hugh thompson testimony

Upon entering Sn M, officers and soldiers of Company C moved through the Song My Village and vicinity, murdering civilians, raping women, and setting fire to huts. Hugh Thompson was a volunteer officer in the Vietnam War who turned his squad's weapons on American soldiers to stop them raping and murdering more women and . But Ive had my episodes. This meant that military prosecutors would be prohibited from calling those persons as witnesses . Calley was paroled just three years later, in 1974, after Richard Nixon commuted his sentence. The only radio communication we had was with the low gunship. 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. Anyway, they remembered our story about My Lai, and instead of just lighting up a target, they took the time to analyze and study the situation. Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot who rescued Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai massacre, reported the killings to his superior officers in a rage over what he had seen, testified at. . Hugh Clowers Thompson Jr. was born on April 15, 1943, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, to Wessie and Hugh Clowers Thompson. Hugh struggled, but you see the people who survived are still in the same village, doing what they do. Hugh Thompson was determined to stop the massacre. At the age of 62, after extensive cancer treatment, Thompson was removed from life support and died on January 6, 2006, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pineville, Louisiana. We would have died for them. Calley told Thompson that he was following orders, presumably from Capt. Testimony of Dr. Hugh Thompson, HTA Engineering (Expert Witness) (Exhibit Allegra-10) Exhibit Allegra-10 includes Survey Notes and 12 photographs taken by HTA Engineering on January 12, 2010. Thompson left the Army in 1983 and became a private helicopter pilot in the South. It was like he dropped out of the sky. We also want to carry on Hughs passionate advocacy for all veterans, not just Vietnam vets. Still, Thompson had saved civilians who would have been killed if he had not intervened. 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. Thats unlikely to improve anyones mental health, Letters to the Editor: Yes, we need to talk about Bidens age. Thompson was more experienced than Lt. Calley, more ethical, more talented, and brighter, and probably recognized Calley didnt know what he was doing. That one person will go on to tell 10 other people. Then He Assassinated a US President. In harsh times, heroes are ordinary men doing extraordinary things. Hugh Clowers Thompson Sr. was an electrician who served in the United States Navy during World War II. Facebook gives people the power to. Larry Colburn was a door gunner with crew chief Glenn Andreotta and Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson as pilot of a small scout . They were not combatants. They also led as many surviving civilians as they could to shelter. Hugh Thompson on his way to testify against William Calley on November 23, 1970. In mid-March 2022, posts about a warrant officer named Hugh Thompson and his role in the My Lai massacre circulated on social media, including a tweet describing that time period as the 50-year anniversary of that incident:. Mercy Thompson and the Revelation on Marriage - The Church of Jesus by Vietnam magazine 2/7/2011. 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. They were true American heroes. You and Hugh had a pretty low profile during and after the trials? They waited until the sun went down and they crawled out of that ditch. He was presumably mindful of the ostracism he had faced and the long wait for that medal ceremony in Washington. In the last incident, his helicopter was brought down by enemy machine-gun fire, and he broke his back in the resulting crash landing. We didnt talk about it. Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials. The low gun probably did because they had visual and were communicating with Hugh, and Hugh had been telling them what wed been seeing, hoping they were relating that up to the command craft that was flying above at altitude. But still, who do you shoot? Then came the backlash. I dont know who did what. They could communicate with the command craft that was flying at altitude. Weve been accused of many things, of being traitors. Medina and maybe higher. Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. LinkedIn is the world's largest business network, helping professionals like Hugh Thompson discover inside connections to recommended job . And yes, they did know that. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. Hugh Thompson Jr (1943-2006) - EA Forum "Something terrible happened here 30 years ago today," Mr. Thompson was quoted as saying by CNN. In unison, all three of us shouted, You son of a bitch! That was Captain Ernest Medina. It went on like that for another year and half until finally they agreed to award medals to all of us. That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai 4, which was better known to us as Pinkville." It was supposed to be a real big operation that day. At that point, Hugh realizes hes got an aircraft that wont accommodate them. 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] That was the only enemy combatant we saw that day. And the people guilty of committing war crimes should have been dealt with. After we took the boy to Quang Nai, we went back to our base, and Hugh Thompson and I reported to Colonel Oran Henderson. Upon coming home, he got death threats and the like. These people are going to die, Thompson said to his crew. There was no time to get an ethics opinion or consult authorities. Glenn Andreotta was killed just a few weeks after My Lai? As I understand, that part of brain doesnt develop until 25. He made some notes on a legal pad and excused me and I left. I was always comfortable as the sidekick and enjoyed the time with Hugh. Ill have no part of this, Ill tear these wings off and never fly again!. Hugh and I went in 1998 with 60 Minutes, just after we were given the Soldiers Medal. Hugh Thompson Jr., The Army Major Who Stopped The My Lai Massacre U.S. ArmyHugh Thompson in his Army uniform, c. 1966. The . Hugh Thompson and the My Lai Massacre - Truth or Fiction? Hugh Thompson returned to M Lai in 1998 and met some of the people he saved. No. When you testified in Washington for the Army investigation led by General William Peers, did you feel they were after the real story? A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Some peoplepublicly stated that they felt Thompson was the only soldier at My Lai who should be punished (for turning his weapons on fellow American troops) and wanted to see him court-martialed for his actions at My Lai. How many of them were paid and paid well to rape and murder innocent babies, children, women and men? But one of things the most infuriating is being called a whistleblower, as if we went and ratted someone out. The eyewitness testimony of Thompson and his surviving crew member helped convict Calley at a court-martial. Testimony to the Truth: Smyth, Reverend Hugh P.: 9781163377390: Amazon When Hugh realized it was our people doing this killing, he knew he had to take drastic measures, recalled Larry Colburn, a gunner on Thompsons crew. Im giving interviews and working with students. When the orders came down, the CO called me into his office and demanded to know what they were for. Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. Mr. Thompson radioed for a helicopter gunship to evacuate the group, and then his crew chief, Glenn Andreotta, pulled a boy from a nearby irrigation ditch, and their helicopter flew him to safety. Interview: Larry Colburn | American Experience | PBS Hugh P. Thompson was the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Acadiana People: Angers writes new chapter in Hugh Thompson story I now know why he wanted me to come with him to events. I just figured it was time to do something, to not let these people get killed. I always thought the American people deserved to know what was going on and I just thought it was good the public got a color photo layout of what happened at My Lai. Hugh told me that was what was going through his mind, he was thinking of Nazi Germany, people digging trenches, forced to march into those trenches, mass graves.. They had been writing to the Pentagon for years about Hugh, totally unbeknownst to Hugh. We started noticing these large numbers of bodies everywhere, he told me, people on the road dead, wounded. So he called our low gunship, piloted by a friend of his, Dan Millans, and said: Danny, I need a favor. As we did, we heard automatic weapon fire. What would I have done if I were a man on the ground? Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. It was in their hands. Except for the boy, it appeared the rest were already dead. I was back in Mount Vernon, outside Washington, and I got a call from my mother saying there were some people at the house who wanted to talk to me. You and Thompson must have been good mutual support. That seemed suicidal to me, going out with next to no backup or firepower. On March 16, 1998, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Colburn attended a service at My Lai marking the 30th anniversary of the massacre. Mercy Thompson, Testimony, Church of Christ in Missouri v. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 70 F. 179 (8th Cir. Calley was convicted, and Medina was acquitted. Hugh Thompson is a genuine, bone-fide hero of the Vietnam war, protecting hundreds from being massacred by US troops at My Lai. He said: They are coming this way. Hugh was being jovial. For more information about the Hugh Thompson Foundation, visit www.designaire.com/HughThompson, Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. How do you intend to spread the word about the foundation? They were going to kill more, but they didnt because of what Thompson did. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. Spec Ops Magazine 2023 All Rights Reserved. In front of Lt. Calley,Hugh Thompson was outranked. Digital History 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. Hood were returnees, but no one really zeroed in on what was happening. To do something like that in the whirlwind of war was downright insane, and thats exactly what he did. Hugh Thompson - Collierville, Tennessee, United States - LinkedIn I was hoping there would be justice, but what did it achieve? We didnt talk too much about it ourselves because we reported on it and we were, frankly, preoccupied with the next mission. When Mr. Thompson returned home, it seemed to him that he was viewed as the guilty party. Innocent people didnt die that day They didnt just fly off the handle and engage a target that was borderline. Id never seen nor heard of anything like that before, except in World War II. 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. ), 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. The M Lai massacre started when the U.S. Army declared everyone in a broad region of Vietnam either part of the Viet Cong or sympathizers. We came to think we were indirectly killing these people ourselves by marking them with smoke. Did you have any knowledge of who was being inserted into My Lai that morning? According to Miriam-Webster.com, the word "testimony means: proof or evidence that something exists or is true, firsthand authentication of a fact, an open acknowledgment, a public profession of religious experience . I have a few lined up at some universities this year. You know, you think everybody feels you and you can ignore your own symptoms. Company C (Charlie Company), 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Barker, led by Captain Ernest Medina, moved into Sn M. And then she finished her sentence: she said, So we could forgive them.'. 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. The outcome of the trails was disgraceful, and Hugh and I saw that it was a sham. We even started marking the wounded with smoke, thinking the men on ground would come assist them. Hugh said, Im going to take him on the right, which meant he was my target. The lieutenant told him to mind his own business and get out of the way. Central to the case prosecuted by the Civilian Complaint. A list of his survivors was not immediately available. You were a witness for the prosecution in the trials that followed? I thank God to this day that everybody did stay cool and nobody opened up. Larry Colburn was a door gunner with crew chief Glenn Andreotta and Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson as pilot of a small scout helicopter during a combat assault at the village of My Lai on March 16, 1968. 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.. Was this part of the cover up? Youve got to love this guy. hb```,(qaB3W[ 4 `Tfc" QB\%xv{ The My Lai story and Hugh Thompsons role in it is really important, but do you find most people are unaware of it? Thompson and his crew stood in front of the bunker, protecting the civilians. And it turned out it was a good thing that they did. Inside Brianna Maitland's Chilling Disappearance And The Bizarre Clues Left Behind, How Ken Miles Helped Ford Beat Ferrari Before Dying Tragically Behind The Wheel, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. He told me not to say anything to anybody, and just tell the truth when I got there. Afterwards Thompson testified at the trial of Lt. William Calley, the commanding officer during the massacre. It is amazing to see the strength of the human spirit. In 1966, Thompson enlisted in the United States Army and completed the Warrant Officer Flight Program training at Fort Wolters, Texas, and Fort Rucker, Alabama. It was denial on the part of the public, said Colburn. DOC HUGH THOMPSON'S TESTIMONY: - Social Studies with Miss Daniel Finally, the Army launched an inquiry. Are you guys with me?. Hes saved lives again. Justice Thompson was re-elected for additional six-year terms in 2000, 2006, and 2012. He teaches the U.S. history survey since 1877 and specialized courses on Vietnam, 1960s America, and U.S. foreign relations. My Lai Massacre: Vietnam War & Colin Powell - HISTORY He was first appointed to the court on March 1, 1994, by Governor Zell Miller (D). Harry claimed a 'secret agreement' stopped him bringing hacking claims earlier Hugh Thompsons actions may be unique. When he had a heart attack he said he would slow down, but he didnt.