Finally, We See My Lai Heroes

Memories of the U.S. massacre of the villagers of My Lai 30 years ago still haunt our nation’s psyche. That slaughter of innocent Vietnamese civilians forced Americans to confront the notion of wholesale atrocity committed by U.S. troops.

This thicket of emotions surfaced at recent ceremonies honoring, at long last, three men who did what was right, moral and honorable on March 16, 1968. The three Army fliers landed their combat helicopter in the midst of the carnage to rescue as many villagers as their craft could carry.

It’s taken three decades for the Army to recognize these men. Nothing about My Lai has been simple or straightforward. Reports of the massacre did not surface until a year after it occurred, and the Army initially tried to cover it up. In the end, only Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was tried and convicted; no one above or below him in rank shared that fate.

In finally honoring Hugh C. Thompson Jr., Lawrence Colburn and Glenn Andreotta, who was killed in action three weeks after the massacre, the Army said that My Lai was “one of the most shameful chapters in the Army’s history” but these men “set the standard for all soldiers to follow.” They were awarded the Soldier’s Medal--the Army’s highest honor for bravery not involving conflict with the enemy--at an emotional ceremony earlier this month at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. Thompson and Colburn, along with 30 former U.S. servicemen, returned to My Lai last weekend for ceremonies to honor its 500 victims.

My Lai was an ugly chapter in an unpopular war. These three men acted with great courage and conviction. The national recognition, though regrettably late, is well deserved. By example and deed, they give us another context for coming to terms with that shameful day.