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hugh thompson testimony

    hugh thompson testimony

    Hugh said: These people are going to die. We thought that was good, that they would be out of the way. He received a life sentence in 1971 for premeditated murder which was later reduced to 10 years. If Hugh knew that, it would have made everything he went through worthwhile for him. You know, you think everybody feels you and you can ignore your own symptoms. So we continued our recon. He was 62. Thats what they want to do. He said: They are coming this way. By the end of what has become known as the M Lai massacre, the Vietnamese government estimates that American soldiers killed at least 504 people, mainly women and children. He wanted to give us some idea of what were getting into. They interviewed Hugh Thompson and his crew. Did you have a sense that what you had seen at My Lai was and isolated incident or did you suspect similar atrocities were happening elsewhere? We would have died for them. They were taking volunteers for the 11th Brigade. The only radio communication we had was with the low gunship. You and Hugh had the opportunity to tell your stories to young military officers. Hugh Thompson, the helicopter pilot who stopped the My Lai massacre, later told the news program "60 Minutes" that he was ostracized and received death threats upon his return from Vietnam.. At 8 years old, he made his way about 10 miles through the jungle by himself to the village. Interestingly, there are those toying with the idea of inviting him to make the trip back to My Lai to ask for the people there for forgiveness. Except for the boy, it appeared the rest were already dead. People should realize that when atrocities are committed like this and covered up, it degrades us all. We also want to carry on Hughs passionate advocacy for all veterans, not just Vietnam vets. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. Mr. Thompson told of what he had seen when he returned to his base. It took the Army 30 years, but in 1998, they finally acknowledged that Thompson had done something good. Hugh Thompson was a United States Army Major and a former warrant officer in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division who helped end the My Lai Massacre of the South Vietnamese village known as Sn M on March 16, 1968. Innocent people didnt die that day They didnt just fly off the handle and engage a target that was borderline. Now Trent Angers, who chronicled Hugh Thompson's heroism during the My Lai massacre of Vietnamese civilians in 1968, believes he has uncovered information about an unseen adversary Thompson fought . Likewise, what Hugh did has been ignored or glossed over in history texts, much the same way the incident has been. When Mr. Thompson returned home, it seemed to him that he was viewed as the guilty party. It was time to stop it, and I figured, at that point, that was the only way the madness, or whatever you want to call it, could be stopped.. Join Facebook to connect with Hugh Thompson and others you may know. We kept flying back and forth, Thompson recalled, and it didnt take very long until we started noticing the large number of bodies everywhere. No. We loved those guys in the field. He was first appointed to the court on March 1, 1994, by Governor Zell Miller (D). And when Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley, the officer who ordered the massacre, Thompson received death threats. Id seen civilians get in the way and unfortunately lose their lives because of that. That was the only enemy combatant we saw that day. He teaches the U.S. history survey since 1877 and specialized courses on Vietnam, 1960s America, and U.S. foreign relations. Calley pointed his weapon at him and threatened him with a court-martial. There was some chatter since most of the people at Ft. before the subcommittee, and then refused to release the transcripts of the testimony. Then, as I was in this crowd, I turned around and there he waswith his beautiful wife and new baby boy. Are you guys with me?. But that was not to be the case. There are those hardcore people who do still say we shouldnt have told the truth, that we should have covered for those guys in the field; that we didnt know what it was like on the ground. Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot who rescued Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai massacre, reported the killings to his superior officers in a rage over what he had seen, testified at. Thompson landed his helicopter next to a ditch that contained 150 people many dead, but many others wounded and trying to escape. These were infants, two-, three-, four-, five-year-olds, women, very old men, no draft-age people whatsoever.. I went back in 2008 for the 40th anniversary. Thompson kept testifying against the butchers of My Lai in hopes of securing justice for the civilians killed that day. I waited in the hospital waiting room for about four hours to see a psychologist. ' Thompson recalled. We started noticing these