hugh thompson testimony

endstream endobj startxref 171 0 obj <> endobj By then I was a civilian and was trying to attend college on the GI Bill, but I kept getting subpoenas. But I really didnt know what was going to happen or how to react. Any hesitation? We also did a lot of recon missions and flying into free-fire zones to find enemy positions. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a49bccbef3b55dea5fdfe48a500a42a9" );document.getElementById("c08a1a06c7").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Content on this website is free to use and share, but please provide a link back to Spec Ops Magazine as a source. There was a sergeant standing by the ditch by himself. Then again, it was a Saturday morning and they were possibly going to market. And he was a character, a real joker. He started accusing me of being with CID. What happened next was one of the most remarkable events of the entire war, and perhaps unique: Thompson told the American troops that, if they opened fire on the Vietnamese civilians in the bunker, he and his crew would open fire on them. Justice Thompson was re-elected for additional six-year terms in 2000, 2006, and 2012. In 1964, Thompson received an honorable discharge from the Navy and returned to Stone Mountain to live a quiet life and raise a family with his wife. They awarded him the Soldiers Medal for heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy., On the 30th anniversary of the massacre, Thompson went back to My Lai and met some of the people whose lives he had saved. Calley had many supporters, who condemned and harassed Thompson. Whenever I felt discouraged about things, Hugh would remind me that if we get through to just one person, its worth it. Thompson was buried in Lafayette, Louisiana, with full military honors, including a three-volley salute and a helicopter flyover. Thats what keeps me going. LinkedIn is the world's largest business network, helping professionals like Hugh Thompson discover inside connections to recommended job . Just then Glenn spotted some people in an earthen bunker, saw faces peering out of the entry. Thompson was more experienced than Lt. Calley, more ethical, more talented, and brighter, and probably recognized Calley didnt know what he was doing. Yes, and we were checking the perimeter as they were coming in and starting the combat assault. Glenn went down into the ditch and found the boy that he had seen moving and handed him up to me. We had different missions. I was raised with a sense of duty. There was no time to get an ethics opinion or consult authorities. Using hand signals, Mr. Thompson persuaded the Vietnamese to come out while ordering his gunner and his crew chief to shoot any American soldiers who opened fire on the civilians. Did they know that somebody tried to help? By this time, Lt. William Calleys Charlie Company was reaching My Lai? What did you see when first flying over My Lai? Mr. Thompson told of what he had seen when he returned to his base. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. The outcome of the trails was disgraceful, and Hugh and I saw that it was a sham. We didnt know what was happening. Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. by Vietnam magazine 2/7/2011. With Hugh, usually the more tense the situation, the more comical he would be. He received a life sentence in 1971 for premeditated murder which was later reduced to 10 years. I thought someone else was getting recognition for something. The troops also burned the village and Sn Ms surrounding hamlets to the ground and slaughtered the livestock. In late December 1967, at the age of 25, Hugh Thompson was ordered to Vietnam and assigned to Company B, 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division. Medina and maybe higher. He recounted in a CBS 60 Minutes television program in 2004, "I'd received death threats over the phone.Dead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up." [14] [7] All of a sudden I hear my name called, I had no advance knowledge, no idea what was happening until they pinned the Bronze Star with Valor on me. Ultimately, it was a pubic relations move, they had to give the medal. It was about six months ago that the S&P 500 dipped . But when he returned to his Stateside home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Thompson. I was a helicopter pilot that day, and I guess I was invited here to tell you about a day of my life. Im not judge, jury and executioner. For a while we were going out on snatch missions, where wed basically kidnap draft-age males and take them in for interrogations. When the officers take part in it, it just escalates things. And it turned out it was a good thing that they did. Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot, had threatened to fire on the American troops in order to rescue Vietnamese women and children from the slaughter. That was a point of no return for Thompson? 