[katze]

You really seem to have a problem with officers.

Ever hear of a "sapper"? That is when the enemy, often children, walk toward you with some sort of explosive charge on their person--when they get close to you, they blow themselves up (and you, too). This was a common problem in Vietnam, and perhaps that is what Lt Calley felt sure he was facing.

[muawiyah]

Ronald Ridenhour, a Vietnam veteran who was not at My Lai, played a major part in getting the story out. He had only heard about the operation from several of his friends who had served in Charlie Company. A year after My Lai, Ridenhour wrote a letter to his Congressman concerning the event.

It is alleged that the Army knew the true nature of the situation far earlier but a Major named Colin Powell managed to suppress that knowledge.

Everyone in the Army at that time found their reputation tarred with this brush. Some decided this sort of thing would never happen again.

There's a wealth of information on the net about this event. You should bother to read some of it.