Facing My Lai: Moving Beyond the MassacreDavid L. Anderson The My Lai massacre of March 16, 1968 and the court martial of Lt. William Calley a year and a half later are among the bleakest episodes in American history and continue to provide a volatile focus for debates about the Vietnam War. Other books have exposed the facts surrounding the incident; Facing My Lai now examines its haunting legacy through a unique exchange of contemporary viewpoints. This powerful book emerges from a stellar gathering of historians, military professionals, writers, mental health experts, and Vietnamese and American war veterans convened to memorialize the tragedy. The cast of prominent speakers included journalists Seymour Hersh and David Halberstam, novelist Tim O'Brien, psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, military prosecutor William Eckhardt, and veterans Hugh Thompson and Ron Ridenhour—the two true heroes in the My Lai story. David Anderson's reflective recasting of their presentations creates an impassioned chorus of voices that demonstrates why this tragedy remains one of the key emblems of the American experience in Vietnam. These authors address many of the troubling questions that still persist about My Lai. Why had it been identified as a Viet Cong stronghold? What orders were the troops actually given? Why didn't someone stop the slaughter? But these questions are asked again in the hope that they might lead to a better understanding of what My Lai means for us now. As these authors show, our nation is still trying to come to grips with the bitter legacies of the Vietnam War. A grim window into the darker side of American history (like the massacre at Wounded Knee), My Lai reminds us of humanity's baffling capacity for atrocity within the crucible of war. Facing My Lai does not allow us to forget or hide from such horrors, but it also seeks to heal the deep wounds inflicted by the war. Its unflinching look at the past ultimately leads us away from darkness and towards a more enlightened understanding of a war that in many ways is not over yet. |
Contents
An Oral History | 27 |
The Role of the Press | 53 |
Literary Approaches to Atrocity 1717 | 77 |
Copyright | |
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aberration Ameri Americal Division American atrocity atrocity-producing situation Battalion 101 believe body count Boomer Calley's casualties Charlie Company civilians Colonel combat commander cover-up crimes David Halberstam Desert Storm ditch Eckhardt enemy event experience feel fight fire forces fought going guerrilla Gulf guys happened healing helicopter Hersh Hugh Thompson incident Indians Infantry investigation John Balaban Jonathan Shay killed kind knew Lai massacre leadership learned Lieutenant Calley Lifton look March Marine Corps massacre moral murder nation never O'Brien officers operation percent person Pinkville platoon poetry political post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD question responsibility Robert Jay Lifton Ron Ridenhour Saigon Seymour Hersh shoot soldiers South Vietnamese story talk tell thing thought Tim O'Brien tion told trauma troops trying U.S. Army U.S. military United Viet Vietcong Vietnam veterans Vietnam War village W. D. Ehrhart warfare Wayne Karlin witness World wounded write York