187 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<24715D214BB8264D9C081C2824AD5AA6><5B5B6AB10B516B4B92CEE481B23C2455>]/Index[171 29]/Info 170 0 R/Length 83/Prev 54619/Root 172 0 R/Size 200/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream In November 1970, the M Lai trials started and Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley. Thompson had become something of a professional witness. I have mine put away somewhere, but I think Hugh threw his away one night. Hugh Thompson Jr. graduated from Stone Mountain High School on June 5, 1961. The My Lai Massacre was and still is a huge, shameful event that will be hard for several generations to get past. I said, Thank you, sir, and went back to work. ", Hugh Thompson, 62, Who Saved Civilians at My Lai, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/us/hugh-thompson-62-who-saved-civilians-at-my-lai-dies.html. Are you guys with me?. The squad leader ordered Thompson and his men to get out of the way. When Hugh gave his order, I distinctly remember pointing my weapon directly down at the ground, so there was no question. It had to be. The Army covered it up, but the facts eventually came to light and the responsible officer, Capt. Everybody walked. 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. Glenn and I were staring them down and watching to see how it would unfold. They killed everything. As he approached the soldiers, he told them to stop. Did you fly with him much before My Lai? But, after going through the process and seeing the ultimate outcome, I wasnt really surprised, but I was disillusioned. Join Facebook to connect with Hugh Thompson and others you may know. He teaches the U.S. history survey since 1877 and specialized courses on Vietnam, 1960s America, and U.S. foreign relations. When the American people responded as they did in defense of Calley, it was really hard, especially for Hugh. It was like he dropped out of the sky. Hugh told me that was what was going through his mind, he was thinking of Nazi Germany, people digging trenches, forced to march into those trenches, mass graves. He tried to explain that these people appeared to be civilians, that we hadnt taken any fire and there was no evidence of combatants in that area. No. Now Trent Angers, who chronicled Hugh Thompson's heroism during the My Lai massacre of Vietnamese civilians in 1968, believes he has uncovered information about an unseen adversary Thompson fought . To this day I cant remember exactly about that day reporting to Henderson. When Hugh asked me to come with him and report what had happened, he said: Just tell the truth. I hope to take as many speaking engagements as I can. He was evacuated to a hospital in Japan and began a long rehabilitation period. "They said I was screaming quite loud," he told U.S. News & World Report in 2004. Hell, I didnt want to believe it, either, but I had no choice because I saw it. If people have some confusion about that, thats their problem. There was some chatter since most of the people at Ft. We know that Americans committed a massacre 50 years ago today; and we also know that an American stopped it. Wed done what we could. I read the citation and thought what? How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Harry's phone-hacking testimony contained 'troubling factual inconsistencies', hacking judge says. I lost faith in the whole military organization and wanted to put it all behind me. I waited in the hospital waiting room for about four hours to see a psychologist. But despite Thompsons heroic actions, the Army tried to cover up the massacre. Of course anyone thinking of making a career in the military probably pretended they never heard anything. After seeing U.S. troops advancing on a Vietnamese family, he landed his helicopter, called in gunships to rescue the civilians, and ordered his gunner to fire on any American who interfered. Andreotta died in action a few weeks later, but Thompson and Colburn were key witnesses in the investigations and trials to follow. hbbd``b`:$WXWkZ ["|Ab b:H2@#H@ ( Did you expect something would be done as a result? View the profiles of people named Hugh Thompson. We couldnt come up with an explanation until Hugh marked a woman we saw who had a chest wound and decided to just move back in a hover when we saw a squad coming near. In this exclusive interview with Vietnam magazine and VietMag.com, Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials, his journeys back to Vietnam and meetings with survivors and the Hugh Thompson Foundation, which he formed after Thompsons death in 2006. Hugh Clowers Thompson Jr. (April 15, 1943 - January 6, 2006) was a United States Army Major, and a former warrant officer in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division.He is credited with ending the M Lai Massacre of the South Vietnamese village known as Sn M on March 16, 1968, alongside and hierarchically above Glenn Andreotta and Lawrence Colburn. As we got back on station, we saw a lot of villagers leaving and figured that we may have dropped leaflets or had fired some artillery in morning. But many in the Army and the public supported Calley over Thompson. Probably not. What drove you to create the Hugh Thompson Foundation? Today theres a little museum in My Lai, where Thompson is honored, and which displays a list of the names and ages of people killed that day. Well, Hugh told them, if you just give it to me Ill take the medal, with a camera crew, to the first mens room I can find and Ill flush it down the toilet. This is a colonel he is talking to. It was in their hands. In an interview first broadcast in 2004, Hardtalk's Tim Sebastian spoke to Mr. We want to recognize people in the military and all walks of life who really make difficult decisions the way Hugh did. Would I have? The Army covered it up. This meant that military prosecutors would be prohibited from calling those persons as witnesses . Upon entering Sn M, officers and soldiers of Company C moved through the Song My Village and vicinity, murdering civilians, raping women, and setting fire to huts. Were you talking about this at the time? Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. As Hugh jumped out, he told us to take our weapons down off the bungee cords and take some belted ammo and backup weapons and set up a little perimeter around the aircraft. According to Miriam-Webster.com, the word "testimony means: proof or evidence that something exists or is true, firsthand authentication of a fact, an open acknowledgment, a public profession of religious experience . People should realize that when atrocities are committed like this and covered up, it degrades us all. Upon seeing that, Hugh Thompson landed the helicopter, approached Calley, and talked to him. They didnt want to. One of the instructors told me a story that he wished Hugh could hear. His final term would have expired in December 2018; he retired in January 2017. Thompson wanted you to also make a report? No, because the commander was on a different frequency. In front of Lt. Calley,Hugh Thompson was outranked. There could be a reason for doing it, or there could have simply been a complete breakdown in leadership. It went on like that for another year and half until finally they agreed to award medals to all of us. This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast 73K 94 2.4K 2.4K comments Best artnaqent 1 yr. ago Standing up for what's right, shouldn't be as hard as that. I always thought the American people deserved to know what was going on and I just thought it was good the public got a color photo layout of what happened at My Lai. And when Thomson reported the horrific actions, the Army tried to cover up the M Lai massacre. Hugh Thompson was a volunteer officer in the Vietnam War who turned his squad's weapons on American soldiers to stop them raping and murdering more women and . Thank you both for being of upstanding and outstanding moral character and having the backbone to stand up for what you know is right! As we watched from about 15 feet off the ground, back maybe 20 meters, we saw this captain approach the woman, look down at her, kick her, step back and then blow her away. I testified in the trials of Henderson, Medina and Calley. When Mr. Thompson returned home, it seemed to him that he was viewed as the guilty party. Everywhere wed look, wed see bodies. Jan Swango Emerson and Hugh Feiss, eds., Imagining Heaven in the Middle Ages (New York: Garland, 2000); . Months later you were surprised with a medal for action at My Lai? I figured, I was in the Army, so I should experience it where the action was. Among those numbers were 17 pregnant women and 56 infants. Testimony to the Truth He made some notes on a legal pad and excused me and I left. But it was mostly done with a machine gun. Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. Yet in the midst of the chaos and bloodshed, one U.S. soldier followed his convictions. Upon coming home, he got death threats and the like. He showed no reaction at all. In 1998, 30 years after the massacre, Hugh Thompson and the two other crew members, Andreotta and Colburn, were awarded the Soldiers Medal (Andreotta posthumously), the United States Armys highest award for bravery not involving direct contact with the enemy. The monsters involved in this Massacre are surely going to hell no matter if theyve led a squeaky-clean life since then. Today is the 50th anniversary of the My Lai Massacre, when US soldiers raped and murdered 500 Vietnamese civilians and burned their homes. We had thought there were two or three, but there were about 10 in the bunker. The villagers offered no resistance as U.S. soldiers shoved them into a ditch and opened fire with machine guns. At the same time, judging from Hendersons reactionhe seemed almost nonchalant, like it was just another day at the office. I was back at Ft. It was Hugh and he told me that I would be getting orders to report to Washington. They approached but because the aircraft was at flight idle they tended to stay back a little. Hannah's Testimony. They couldnt have been killed by artillery. Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. Hugh Thompson was a helicopter pilot in 1968, on a day American soldiers gunned down more than 500 unarmed civilians in a village called My Lai. You found later that that wasnt true? When it was all over, hundreds of unarmed civilians had been murdered by American forces. The sergeant waited until Thompson left and then fired on the helpless civilians. I was hoping there would be justice, but what did it achieve? Justice, if it could ever be achieved in this case, would have been to line each and every one of them up in front of a firing squad and start shooting from the knees up. So, how did you guys feel when you got the Soldiers Medals in 1998? endstream endobj 172 0 obj <. Ronald L. Haeberle/U.S. The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and his surviving crew member helped convict Calley at a court-martial. Since Hughs death, I have become the recipient of some of the hate mail he used to get. How did you and Hugh reconcile what you knew happened with the outpouring of public support for Calley and his men? I believe Glenn got a Bronze Star too. Dead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up. They were old women, old men, children, kids, babies., Then Thompson and his crew chief, Glenn Andreotta, and his gunner, Lawrence Colburn, saw some civilians hiding in a bunker, cowering, looking out the door. Testimony of Dr. Hugh Thompson, HTA Engineering (Expert Witness) (Exhibit Allegra-10) Exhibit Allegra-10 includes Survey Notes and 12 photographs taken by HTA Engineering on January 12, 2010. The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and his surviving crew member helped convict Calley at a court-martial. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Afterwards Thompson testified at the trial of Lt. William Calley, the commanding officer during the massacre. In the middle of a firefight I was an E4, what was I to do? %%EOF ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Opinion: Why my Taiwanese American identity has become more complicated. We didnt talk about it. Hugh Thompsonsdefiance and courage with that of his crew had given a new lease of life to others that they saved and will be remembered by all in the face of Humanity and History. Then, as I was in this crowd, I turned around and there he waswith his beautiful wife and new baby boy. I flew from Ft. We also want to carry on Hughs passionate advocacy for all veterans, not just Vietnam vets. I thank God to this day that everybody did stay cool and nobody opened up. Hood were returnees, but no one really zeroed in on what was happening. Like the trials, it was forced. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Who were the people lying in the roads and in the ditch, wounded and killed? If its not sincere, it doesnt mean anything. That is what other people say. Hugh Thompson was a United States Army Major and a former warrant officer in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division who helped end the My Lai Massacre of the South Vietnamese village known as Sn M on March 16, 1968. There were probably 10 in the squad. I just thank God everybody kept their cool and no one made any quick moves. We kept flying back and forth, Thompson recalled, and it didnt take very long until we started noticing the large number of bodies everywhere. But he didnt even draw a sidearm as he walked up to the bunker and motioned to the people to come out. Remember, this was later in the morning approaching noon, most of the killing had already been done. When you see your lieutenant or captain initiate these things, some enlisted men on the ground are more likely to do the same thing. And then she finished her sentence: she said, So we could forgive them. Im not man enough to do that. Hugh Thompson on his way to testify against William Calley on November 23, 1970. I looked at them and the first thing I saw was, Reason: to conduct necessary military business. So thats all I would tell the CO. As he told The Associated Press in 2004: "Don't do the right thing looking for a reward, because it might not come. This is not what Im here for. Mercy Thompson, Testimony, Church of Christ in Missouri v. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 70 F. 179 (8th Cir. Nicholas Goldberg: Is God on the side of blasphemy laws? He was first appointed to the court on March 1, 1994, by Governor Zell Miller (D). We came to think we were indirectly killing these people ourselves by marking them with smoke. That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai 4, which was better known to us as Pinkville." It was supposed to be a real big operation that day. Hugh Thompson and his crew rescued a surviving child whom they flew to the nearest field hospital. I just figured it was time to do something, to not let these people get killed. I had no idea what it was about. The best therapy I got was in those four hours and seeing the people who were so broken physically. Michael Bernhardt, who was at M Lai. The military was forced after an eight-year letter writing campaign by David Egan, a professor at Clemson University, and a businessman named William Cavanaugh. Colburn came from Atlanta to be at his bedside. Out of the blue, our unit was called out onto the tarmac for an awards and decoration ceremony. I was 17 when I enlisted in 1966 with some friends. As we flew around more, we started seeing small groups of people dead or dying in other parts of the village. Nearby, a squad of soldiers approached with weapons drawn. We hope to link up with other organizations and grow some legs. It all crystallized in that moment. In the last incident, his helicopter was brought down by enemy machine-gun fire, and he broke his back in the resulting crash landing. Glenn said, If we are going to do something, we better do it right now! So Hugh lands right between the approaching squad and the bunker. Some peoplepublicly stated that they felt Thompson was the only soldier at My Lai who should be punished (for turning his weapons on fellow