large numbers of bodies everywhere, he told me, people on the road dead, wounded. Every time Ive been back there, the survivors ask me, Why dont the men who committed the atrocities come back and ask for forgiveness so that we might forgive them. Theyre Buddhists you know, they can forgive, put it behind them and carry on. I may have clipped him but he made it to the trees. Harry claimed a 'secret agreement' stopped him bringing hacking claims earlier I have mine put away somewhere, but I think Hugh threw his away one night. That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai . I walked in and told Henderson we saw unnecessary killing of many civilians. At the same time, judging from Hendersons reactionhe seemed almost nonchalant, like it was just another day at the office. There was no time to get an ethics opinion or consult authorities. Did the word about what happened at My Lai get around? ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Opinion: Why my Taiwanese American identity has become more complicated. . Im not judge, jury and executioner. On March 16, 1968, he was flying a mission in Vietnam and came across a large number of dead civilian bodies; and in pursuing surveillance, he discovered that those civilians had been killed, and the survivors were still under fire, by American forces. It was denial on the part of the public, said Colburn. Finally, the Army launched an inquiry. They tried to make arrangements to get him there, but couldnt find him. The M Lai massacre started when the U.S. Army declared everyone in a broad region of Vietnam either part of the Viet Cong or sympathizers. All of a sudden I hear my name called, I had no advance knowledge, no idea what was happening until they pinned the Bronze Star with Valor on me. Saw some advancing Americans coming that way. Im a garden-variety human being and thats all there is to it. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. When the American people responded as they did in defense of Calley, it was really hard, especially for Hugh. Ultimately, it was a pubic relations move, they had to give the medal. LinkedIn is the world's largest business network, helping professionals like Hugh Thompson discover inside connections to recommended job . For more information about the Hugh Thompson Foundation, visit www.designaire.com/HughThompson, Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. He remembered how Glenn would put him down and pick him back up as he checked on other victims in the ditch. You saw him again in 2008? They were not running, but just slowly moving out of the village. Ive mulled this over for years. Where else in history has a massacre of civilians been stopped in the middle of the massacre? Nobody would be held responsible. Thompson risked his life and career and had Lt. Calley shoot him. Among those numbers were 17 pregnant women and 56 infants. From the air, Thompson and his two-person crew quickly realized American soldiers were slaughtering innocent civilians. The My Lai massacre of March 16, 1968, stands as one of the darkest moments in U.S. military history. I was a helicopter pilot that day, and I guess I was invited here to tell you about a day of my life. Among those numbers were 17 pregnant women and 56 infants. We had no direct radio contact with the men on the ground. They could communicate with the command craft that was flying at altitude. There were probably 10 in the squad. Larry Colburn was a door gunner with crew chief Glenn Andreotta and Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson as pilot of a small scout helicopter during a combat assault at the village of My Lai on March 16, 1968. This is not what Im here for. Whats that make you, my buddy? So, just because guys served in the same theater doesnt necessarily mean we are all that close. A defendant charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, who testified that he believed he was "following presidential orders" from President Donald Trump when he stormed the building. Did you expect something would be done as a result? No, but Hugh was sent on missions in his OH-23 with his back up another OH-23no gunshipsinto Dragon Valley, where there was rocket activity. You risked your lives, I said, to protect those Vietnamese civilians., Well, it didnt come to that, he replied. I thought Hugh would pull it off, when I saw some pull their rucksacks off and leave it to the lieutenant to have it out with Hugh. You had no radio contact with the men on the ground? Having redeemed himself for other peoples mistakes, his heroic act was written in US Military history. You started out on an OH-23 scout helicopter? So, he decided to do something. I think he broke his flight helmet, he threw it down so hard. After evacuating the people, you thought you could do more? It was an enemy tactic to blur the lines between combatants and noncombatants. What did you do after My Lai for the rest of your tour? At some point they finally did call for a cease-fire, but by then it was too late. As Hugh jumped out, he told us