Posted on 01/06/2006 11:09:16 AM PST by Joe 6-pack
Just heard Hugh Thompson passed away. While many people don't know Hugh by name, most remember "the helicopter pilot," generally credited with putting a stop to the My Lai massacre.
Hugh lived close by, and up until I quit drinking a few years back, Hugh and I spent more than a few hours together in the bars. After retiring from the Army, Hugh went to work with the Louisiana Department of Veteran Affairs. We disagreed on some politics, but agreed on many things in life in general.
God bless you Hugh. Rest in Peace buddy.
I dont think so. Look at next post. Dogbark didnt take it that.
WHAT?! The damage was done by Lt Cally. Thompson was a HERO who saved lives and American prestige by putting himself on the spot for the innocent. He didn't blab to the press and self-promote, he simply did his job as an officer and a gentleman. It took nearly 20 years for his story to be told.
There are two main officers in this history. One showed the American forces to be everything the Fonda crowd alleged them to be and gave fuel to their anti-Americanism. The other showed what American courage truly is.
You are taking sides against the wrong officer in this story will be called on it!
Dumb and Dumber
I stand by my opinion. I think Im still entitled to do that. Im not saying what Cally did was right but I will say we would would not have heard about Cally if it werent for Thompson.
"I'll not honor him any more than honoring the person who sent the Abu Grahib photos to the media."
This was a very different situation. The prisoners in Abu Grahib were not innocent and they were not being killed. Calley and his men killed hundreds of people in a brutal assualt on a village that didn't contain insurgents and where there were no reports of us being fired upon. Some of those killed were infants, others women and old men. It was one of the most despicable things ever carried out by an American. Thompson stood up to this vile excuse for an American and stopped him from killing even more civilians. Thompson is an American hero and should be treated as such. Its a shame that nobody under Calley's command stood up to him.
"Twenty years later I was speaking to my son's HS History class.
I asked how many knew about My Lai? Only one hand went up. "
Sad, sad, sad...to see how wretched (and dishonest) the teaching of
history has become in about one generation.
You had an experience that matches that of the historian David McCullough;
scroll down to the heading of "Our Failure, Our Duty" and read
the first paragraph (under that heading).
http://www.hillsdale.edu/imprimis/2005/April/
What scares me is that more and more people think like you---they throw morals out the window in order to "protect America". Disgusting! America is NOTHING with out its Morals! People who do that are worse on then the loonies on the left!
Thompson was a true Hero in the highest regard. Standing up for the Higher Good is more important than standing up for our Nation. And I say that as a God fearing proud American.
God rest this brave man's soul.
"I stand by my opinion. I think Im still entitled to do that. Im not saying what Cally did was right but I will say we would would not have heard about Cally if it werent for Thompson."
So what should he have done? Let Calley kill the rest of the unarmed people in the village? IIRC it wasn't Thompson who publicicized this anyway. Calley had already been convicted of murder when Seymour Hersh published an article on this based on testimony from a fellow named Ridenhour who went to the press almost a year later.
Thanks.
I remember at the time of the Peers Commission and the Calley Court-Martial, everyone figured the military would never forget. Didn't take long.
I've stopped being shocked anymore.
Back in 68 and 69, I know of no one in the military who defended what was done by members of the Americal Division. Almost as bad as what Calley and his men did was the cover-up that went all the way to the Division CG.
"I stand by my opinion. I think Im still entitled to do that."
You are. Doesn't mean you're not a fool. Both of you.
I was in country at the time this happened. Call us naive if you like but most of us in my outfit were shocked at such a blatant war crime. Some of us spent time during off hours helping to rebuild a little schoolhouse, run by a Catholic priest, that the VC had destroyed. One idiot such as Calley, along with the sheep under his command, can ruin all the good that others try to do.
This has nothing to do do with Jane Fonda or the rest of her ilk. It has to do with being an American and taking the high road. Any of you who really believe those killers should have been whisked home and told to keep quiet would be the sort who would cover for somebody who runs over an old lady in a crosswalk and then speeds home to hide their car in the garage. No difference at all. Shame on you.
Of course you're entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. I haven't said otherwise. Your criticism of this American hero, however, is similar to criticizing a cop for stopping other cops during an act of brutality. Right is right and wrong is wrong.
Lt Calley exemplified the otherwise baseless criticism of the anti-war left.
Agree to disagree, that's fine. But if Im a "a fool" or "dumb" because you dont like my opinion then you get behind lead penny and eat me too.
War is hell. Bad stuff happens. Get over it.
You sure are fixated on that oral sex thing. Makes me wonder.
BTW, you're still sort of new here and probably haven't learned that when you reference a freeper in your post, the proper thing to do is include them in the "To:" box. Now you know.
I'm curious, kid, where'd you learn about Vietnam? Surely not in Vietnam?
"Of course you're entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. I haven't said otherwise. Your criticism of this American hero, however, is similar to criticizing a cop for stopping other cops during an act of brutality. Right is right and wrong is wrong.
"
Exactly. There are no two ways about this situation. Murdering hundreds of people who have not fired a shot at you is moraly horrible. Stopping such an act from continuing on demonstrates moral courage. The problem with the massacre was not that word of it eventually leaked out. The problem was how our entire nation was represented by a man who slaughtered hundreds of unarmed civilians including many women and childen.
"You sure are fixated on that oral sex thing. Makes me wonder."
Why do you ask? Are you cruising for action from a "kid"? There's a word for guys like you.
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