Fifty years ago, the United States was shocked by the news of the atrocities of American soldiers in the Vietnamese village of Songmi. The Vietnam War was not very popular in America anyway. Especially among young people who did not want to go to war to hell on pies, it is not clear why to kill, to risk perishing on their own. But what became known in 1969 shocked America, and subsequently the whole world. Moreover, in 1969 it became known about the crime that the American army committed the year before - in March 1968. For a whole year, they managed to hide information from the general public. But in the end, the public learned about the tragedy thanks to a few honest military men, in particular thanks to one technical specialist. He held a position similar to the Soviet ensign. True, despite the resonance, by and large, no one has ever been punished for the atrocities in Songmi.
A little background
The fact that the Vietnamese partisans did not give life to the American interventionists during the Vietnam War is perhaps known to everyone. Many also know that the success of a guerrilla war depends on the support of the local population. This is just the case. The partisans were on their land. And not only the population, but also, it seemed, the land itself was for them. In the end, the Americans, like the German troops on Russian soil, fell into hysteria and, using impotent rage, began to use scorched earth tactics. By default, they took almost any settlement for a guerrilla base. Suffice it to say that at the turn of 1967-1968 from the actions of the Americans in the province of Quang Ngai, where tragic events unfolded later, about one hundred forty thousand people were homeless.
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New year offensive
Despite barbarism and atrocities against the local population (and maybe just because of this), the US military failed to break the spirit of the Vietnamese - both civilians and those who defended their land with arms in their hands. At the beginning of 1968, the situation was so bad for the interventionists that the communist detachments organized the first major attack on the American units in January-February. It is known as the New Year offensive, or Tet offensive. In the province of Quang Ngai was the American task force Barker. These were the military from the Eleventh Infantry Brigade of the Twenty-Third American Infantry Division. And there, in the province of Quang Ngai, the Forty-eighth battalion of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam vexed the Americans terribly. He literally tortured the enemy, while managing to constantly avoid direct fighting, in which the advantage would be on the side of the Americans.
Punishers, sir!
The eleventh infantry brigade was in Vietnam back in 1967. Rather, at the end of the year. At the same time, most of its servicemen were not really fired upon, because they did not manage to take part in the clashes. This, of course, also applies to the Barker group, which approximately in the middle of March 1968 had intelligence information that some of the units of the Forty-eighth battalion of the National Liberation Front, and most importantly, its headquarters are located in the village of Songmi. Naturally, the partisans decided to destroy. A cunning plan was invented. The main load was to lie on the company “Charlie” of the First Battalion of the Twentieth Infantry Regiment. This company, led by Captain Ernest Medina, was ordered to get to the village by helicopter and land on its western outskirts. Another company was supposed to block the village in the north. There was also a third company. She was ordered, if necessary, to strengthen the Charlie company. The trick is that just the company C until this very moment did not fight. She was engaged exclusively in police, punitive functions - her fighters went on patrol and ambushed. And even so, she constantly suffered losses, bumping into mines and cunning partisan traps. Just on the fourteenth of March, two days before the punitive operation, Staff Sergeant George Cox, who was very respected in the company, was killed. The company commander Medina made a speech in which he called for revenge on the damned Viet Cong. That is, you can imagine an explosive mixture in the mood of these punishers: fear and rage.
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Possible provocation
So, on March 16, 1968, in the early morning of the Charlie company, after five-minute artillery bombardment, it landed from helicopters, as indicated, near Milai. It is this name, and not Songmy, that the Americans used. Interestingly, before the operation, the soldiers were told that a fierce enemy had settled in the village, who would certainly desperately resist. Moreover, it was also said that there would definitely not be civilians in the village, because in the mornings they leave for the market. Where such information came from, through which channels, remained unknown. However, whether it was a mistake or a deliberate provocation, in fact it is not so important. Because in any case, no one was going to feel sorry for civilians. The company commander Medina clearly ordered the village to be burned, cattle and all crops destroyed. It is clear that no partisans, if they were there before, were not in the village. According to some reports, a small group of militiamen were in the village, but left it either before the start, or immediately after the start of the landing of helicopters from company C. But civilians were in place.
Bloody mess
The soldiers, who had not yet taken part in the actual hostilities, pumped up by Medina's “political information”, frightened by the impending clash with the partisans, opened fire indiscriminately on everyone as soon as they started the attack at eight o’clock in the morning.
They shot those who worked in the rice fields, they threw grenades at the huts, and those who ran out were destroyed by fire from automatic weapons. They shot those who tried to hide in ditches along the road. Fifty people were found who tried to hide in the pit and shot them. The order was given by Lieutenant William Kelly, who commanded the first platoon. Even the prisoners were shot. Well, like prisoners? Captured peasants. About a hundred people. Interestingly, the company commander Medina himself did not enter the village. He led, so to speak, the battle from afar.
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At the same time, company B, the Bravo, which represented the Fourth Battalion of the Third Infantry Regiment, landed on the other side of the village. One soldier died while seven were wounded either by running into mines, or by falling into traps. Be that as it may, one of the company platoons staged a massacre in the neighboring village of Mikhe-4. They also fired on everything that moves. About ninety peasants were killed. However, as it turned out during a later investigation of this tragedy, not all the soldiers who took in that punitive operation became insane. There is evidence that out of a hundred soldiers, thirty participated in the massacres of peasants and their families.
Unexpected intercessor
During a nightmare on earth, there was an observation helicopter in the air. His pilot Hugh Thompson was quite surprised at what was happening below. In the end, he could not stand it, and when he saw that the soldiers were going to shoot another group of peasants hiding in a makeshift bomb shelter, he landed a helicopter between them. He tried to stop the soldiers, but they did not listen. Then Thompson ordered the helicopter shooter in case of an attempt by the infantrymen to kill the peasants nevertheless to open fire on the soldiers. After that, he called for help to evacuate the wounded Vietnamese.
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The obstinate Thompson
It was the helicopter pilot, warrant officer Thomson, who stopped the massacre, having reported his incident to his immediate commander. When this information finally reached the commander of the Barker brigade, he began to understand what was happening in the village. And then Medina ordered a ceasefire. Then Thompson actually accomplished the feat without giving up his words during subsequent proceedings, as did the members of his crew. It was really not easy. Not everyone in the US was on his side. Thomson was poisoned, threatened to kill him, he was arranged with all sorts of nasty things in the style of "mafioso", tossing dead animals to his house. But he stood his ground. Thirty years after the incident, Thompson and his crew were even awarded the highest award in the US Army - Soldier medals. As was said, "for actions in a non-combat environment." Moreover, the flight engineer Glenn Andriota was awarded posthumously. He died literally immediately after the events in Songmi - in April.
No one was held accountable
Until November 1969, the public did not know anything about the tragedy in Songmi. But then the information still came out. There was a scandal. Conducted an investigation. As a result, out of eighty military trials in the Songmi case, twenty-five were charged. But already before the tribunal were only six. Five were acquitted. Only the same lieutenant Kelly was found guilty, who ordered the killing of fifty people who had hidden in a pit. Kelly was sentenced to hard labor for life. But in the USA there were many who demanded the lieutenant’s acquittal. Three days after the verdict was passed, President Nixon ordered Kelly to be placed under house arrest. Then he was reduced a few more times. And already in 1974, when the passions calmed down, the murderer, exhausted and suffering under house arrest, was pardoned.
