hugh thompson testimony

They also reported the massacre to higher officers, who ordered the troops on the ground to stop. The pilots were briefed, if the crew was briefed it was by the pilot in the aircraft on the way to the area. I was hoping there would be justice, but what did it achieve? They couldnt have been killed by artillery. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. But Ive had my episodes. Thats when he crashed about five helicopters in five months. When Mr. Thompson returned home, it seemed to him that he was viewed as the guilty party. I was 17 when I enlisted in 1966 with some friends. The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and his surviving crew member helped convict Calley at a court-martial. They landed their helicopter between the American forces and the civilians, and they trained their guns on the advancing Americans. Harry's phone-hacking testimony contained 'troubling factual inconsistencies', hacking judge says. So I was not a good guy.". Were you vilified or the target of death threats the way Hugh Thompson was? If you are an American who thinks all of our foreign policy and actions over the years is as pure as the driven snow, well that is just not reality. If we would have had direct contact, we could have told them that these people are unarmed, no threat. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. No one wants a president to die in office. A list of his survivors was not immediately available. Youve been back a few times? 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. Like the trials, it was forced. So he gave me prescriptions for several psychotropic drugs. You and Hugh had a pretty low profile during and after the trials? Hugh Thompson returned to M Lai in 1998 and met some of the people he saved. Indeed, for a time, Thompson himself feared court-martial. The lieutenant told him to mind his own business and get out of the way. Then again, it was a Saturday morning and they were possibly going to market. 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! LinkedIn is the world's largest business network, helping professionals like Hugh Thompson discover inside connections to recommended job . When it was all happening, the feeling I had was, if this is how Im going to die, Im OK with it. Before the story broke, did you or Hugh consider going public with the story? They were true American heroes. Hugh and I went in 1998 with 60 Minutes, just after we were given the Soldiers Medal. Hugh said that was OK, because that was the appropriate place. I had no idea what it was about. Hugh told me to keep my mouth shut and I did. I didn't want to be a part of that. As I understand, that part of brain doesnt develop until 25. They didnt want to. Yes, and we were checking the perimeter as they were coming in and starting the combat assault. There was some chatter since most of the people at Ft. Charles Guiteau told a local newspaper that he shot James A. Garfield without malice or murderous intent.. Im Irish so Im to suffer. How do you think your story, of an event now long in the past, can make a difference? As we found out from the farce of justice being served via trials of the monsters responsible, politicians and their cronies cant be trusted either. 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. "Dead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up. And then she finished her sentence: she said, So we could forgive them. Im not man enough to do that. When did you start talking to investigators? Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? So, what do you make of Calleys apology last year? Out of the blue, our unit was called out onto the tarmac for an awards and decoration ceremony. Thats unlikely to improve anyones mental health, Letters to the Editor: Yes, we need to talk about Bidens age. I walked in and told Henderson we saw unnecessary killing of many civilians. If people have some confusion about that, thats their problem. We didnt talk about it. Hood to give testimony in the basement war room of the Pentagon. Like most 18-year-old males I was nave, had no idea what risks were. I figured, I was in the Army, so I should experience it where the action was. What would I have done if I were a man on the ground? 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. Hugh P. Thompson was the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. I read the citation and thought what? Youve got to love this guy. It was in their hands. In harsh times, heroes are ordinary men doing extraordinary things. I was back at Ft. As we did, we heard automatic weapon fire. It was a dime short and day late for Hugh, 30 years after the factafter causing him griefthen theyre going to call him a hero? He told me not to say anything to anybody, and just tell the truth when I got there. At the same time, judging from Hendersons reactionhe seemed almost nonchalant, like it was just another day at the office. It was an enemy tactic to blur the lines between combatants and noncombatants. 171 0 obj <> endobj endstream endobj startxref We came in from altitude down to low level. He angered some GIs as he tried to photograph them as they fondled the breasts of a fifteen-year-old Vietnamese girl. Thompson testified about the massacre in the U.S. government's military trials, but according to author Trent Angers, two Congressmen who were working in concert with Nixon, managed to seal that. And I was just devastated. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. He left the aircraft in flight idle, as rotor blades can be somewhat intimidating. I think he broke his flight helmet, he threw it down so hard. To do something like that in the whirlwind of war was downright insane, and thats exactly what he did. And he was a character, a real joker. On March 6, 1998, the Army presented the Soldier's Medal, for heroism not involving conflict with an enemy, to Mr. Thompson; to his gunner, Lawrence Colburn; and, posthumously, to Mr. Andreotta, who was killed in a helicopter crash three weeks after the My Lai massacre. That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai . The Army covered it up. Had you ever seen anything even approaching this before? When the revelations about My Lai surfaced, he testified before Congress, a military inquiry and the court-martial of Lt. William L. Calley Jr., the platoon leader at My Lai, who was the only soldier to be convicted in the massacre. Hugh was the generals personal pilot. ), 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. I give credit to my sister Mary, who saw my condition when I came home. We started noticing these large numbers of bodies everywhere, he told me, people on the road dead, wounded. When they started convicting people, I thought, now this is how it should unfold. Thompson and his crew managed to evacuate the civilians and stop the massacre. I enjoyed that. The monsters involved in this Massacre are surely going to hell no matter if theyve led a squeaky-clean life since then. Calley was the only person found guilty out of the 14 charged. You must have had some post-traumatic stress after your experience in Vietnam. Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. Whats going on? And we started thinking what might have happened, but you didnt want to accept that thought because if you accepted it, that means your own fellow Americans, people you were there to protect, were doing something very evil.. So, he decided to do something. And they recommended charging 28 officers for the massacre and coverup. The hero received death threats for speaking out about the massacre. 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. 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] No, because the commander was on a different frequency. We know that Americans committed a massacre 50 years ago today; and we also know that an American stopped it. My father landed on Normandy Beach and as a kid I watched the television series Victory at Sea and went to bed praying never to have to face the fire like those men on Normandy. I dont know how they found me, but I gave a brief interview, and it appeared with the Life magazine photo spread in December 1969. We were the closest and should have been able to communicate, but thats the way it was structured. Were you glad you got it? Are you guys with me?. When the American people responded as they did in defense of Calley, it was really hard, especially for Hugh. When Hugh realized it was our people doing this killing, he knew he had to take drastic measures. That seemed suicidal to me, going out with next to no backup or firepower. There was a sergeant standing by the ditch by himself. 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. Landed the aircraft in between the Americans and the Vietnamese, told my crew chief and gunner to cover me, got out of the aircraft, went over to the American side.. We never thought we were heroes. The bodies of massacred villagers at M Lai, as captured by a U.S. Army photographer. From Testimony to Tragedy: My Lai in Personal Perspective Michael W. Flamm Michael W. Flamm Michael W. Flamm is professor of history at Ohio Wesleyan University. It went on like that for another year and half until finally they agreed to award medals to all of us. 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. 0 It took several weeks of time, and several volumes of testimony to satisfy the United States pen<rion bureau that "Old Reliable" was the identical soldier who had enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Ohio volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and who was last reported "wounded and missing In battle of . It was time to stop it, and I figured, at that point, that was the only way the madness, or whatever you want to call it, could be stopped.. Sometimes we did and sometimes we didnt. Everybody walked. Thompson told his crew, Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. Hes saved lives again. On March 16, 1968, did you have any expectations of serious action? The daring act of a man in defiance of combat differences in saving unarmed civilians from being deliberately butchered by his own side while under combat orders. I was encouraged in that there was an investigation going on and they were going after some people in a big way. Did you consider bringing gunships to ferry out others from the ditch? That morning was clear and as we came over a hilltop we saw a suspect in uniform with a pack, carrying a carbine in the middle of a rice paddy. Did the gunship crews know what was happening on the ground before this? What about those who didnt stand up to evil in their midst? These people are going to die, Thompson said to his crew. A sergeant stood by the ditch. U.S. ArmyWilliam Calley, the officer who ordered the slaughter at M Lai. When I finally got in to see the guy, he was a major, he wouldnt make eye contact as I read my list. You were a witness for the prosecution in the trials that followed? He was 62. Thompson ran over and said, These are civilians, we got to help them out.. For hours, they raped, mutilated, and slaughtered innocent civilians until a helicopter pilot named Hugh Thompson Jr. put his own life on the line to stop the massacre. Some of Calleys men didnt follow Calleys orders and did nothing. 