In reading about Staff Sergeant Robert Bales (the accused slayer of seventeen Afghan citizens) the name of someone who helped stem a much earlier massacre has resurfaced ... all to the good (as we'll see after the jump) ....
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In the time after the arrest of Robert Bales, various explanations for his behavior came from the likes of
David Brooks as well as Lindsey Graham chalking this up to the times of war. At which point
Charlie Pierce reminded us of someone who - rather than snapping under duress - stepped forward to mitigate a disaster.
Hugh Thompson (first photo, below) was called upon to set an example just over forty-two years ago. And on the 42nd anniversary of My Lai earlier this month, he was recounted in a diary by teacherken in part (although the connection to present-day circumstances was not made). But here was someone who - rather than be recognized instantly as a hero - had a difficult time for the rest of his Army career, until much later in life.
Hugh Thompson was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1943 and served in the US Navy from 1961-1964 when he returned to Georgia to run a funeral home. There were others who - when Vietnam flared up - were glad they had already done their time, and Hugh Thompson could have simply went on with his life. But he had an urge to fly, and volunteered to join the US Army in 1966: training as a helicopter pilot.
And it was in that capacity on March 16, 1968 that he and his two crew members (Lawrence Colburn and Glenn Andreotta, 2nd and 3rd photos below) flew over an irrigation ditch filled with dozens of bodies of unarmed civilians. Shocked at the sight that there were still people alive in there, Thompson landed his helicopter and dismounted. He eventually spoke to Second Lieutenant William Calley:
Thompson: What's going on here, Lieutenant?
Calley: This is my business.
Thompson: What is this? Who are these people?
Calley: Just following orders.
Thompson: Orders? Whose orders?
Calley: Just following...
Thompson: But, these are human beings, unarmed civilians, sir.
Calley: Look Thompson, this is my show. I'm in charge here. It ain't your concern.
Thompson: Yeah, great job.
Calley: You better get back in that chopper and mind your own business.
Thompson: You ain't heard the last of this!
Indeed, after taking off: Andreotta saw that killing had resumed, and then the three men saw civilians being chased by soldiers, and landed the helicopter
in-between both sides - then pointed their guns at their fellow service members to prevent more killings, and helped evacuate the villagers.
Sadly, Glenn Andreotta died just three weeks later in combat. But for Thompson and Colburn - well, you might have expected them to be hailed as heroes. And while they were later, at the time ...... not so much.
Thompson and Lawrence Colburn later testified at the court martial hearings for the massacre of over 300 civilians at My Lai. Only one U.S. soldier, platoon commander Lieutenant William Calley, was convicted. He was court-martialed and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the massacre. Many around the country viewed Calley as a scapegoat. "Rallies for Calley" were held all over the country and Jimmy Carter, then governor of Georgia, urged citizens to leave car headlights on to show support for Calley. President Richard Nixon later commuted Calley’s sentence to three years of house arrest, and Calley did not publicly apologize for his actions until 2009.
Thompson, on the other hand, was shunned for years by fellow soldiers. He received death threats and was once told by congressman Mendel Rivers that he was the only American who should be punished over My Lai. Lawrence Colburn told Amy Goodman on Democracy Now - "He (Thompson) was tormented by not only My Lai, but the way he was treated when he just told the truth and did what was morally right. People came after him and tried to discredit him. He was ostracized in the military, but he never turned his back on them".
Exactly thirty years after the massacre, Thompson, Andreotta, and Colburn were awarded the Soldier's Medal (Andreotta posthumously), the United States Army's highest award for bravery not involving direct contact with the enemy (1st photo below). And Senator Max Cleland (D-Ga.) entered a tribute to Thompson, Colburn and Andreotta into the record of the U.S. Senate. Cleland said the three men were, "true examples of American patriotism at its finest".
Also in 1998, Thompson and Colburn returned to the village of My Lai - where they met some of the villagers they had rescued, including Thi Nhung and Pham Thi Nhanh, two women who had been part of the group that was about to be killed by the 2nd Platoon. They also dedicated a new elementary school for the children of the village.
Hugh Thompson died in 2006 at the age of 62, with Lawrence Colburn at his bedside. Their legacy continues in part due to the Hugh Thompson Foundation - to recognize those who have refused illegal orders or, like the My Lai Three, made the tough but right decisions only to be harassed and punished. I can think of someone recently deserving of such an honor: Army Reservist Joseph Darby - who blew the whistle at Abu Ghraib, and yet was likewise ostracized.
Meanwhile, while I hope that Staff Sergeant Robert Bales receives a fair trial before an impartial jury - it seems a pity that there was not a Thompson - Colburn -Andreotta contingent who could somehow have intervened.
Now, on to Top Comments:
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From vcmvo2:
In the front page story about Mitt Romney critcizing John Kerry back in 2004 for being too rich - surfbird007 serves-up some Mitt Bot humor!
From
leu2500:
In Hunter's diary Romney made fun of Kerry's big house, I got a kick out of this thread started by ontheleftcoast.
From
Angie in WA State:
In the diary by Hayate Yagami about the all the hatred that the father of George Zimmerman feels is coming in from all quarters: Anthony Page aka SecondComing offers a comment which better be in the running for Comment of the Year next December.
And from
Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the diary by blue aardvark about a possible Justice Department indictment against Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) on charges of tax fraud: elwior argues that - no matter the timing - "This is a great day in South Carolina!"
Next: yesterday's Top Photos (as compiled by Jotter each day) - click on the photo to see the story behind it.
And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
1) Just as an aside by LeftHandedMan — 250
2) Here's something they're by Plantsmantx — 242
3) Will you still be teaching us anything? by ontheleftcoast — 188
4) Oopsies! by Dr Erich Bloodaxe RN — 169
5) Obama has made the wrong choices by Dallasdoc — 158
6) i am SO mad at this I AM SO MAD by terrypinder — 147
7) Sorry to hear this by Steveningen — 144
8) You're still a teacher and educator here... by Superskepticalman — 126
9) For someone who had his head hit against by Tamar — 113
10) Culture change takes time by Dallasdoc — 113
11) Wishing Her All the Best by JekyllnHyde — 111
12) Thank you! by KelleyRN2 — 104
13) There's the real Bobby Rush by ActivistGuy — 98
14) Tell you what: I will come over and do by cassandracarolina — 97
15) Please get your shots first. n/t by gchaucer2 — 94
16) A little whiff of rebellion. by One Pissed Off Liberal — 91
17) Too bad the video cut away when they by Eileen B — 90
18) I'm shocked! Shocked! by ontheleftcoast — 84
19) Also by LeftHandedMan — 84
20) Man, do we think alike :) by Giles Goat Boy — 84
21) I most heartily agree... by doingbusinessas — 80
22) In HS that's the quote used by a guy by jayden — 79
23) cantor: the metrosexual Veruca Salt. by mama jo — 77
24) I saw it live-I thought the speaker was gonna call by roseeriter — 77
25) P.S. by One Pissed Off Liberal — 77
26) Supposedly he shot because Trayvon was by HappyinNM — 75
27) Love to Nurse Kelley by high uintas — 75
28) what I thought more damning by Nina Katarina — 74
29) I almost cracked up there at the end by Seneca Doane — 72
30) Wearng a hoodie while quoting scripture by Onomastic — 72