and defense, the secretary of the Army, and the chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, telling them about a 2nd Lieutenant Kally who had machine-gunned groups of unarmed civilians. Planned eradication, annihilation, indiscriminate bombing, napalming, destruction of villages, making large areas of South Vietnam uninhabitable, and mass slaughter of South Vietnamese civilians all became commonplace. Kenneth Henson, a Columbus lawyer involved in Calley`s appeals and a friend, said Calley appears happily married and deeply involved in the jewelry business. A member of the U.S. Army then threw a grenade into the tunnel, killing everyone except Cong, who was injured by the shrapnel and still bears a scar next to his left eye. After the wedding, Calley began working at the jewelry shop. I lost all sense of direction. Simpson went on to commit suicide. 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