American troops) and wanted to see him court-martialed for his actions at My Lai. Hood to give testimony in the basement war room of the Pentagon. Thompsons father played a central role in his childrens education. It was unusual, the only time it happened while I was there. Anyone can read what you share. The truth of the M Lai massacre did not come out until a year and a half later when a soldier whod seen reports on the massacre contacted a journalist. I met Thompson in 2000 and interviewed him for my radio program on KPFK in Los Angeles. It was absurd, but you have to be willing to pay the price. Was this part of the cover up? There was a guy at the ditch with Calley, shooting people not yet dead. ' Thompson recalled. I got there and Ill never forget my mother taking me into the kitchen and telling me if I didnt want to tell these people anything, I didnt have to. People need to know who Hugh Thompson was, what he did and why he did it. Hugh P. Thompson was the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. It took the Army 30 years, but in 1998, they finally acknowledged that Thompson had done something good. So we continued our recon. Likewise, what Hugh did has been ignored or glossed over in history texts, much the same way the incident has been. I wish we could have done more to thank him. He angered some GIs as he tried to photograph them as they fondled the breasts of a fifteen-year-old Vietnamese girl. They were not listening, so he did the unbelievable, he drew his own sidearm and pointed it at them. No, but Hugh was sent on missions in his OH-23 with his back up another OH-23no gunshipsinto Dragon Valley, where there was rocket activity. At 8 years old, he made his way about 10 miles through the jungle by himself to the village. But remember, at My Lai only about a third of the men participated in the massacre, but no one else tried to stop it. What led you to enlist in the Army? Were you vilified or the target of death threats the way Hugh Thompson was? HOANG DINH NAM/AFP via Getty ImagesHugh Thompson returned to M Lai in 1998 and met some of the people he saved. Glenn shouted, Hes firing into the ditch again!, How did Hugh react when reason failed? Does it worry you that it was, and remains, in our capacity to excuse or rationalize an atrocity like My Lai committed by Americans? Company C (Charlie Company), 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Barker, led by Captain Ernest Medina, moved into Sn M. Im not going to let this happen, weve got to do something. After learning about the heroism of Hugh Thompson Jr. during the M Lai Massacre, read about the Gulf of Tonkin incident that started the Vietnam War. Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials, https://www.historynet.com/interview-larry-colburn-why-my-lai-hugh-thompson-matter/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot. I wanted to survive and get home. Some of Calleys men didnt follow Calleys orders and did nothing. I told him everything and he didnt know how to respond, he had no idea how to deal with it. Hugh said, No, lets do it at the Wall. They said no, the weather might be bad or something. When you testified in Washington for the Army investigation led by General William Peers, did you feel they were after the real story? I know who I am, Im no hero, I was scared shitless most of the time. A defendant charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, who testified that he believed he was "following presidential orders" from President Donald Trump when he stormed the building. I give credit to my sister Mary, who saw my condition when I came home. California cities shouldnt be deterred. As murderous bloodlust unfolded on the ground below, Thompson and crew confronted fellow GIs to save numerous civilians from the fate of some 500 others that morning. Ill have no part of this, Ill tear these wings off and never fly again! Fortunately, people calmed him down before he reported to Colonel Henderson. You saw him again in 2008? You and Hugh had the opportunity to tell your stories to young military officers. Did the gunship crews know what was happening on the ground before this? Could you have just reported this and left, knowing youd at least made an effort? And when Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley, the officer who ordered the massacre, Thompson received death threats. Indeed, for a time, Thompson himself feared court-martial. I was encouraged in that there was an investigation going on and they were going after some people in a big way. We knew something seemed wrong. Ill have no part of this, Ill tear these wings off and never fly again!. Many fellow GIs still dont think you did the right thing? On March 16, 1998, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Colburn attended a service at My Lai marking the 30th anniversary of the massacre. Hugh was being jovial. . This fella stood up and said: Fuck you. Thompson was later promoted to Major, but Thompson was a Warrant Officer in his heroic acts. Amid a flurry of corporate earnings releases and somewhat lackluster market activity last week, an important milestone went largely unnoticed. We thought that was good, that they would be out of the way.
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