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PBS NewsHourMAR 31 2023
US Army Officer Convicted for Role in Vietnam's My Lai Massacre Dead at 80
Above: Army 1st Lt. William L. Calley Jr. arrives on January 20, 1970, for a pre-trial military hearing where his attorneys were to argue for dismissal of charges that he murdered Vietnamese in an alleged massacre by American troops at Song My on March 16, 1968. Image copyright: Bettman/Contributor/Bettman via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Lt. Calley spent most of his life being demonized as a war criminal, becoming one of the most infamous US Army officers ever due to his role in the shameful My Lai massacre. In retrospect, however, it's clear that he was merely a scapegoat — just another officer that had been told by his superiors to raze the village and kill anything that moved.
Narrative B
The now-deceased Lt. Calley became a perverse kind of folk hero for many due to his actions in My Lai, with most Americans opposing a life sentence for him despite agreeing his killing of civilians was wrong. He may have acted under the orders of his superiors, but that doesn't make him less of a war criminal — he even rejected calls to stop the massacre.