Hero Remembered

The most publicized atrocity in the Vietnam War was the slaughter of civilians in My Lai village in 1968. The Army has taken decades to recover its reputation, and even today the protest signs that blare “baby killer” and “war criminal” trace their provenance to the My Lai massacre. Nevertheless, there were a few American heroes from that incident. One of them, Hugh Thompson, died last week. NPR describes the noble actions of his helicopter crew:

Early in the morning of March 16, 1968, Thompson, door-gunner Lawrence Colburn and crew chief Glenn Andreotta came upon U.S. ground troops killing Vietnamese civilians in and around the village of My Lai.

They landed the helicopter in the line of fire between American troops and fleeing Vietnamese civilians and pointed their own guns at the U.S. soldiers to prevent more killings.

Colburn and Andreotta had provided cover for Thompson as he went forward to confront the leader of the U.S. forces. Thompson later coaxed civilians out of a bunker so they could be evacuated, and then landed his helicopter again to pick up a wounded child they transported to a hospital. Their efforts led to the cease-fire order at My Lai.

37 years after My Lai, court-martialed Lt. William Calley is still the face that people remember. But it is Hugh Thompson who is honored by the military today. Thompson, Colburn, and Andreotta received the Soldier’s Medal, which is the nation’s award for “heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy”.

Godspeed, Mr. Thompson, and thank you.

[Update: the CBS Sunday Morning show replayed a 1998 60 Minutes interview with Hugh Thompson.]