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. I was aghast at hearing how Lt William Calley got away with cold blooded murder, spending one day behind bars as a convicted criminal. You are the ones that deserve to be called American Soldiers. As the wounded tried to crawl out, they were fired on by someone who had been left there to do just that. In 2001 we went back and were reunited with the boy in the ditch. Hugh said: These people are going to die. I dont know who did what. Hugh said, Im going to take him on the right, which meant he was my target. 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. Through the years, he continued to speak out, having been invited to West Point and other military installations to tell of the moral and legal obligations of soldiers in wartime. But I really didnt know what was going to happen or how to react. He said youre a plant arent you. 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. It was absurd, but you have to be willing to pay the price. I stayed on gunships for rest of my time in Vietnam. Thank you both for being of upstanding and outstanding moral character and having the backbone to stand up for what you know is right! Thompson risked his life and career and had Lt. Calley shoot him. An army helicopter piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson arrived in the My Lai vicinity about 9 a.m. Thompson noticed dead and dying civilians all over the village. Hugh Clowers Thompson Jr. was born on April 15, 1943, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, to Wessie and Hugh Clowers Thompson. I know who I am, Im no hero, I was scared shitless most of the time. What led you to enlist in the Army? How did you get to the 123rd Aviation Battalion? 1st Platoon of Company C, commanded by Lieutenant William Laws Calley Jr., forced approximately 7080 villagers, mostly women and children, into an irrigation ditch and murdered the civilians with knives, bayonets, grenades, and small arms fire. The villagers offered no resistance as U.S. soldiers shoved them into a ditch and opened fire with machine guns. Did they know that somebody tried to help? He just lateraled the ball to Medina. After evacuating the people, you thought you could do more? Id seen civilians get in the way and unfortunately lose their lives because of that. One of the ladies that we had helped out that day came up to me and asked, Why didnt the people who committed these acts come back with you? You and Thompson must have been good mutual support. When Hugh gave his order, I distinctly remember pointing my weapon directly down at the ground, so there was no question. The conclusion Hugh and I came to was they were trying to keep us quiet by giving us a phony award. And just sitting there saying, God, howd this happen? When the officers take part in it, it just escalates things. Did the word about what happened at My Lai get around? Now that the dynamics have changed with Hugh passing, I understand now how difficult it was for him, carrying it around in his gut, alone. We are developing the concept of a Hugh Thompson Medallion to do that. Was this part of the cover up? They had been writing to the Pentagon for years about Hugh, totally unbeknownst to Hugh. I knew General Peers had gotten in touch with Hugh and took him back over to the scene of the crime. Thompson and Colburn returned to Sn M to meet with survivors of the massacre at the Sn M Memorial in 1998. Thompson spent the rest of his life wondering if he could have saved more lives. But when he returned to his Stateside home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Thompson received death threats and insults, while Calley was pardoned by President Nixon. I felt that my testimony validated Hughs, and that was why it was important. Thompsons father played a central role in his childrens education. Among those numbers were 17 pregnant women and 56 infants. Calley was paroled just three years later, in 1974, after Richard Nixon commuted his sentence. From his helicopter, Hugh Thompson could not communicate with Charlie Company on the ground. Our main job was to fly close to the deck, entice fire to get the enemy to give up their position, mark it, suppress fire and get out of the gunships way. And when Thomson reported the horrific actions, the Army tried to cover up the M Lai massacre. Charlie Company arrived in M Lai with orders to destroy the village. He was evacuated to a hospital in Japan and began a long rehabilitation period. . He also wanted to be able to get out quickly if need be. Hugh was running scenarios through his head to figure it out. You