Posted on 08/06/2006 6:02:58 PM PDT by jmc1969
A study of declassified Army documents by the Los Angeles Times on Sunday found that the killings of civilians by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam war were far more numerous than previously known -- and went largely unpunished. In total, 320 incidents of abuse by U.S. soldiers are substantiated.
"Abuses were not confined to a few rogue units," the Times reported. "They were uncovered in every Army division that operated in Vietnam."
Atrociities by U.S. troops in Iraq are currently gaining wide attention.
A Pentagon task force in the early 1970s compiled a file with 9000 documents. Records reveal seven massacres in Vietnam from 1967 through 1971 in which at least 137 civilians died, excluding the 1968 massacre in My Lai. There were 78 other attacks on non-combatants in which at least 57 people were killed, 56 wounded and 15 sexually assaulted.
Retired Brig. Gen. John H. Johns, a Vietnam veteran who served on the task force, told the Times he once supported keeping the records secret but now believes they deserve wide attention in light of alleged attacks on civilians and abuse of prisoners in Iraq.
"We can't change current practices unless we acknowledge the past," said Johns.
(Excerpt) Read more at editorandpublisher.com ...
A bit late, who cares?
"'L.A. Times' Study Finds High Number of Vietnam Atrocities'"
We know. Kerry already admitted to them.
If the media has its way, this country will never win another war.
Guess the MSM need to show John Kerry was right. Excuse me while I throw up.
Oh, but what about Iraq?
That is what they are implying, right? It went on in Vietnam and must be going on in Iraq.
And the communist Vietnamese government murdered how many people after that war? To complete media silence....
Typical LA Times bias ~ the more than a million civilians killed by the Viet Cong, the NVA, and American peaceniks are simply ignored so they can focus on 360 "incidents".
And compared to the NV Communists, nothing.
We dealt with the problems, sent people to Leavenworth, etc.
They brutalized and killed hundreds of thousands, millions in the case of the Cambodians, and somehow we're the bad guys, and the reality of who we were dealing with, and fighting, doesn't get reported.
I remember reading that our soldiers in Vietnam couldn't always tell the civilians from the combatants. And children were duped into delivering exposives to kill our military.
War is hell!
This article is anti-American propaganda, pure and simple.
Rummel has estimates of the numbers. They're big.
Retired Brig. Gen. John H. Johns, a Vietnam veteran who served on the task force, told the Times he once supported keeping the records secret but now believes they deserve wide attentioni in light of alleged attacks on civilians and abuse of prisoners in Iraq.
Boy, this makes a believer outta me!
Well of course it does.
LAT = MSM Fifth Column, Member in Good Standing
The leftwingnuts working at the LA Times are actually responsible, personally, for the death of over half a million people driven into the sea by their allies, the NVA.
When will these communist let the Viet Nam war REST IN PEACE. This story is nothing but more anti-American propaganda. The war was over 30 years ago.
Also how come they never seem to mention the Vietnamese atrocities? What about the 2 to 5 million Vietnamese murdered by the communist AFTER the end the war?
These deaths can be directly attributed to the ANTI WAR protestors here in the USA. THE LA TIMES IS NOTHING MORE THAN A VOICE PEASE FOR THE HATE AMERICAN COMMUNIST. That for over almost 40 years has done nothing but attack the American GIs and this country. I will dance the day they go under for their lies and hatred of America.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.