Vietnam massacre soldier 'sorry' [My Lai massacre]

Calley maintains that he was following orders from his superior

Site of My Lai massacre

Good. No one can move on until guilt is acknowledged. The US response to this is one of the things that clearly separates them from their rivals.

The SOB should have been hung for a war crime, so should anyone in his chain of command that “approved” it.

Of course you can’t ignore McNamara and Project 100,000 which put a bunch of people in the Army who had no business being there, but Calley had the responsibility to tell his solders to cease fire and not fire on unarmed civilians.

This whole mess was inexcusable and more heads should have rolled.

“Calley maintains that he was following orders from his superior”

Following illegal orders is never a defense.

He was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killings in 1971. Then-US President Richard Nixon commuted his sentence to three years' house arrest.

Why did Nixon commute his sentence?

>>”Calley maintains that he was following orders from his superior.”

In fairness, that line is a picture caption, not a direct quote. It is unlikely that there was a professional journalist at the Kiwanis meeting. Probably, an ordinary, untrained citizen (maybe a Lib with an axe to grind) reported what he remembered hearing. Then some twit in england, who got it third hand, and was more interested in sensation than accuracy or fairness, wrote the caption.

DG

The way things were done in Viet Nam his orders were legit. “Illegal” kills happened all the time. I was in the military when he was tried but was not in Viet Nam. However, every friend I have who served there told me that this type thing happend a lot. Maybe not on ths scale but is killing 500 civilians any worse than killing two?

Plus, from what I’ve read about this incident, the soldiers went bonkers. Calley couldn’t have stopped them if he wanted to. Should he have been held accountable for HIS actions? You bet. But there were many above him who should have been tried starting with McNamara. He is single handedly responsible for causing a lot more deaths that Calley.

>>”The way things were done in Viet Nam his orders were legit. “Illegal” kills happened all the time. I was in the military when he was tried but was not in Viet Nam. However, every friend I have who served there told me that this type thing happend a lot.”

Excellent Terry, You have made three statements, AS IF THEY WERE FACT. And your source for these FACTS is: “...every friend I have who served there...” Statements of FACT with unnamed (probably imaginary) sources but it’s OK, because it dishonors everyone who served there. I would expect this from some Leftist twit, not from a conservative.

DG

I don’t dishonor anyone who served there in combat or in support.

I said “Every friend I have who served there told me”? The FACT is that every friend I had who served there DID tell me that. So, that statement is a fact.

So, maybe you should READ what I wrote “AS FACT” instead of accusing me of dishonoring veterans.

I lived during that time and EVERY ONE I KNEW, (and this is a fact) including hippies, felt Calley was a scapegoat. He was following the orders of Capt. Medina.

I don’t dishonor anyone who served there in combat or in support.

YES YOU DID!

I said “Every friend I have who served there told me”? The FACT is that every friend I had who served there DID tell me that. So, that statement is a fact.

THAT particular statement may or may not be an actual fact. You may be lying. You may have friends who engaged in war crimes. You may have friends who witnessed war crimes. You may have friends who heard rumors and repeated them as true.

So, maybe you should READ what I wrote “AS FACT” instead of accusing me of dishonoring veterans.

The problem with that is that "every friend I have who served there." is the ONLY statement you made which could POSSIBLY be true.

The way things were done in Viet Nam his orders were legit.

No matter what your "friends" might have said, this statement is not fact. The very most it could be (if your "friends" were not lying or repeating rumors) is taking their witnessing (or committing) war crimes and pretending that their experience was universal. It was not.

“Illegal” kills happened all the time.

No matter what your "friends" might have said, this statement is not fact. The very most it could be (if your "friends" were not lying or repeating rumors) is taking their witnessing (or committing) war crimes and pretending that their experience was universal. It was not.

this type thing happend a lot.

No matter what your "friends" might have said, this statement is not fact. The very most it could be (if your "friends" were not lying or repeating rumors) is taking their witnessing (or committing) war crimes and pretending that their experience was universal. It was not.

I lived during that time and EVERY ONE I KNEW, (and this is a fact) including hippies, felt Calley was a scapegoat. He was following the orders of Capt. Medina.

So? Unless EVERY ONE you knew had actual personal knowledge of the FACTS, its just a bunch of people yapping. If ANYBODY ordered anybody to massacre 500 non-combatants, he MUST be held to account.

What you have done is take some loose talk, and projected it onto EVERYONE who served. I could, just as easily, say that No one has ever told ME that they witnessed, or participated in, any kind of atrocity. That would be a TRUE statement. But if I were to project, from THAT fact, that NO atrocities EVER happened, would NOT BE TRUE. It would be silly, but not particularly harmful.

What you have done, whether intentional or not, was to not merely ACCUSE, but also CONVICT all Vietnam Vets of committing war crimes. This is what that treasonous lying bastard John Kerry did. Do you want to follow in his footsteps?

DG

I didn’t say everyone who told me that was telling the truth. I said that’s what I was told. And you’re one to talk about people “yapping”. That’s rich. Lots of rambling going on there!

Here’s a fact. You haven’t shown how you know anything about the subject. All you’ve stated is your oppinion. Those who told me were people who served in combat. I never considered that they were simply stating their oppinion. One of them survived the assault on Hamburger Hill. One was an Army Captain who still carries shrapnell under his skin. I’ll take their word for it.

Now leave me the hell alone.

I didn't say everyone who told me that was telling the truth. I said that's what I was told.

The way things were done in Viet Nam his orders were legit.

Maybe somebody told you something that THEY saw, or THEY heard about, or that they were a participant in. NO ONE has the right to extrapolate their experience to "The way things were done in Viet Nam." Furthermore, unless you or your friends has direct personal knowledge of the incident, you have NO right to claim that Calley SAID he had orders, OR that he HAD orders, or especially that they "were legit,"

“Illegal” kills happened all the time.

This MAY have been the experience of your "friends." To extrapolate from their experience to " all the time" is NOT RIGHT.

this type thing happend a lot.

"this type thing" may or may not have " happend a lot" to one or all of your friends. Nothing justifies the blanket statement that it " happend a lot."

By making these unwarranted claims, you blacken the name of anyone who served there, including your "friends." You impugn the reputation of the US Military, and by extension the entire US.

If you wish to report what your "friends" actually said, you have a right to do so. Neither you nor they have a right to claim that soldiers were committing atrocities "all the time." AND that they were ORDERED to do so.

I had imagined that this kind of propaganda would stop, now that "the troops" are all "heroes," "sacrificing for our freedom." But, I guess Vietnam Vets will continue to be looked on as something you would scrape off your shoe.

Here's a fact. You haven't shown how you know anything about the subject.

I don't need to. I didn't make any claim. Just logic.

Now leave me the hell alone.

If you posted this without any ill intent, and realize that you shouldn't have made those unwarranted claims, just say so, and there is an end to the matter.

If, on the other hand you choose to stand by your statements, You are the one who poked a stick in my cave...

DG

p.s. Care to make a guess about where I got my screen name?