know, you think everybody feels you and you can ignore your own symptoms. before the subcommittee, and then refused to release the transcripts of the testimony. This is not how this military organization is supposed to conduct operations. And Hugh said, What about my crew? They said they didnt have any intention for awards of the crew. Hugh Thompsons actions may be unique. They were face to face, screaming at each other. That was the only enemy combatant we saw that day. I have a few lined up at some universities this year. While the massacre took place, helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and his crew flew over the jungle, offering air support. I am sorry this world has lost you. Genevieve Carlton earned a Ph.D in history from Northwestern University with a focus on early modern Europe and the history of science and medicine before becoming a history professor at the University of Louisville. Everybodys heard of the My Lai massacre March 16, 1968, 50 years ago today but not many know about the man who stopped it: Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot. So I was not a good guy.. Did you experience retaliation for what you did that day, or for talking to Henderson? But still, who do you shoot? What drove you to create the Hugh Thompson Foundation? After we took the boy to Quang Nai, we went back to our base, and Hugh Thompson and I reported to Colonel Oran Henderson. 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. Thompson felt obliged to return to military service when the Vietnam War began. Hugh Thompson, who has died aged 62, was the helicopter pilot who tried to halt the My Lai massacre of more than 500 villagers by American troops during the Vietnam war . Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. You risked your lives, I said, to protect those Vietnamese civilians., Well, it didnt come to that, he replied. By then I was a civilian and was trying to attend college on the GI Bill, but I kept getting subpoenas. Yes. Just then Glenn spotted some people in an earthen bunker, saw faces peering out of the entry. Exactly what you saw. Since we were sitting shoulder to shoulder, we saw virtually the very same things. Thompson was buried in Lafayette, Louisiana, with full military honors, including a three-volley salute and a helicopter flyover. Spec Ops Magazine 2023 All Rights Reserved. I thought that from a historical perspective, something needed to be in place so that when Im gone, what Hugh did at My Lai wont just fade into obscurity. On the morning of March 16, 1968, the people of M Lai were making breakfast when soldiers stormed in. Mr. Thompson worked as a veterans' counselor in Louisiana after leaving military service. I think it is deception, and that remains constant today. We didnt know what was happening. "I cannot explain why it happened. I have come to understand him more now than I did when he was here. For his interference. How many men were in squad and were they threatening? They could communicate with the command craft that was flying at altitude. Hell, I didnt want to believe it, either, but I had no choice because I saw it.. When I got to Vietnam I was attached to a headquarters company. They were taking volunteers for the 11th Brigade. If they fire on these people, or fire on me while Im doing that, shoot em!. Were you prepared to fire on the squad? . To this day I cant remember exactly about that day reporting to Henderson. It is amazing to see the strength of the human spirit. As he approached the soldiers, he told them to stop. In the middle of a firefight I was an E4, what was I to do? How do you intend to spread the word about the foundation? As he told The Associated Press in 2004: "Don't do the right thing looking for a reward, because it might not come. Finally, the Army launched an inquiry. He ranked higher than a warrant officer. They interviewed Hugh Thompson and his crew. In November 1970, the M Lai trials started and Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley. Hugh Thompson on his way to testify against William Calley on November 23, 1970. How could I ever be prepared for something like that? Billy Waugh, Famed Special Forces Warrior and CIA Legend, Dies At 93. It was Hugh and he told me that I would be getting orders to report to Washington. Hugh was furious, ready to do anything to save these innocent people. The best therapy I got was in those four hours and seeing the people who were so broken physically. Who were the people lying in the roads and in the ditch, wounded and killed? Testimony in the case against Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis is scheduled for Tuesday, with follow-ups expected in May. And then she finished her sentence: she said, So we could forgive them.'