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My Lai Massacre

Guide to assist students and faculty researching the My Lai Massacre.

Videos

The words 'My Lai' are seared into our memories of the Vietnam War, but few know what really happened in the small Vietnamese village on March 16, 1968. Now, drawing on 400 hours of recently discovered audio recordings and new interviews with participants, eye witnesses, and investigators, the complete story can finally be told about one of the most shocking atrocities in modern times, and about lesser-known acts of remarkable courage.

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.

The military tried to cover up the massacre but the story eventually came out. One of those in charge, Lt. William Calley, was convicted of premeditated murder and served six years in prison.

One facet of this story is not so well known: the massacre was halted by three brave Americans soldiers. Correspondent Mike Wallace revisits a story he first reported in 1969.

Features interviews with American soldiers who were there.

Al-Jazeera documentary online, 2008.

Internet Sources