to take our weapons down off the bungee cords and take some belted ammo and backup weapons and set up a little perimeter around the aircraft. Like most 18-year-old males I was nave, had no idea what risks were. Just then Glenn spotted some people in an earthen bunker, saw faces peering out of the entry. But one of things the most infuriating is being called a whistleblower, as if we went and ratted someone out. Nick Turse investigated violence in Vietnam against noncombatants for his book Kill Anything that Moves. He concluded after a decade of research in Pentagon archives and more than 100 interviews with American veterans and Vietnamese survivors that Americans killing civilians in Vietnam was pervasive and systematic. One soldier told him there had been a My Lai a month.. It took several weeks of time, and several volumes of testimony to satisfy the United States pen<rion bureau that "Old Reliable" was the identical soldier who had enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Ohio volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and who was last reported "wounded and missing In battle of . 1895), in United States testimony 1892, typescript, 247, Church History Library, Salt Lake City. The truth of the M Lai massacre did not come out until a year and a half later when a soldier whod seen reports on the massacre contacted a journalist. Now that the dynamics have changed with Hugh passing, I understand now how difficult it was for him, carrying it around in his gut, alone. Thats what keeps me going. Hugh said, No, lets do it at the Wall. They said no, the weather might be bad or something. They were shooting women and children just like anybody else.. Thompsons father played a central role in his childrens education. I said Im not really at liberty to say. I felt that my testimony validated Hughs, and that was why it was important. When you see something like that happen, with no negative repercussions, you begin to think perhaps this is the method of operation. The My Lai story and Hugh Thompsons role in it is really important, but do you find most people are unaware of it? California cities shouldnt be deterred. You can imagine the emotions that surfaced. Hugh Thompson, a pilot of the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Americal Division, flew an observational helicopter supporting Task Force Barker on March 16, 1968. Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. Ill never fly again, he vowed. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. You are the ones that deserve to be called American Soldiers. This meant that military prosecutors would be prohibited from calling those persons as witnesses . These people appeared to be no threat at all, and we couldnt figure out why they were fired on and killed as they were leaving the area. They didnt want to. You are not comfortable with being called a hero, either? His final term would have expired in December 2018; he retired in January 2017. When I arrived at My Lai in 2008, no one knew where he was. It is denial, a refusal to believe our young men could run amok the way they did. No, because the commander was on a different frequency. I wish we could have done more to thank him. I guess thats the $64,000 question isnt it? He has had an impact on many young minds in the military. I testified in the trials of Henderson, Medina and Calley. Some of Calleys men didnt follow Calleys orders and did nothing. Company C (Charlie Company), 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Barker, led by Captain Ernest Medina, moved into Sn M. Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot who rescued Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai massacre, reported the killings to his superior officers in a rage over what he had seen, testified at the inquiries and received a commendation from the Army three decades later, died yesterday in Alexandria, La. I lost faith in the whole military organization and wanted to put it all behind me. With Hugh, usually the more tense the situation, the more comical he would be. But despite Thompsons heroic actions, the Army tried to cover up the massacre. It was in their hands. If they fire on these people, or fire on me while Im doing that, shoot em! Now Hugh really had no idea who or what was in that bunker, could have been an AK47 waiting for him there. Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials. If there was anything that was cleansing for me that was it. Testimony to the Truth [Smyth, Reverend Hugh P.] on Amazon.com. The story of My Lai is well known: On the morning of March 16, 1968, a company of U.S. soldiers killed as many as 500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians in My Lai, a village in South Vietnam. Hugh Thompson, who has died aged 62, was the helicopter pilot who tried to halt the My Lai massacre of more than 500 villagers by American troops during the Vietnam war . Probably not. According to Miriam-Webster.com, the word "testimony means: proof or evidence that something exists or is true, firsthand authentication of a fact, an open acknowledgment, a public profession of religious experience . As we found out from the farce of justice being served via trials of the monsters responsible, politicians and their cronies cant be trusted either. The photos document the free, unobstructed flow of water through the easement area between the base of the dam and the drop inlets on the He told me not to say anything to anybody, and just tell the truth when I got there. I did hear that the men on the ground were told to pretend like it never happened. The hero received death threats for speaking out about the massacre. Hugh was the generals personal pilot. But, after going through the process and seeing the ultimate outcome, I wasnt really surprised, but I was disillusioned. made a statement in Congress honoring Thompson, stating that the United States has lost a true hero, and the State of Louisiana has lost a devoted leader and dear friend. We came in from altitude down to low level. Thompson was later promoted to Major, but Thompson was a Warrant Officer in his heroic acts. I dont know who did what. But eventually the journalist Seymour Hersh found out about the massacre, and his report made it worldwide news and a turning point in the war. I dont know how they found me, but I gave a brief interview, and it appeared with the Life magazine photo spread in December 1969. Hugh told her he probably didnt have any family left. That was a point of no return for Thompson? When the officers take part in it, it just escalates things. Ill always know that we did was morally right, we did what we could to help people who could not defend themselves. As far as a place in history, thats not something I dwell on. My Lai massacre was a bloody stain of the Vietnam War, but one man changed the course of the battle and went from traitor to hero. The conclusion Hugh and I came to was they were trying to keep us quiet by giving us a phony award. We knew something seemed wrong. Hood were returnees, but no one really zeroed in on what was happening. He was saying: Ill never fly again. Mr. Thompson, you and Mr. Colburn are indeed the heroes in this sordid story and I am ashamed at how they were treated. Thats when he crashed about five helicopters in five months. Thompson spent the rest of his life wondering if he could have saved more lives. They got some people to listen, and then there were others in the Pentagon trying to put it at the bottom of the stack. When Hugh realized it was our people doing this killing, he knew he had to take drastic measures, recalled Larry Colburn, a gunner on Thompsons crew. In mid-March 2022, posts about a warrant officer named Hugh Thompson and his role in the My Lai massacre circulated on social media, including a tweet describing that time period as the 50-year anniversary of that incident:. First He Castrated Himself. We had different missions. But when he returned to his Stateside home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Thompson received death threats and insults, while Calley was pardoned by President Nixon. The sergeant waited until Thompson left and then fired on the helpless civilians. As I understand, that part of brain doesnt develop until 25. I was a helicopter pilot that day, and I guess I was invited here to tell you about a day of my life. Larry Colburn was a door gunner with crew chief Glenn Andreotta and Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson as pilot of a small scout . Some soldiers even jumped on the water buffalos, riding them around while trying to kill them with their bayonets. Hugh Thompson returned to M Lai in 1998 and met some of the people he saved. "Something terrible happened here 30 years ago today," Mr. Thompson was quoted as saying by CNN. From Testimony to Tragedy: My Lai in Personal Perspective Michael W. Flamm Michael W. Flamm Michael W. Flamm is professor of history at Ohio Wesleyan University. Afterwards Thompson testified at the trial of Lt. William Calley, the commanding officer during the massacre. I didnt write Hugh up for anything and he said he didnt write me up. Justice, if it could ever be achieved in this case, would have been to line each and every one of them up in front of a firing squad and start shooting from the knees up. As murderous bloodlust unfolded on the ground below, Thompson and crew confronted fellow GIs to save numerous civilians from the fate of some 500 others that morning. Anyone can read what you share. After learning about the heroism of Hugh Thompson Jr. during the M Lai Massacre, read about the Gulf of Tonkin incident that started the Vietnam War. I remember wearing the same fatigues and they were pretty much covered with blood stains from carrying the boy and being in that ditch. Had you ever seen anything even approaching this before? At the age of 62, after extensive cancer treatment, Thompson was removed from life support and died on January 6, 2006, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pineville, Louisiana.

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