. Everybody's heard of the My Lai massacre March 16, 1968, 50 years ago today but not many know about the man who stopped it: Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot. So, how did you guys feel when you got the Soldiers Medals in 1998? On March 16, 1998, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Colburn attended a service at My Lai marking the 30th anniversary of the massacre. Id never seen nor heard of anything like that before, except in World War II. Upon seeing that, Hugh Thompson landed the helicopter, approached Calley, and talked to him. Every time Ive been back there, the survivors ask me, Why dont the men who committed the atrocities come back and ask for forgiveness so that we might forgive them. Theyre Buddhists you know, they can forgive, put it behind them and carry on. They tried to make arrangements to get him there, but couldnt find him. Likewise, what Hugh did has been ignored or glossed over in history texts, much the same way the incident has been. I said, Thank you, sir, and went back to work. Ive had PTSD issues for 42 years. She enticed me to move to east Oregon, near a ski area. After the initial shock, I think some sort of a defensive mechanism kicked in. I was raised with a sense of duty. Im sorry. I may have clipped him but he made it to the trees. by Vietnam magazine 2/7/2011. First He Castrated Himself. He had to make sure his mother, brother and sister, killed in the ditch, were buried properly. 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. We know that Americans committed a massacre 50 years ago today; and we also know that an American stopped it. We loved those guys in the field. I dont know, at the time I thought about creating a diversion, discharging my weapon in another direction. .d,H2F Hugh Thompson, the hero who stopped a massacre committed by US troops in the Vietnamese village of My Lai by landing his helicopter in the line of fire, 1968. In harsh times, heroes are ordinary men doing extraordinary things. Having redeemed himself for other peoples mistakes, his heroic act was written in US Military history. Back at their base he filed a complaint about the killing of civilians that he had witnessed. Ronald L. Haeberle/U.S. Then came the backlash. I think Task Force Barkers intent was to create panic and drive the enemy forces out of the area. In 1999, Thompson and Colburn received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award. He is still tiny, but he remembers everything. Many fellow GIs still dont think you did the right thing? "Something terrible happened here 30 years ago today," Mr. Thompson was quoted as saying by CNN. Thompson left the Army in 1983 and became a private helicopter pilot in the South. And on the 30th anniversary of the massacre, Hugh Thompson returned to M Lai. But one of things the most infuriating is being called a whistleblower, as if we went and ratted someone out. He struggled too. I flew from Ft. Fortunately for the monsters that committed these crimes against everything that is good, the generations that remember this (I remember the headlines and I was only 11 years old) are dying off and the current generations of American citizens think the world revolves around them and cant see past the end of their cell phones. In the last incident, his helicopter was brought down by enemy machine-gun fire, and he broke his back in the resulting crash landing. It was denial on the part of the public, said Colburn. I waited in the hospital waiting room for about four hours to see a psychologist. "I threatened never to fly again. Glenn and I were staring them down and watching to see how it would unfold. I guess thats the $64,000 question isnt it? Hugh alerted the low gunship as to what we had seen on the ground. Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. 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. Hugh transmitted what he could to the low gun in hopes that it would get up to the commander and someone would make a decision to stop it. It was like he dropped out of the sky. He found 69 between the ages of 4 and 7, and 91 between the ages of 8 and 12. We had thought there were two or three, but there were about 10 in the bunker. Kyle Hockenberry: For Those I love I will sacrifice, Adam Brown: The life and legacy of fearless Navy SEAL, Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart: The real heroes of the Battle of Mogadishu, Ivica Jerak: The Croat who died as American hero. From the air, Thompson and his two-person crew quickly realized American soldiers were slaughtering innocent civilians. Medina and maybe higher. Back at the base, Thompson threw his flight helmet on the ground. Hood were returnees, but no one really zeroed in on what was happening. Company C (Charlie Company), 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Barker, led by Captain Ernest Medina, moved into Sn M. 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. It can be disturbing. When did you see those particular villagers again? I wish I was, but I wont lie to anybody. And when Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley, the officer who ordered the massacre, Thompson received death threats. Testimony to the Truth [Smyth, Reverend Hugh P.] on Amazon.com. Any hesitation? You are not comfortable with being called a hero, either? No. In about 10-15 minutes we were back to the same spot where we saw the villagers on the road leaving. We thought that was good, that they would be out of the way. 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. Did you know when the story was about to break? Thats what they want to do. Glenn took a .51-caliber in the head, he was dead before he hit the ground. Commentary: Opponents need to stop equating abortion with eugenics, Editorial: Polluters keep trying to block gas bans.

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